The word steel covers a whole lot of sub-types: stainless, galvanised and duplex steel are just some of those used for industrial applications.

In this article, we will give you some insight into how steel is made, and why steel alloys, rather than galvanised steel products, are sold by petrochemical and gas suppliers like us at ChemiPetro.

Steel pipe fittings have been around for years due to their strength, durability and heat resistant qualities. The high level of precision that can be achieved when tooling stainless steel makes it ideal for making pipes and pipe fittings, for both household and industry.

Steel pipes are widely used for carrying flammable gases, oil, petrol, chemicals and water for sprinkler systems. Due to steel’s ability to corrode, it is usually combined with other metals and minerals to reduce this.

The cheapest way to improve steel is by chemically coating it, in a process called galvanisation. Zinc galvanised steel is the best known example of this. It is cheap and widely used in water supply lines. However, once the galvanised coating wears off, the steel is weak and quickly corrodes.

For this reason, steel alloys are used for gas pipelines and other industrial specifications. Alloys are created by physically combining the steel with other materials such as carbon, molybdenum or nickel. This reduces corrosion and can also increase strength.

At ChemiPetro, we have pipe fittings in a range of high-spec steel alloys, designed specifically for use in the gas, oil and petrochemical industries. We also supply weld neck flanges for industry use and couplings, amongst other pressure fittings.