Sizing Suction Piping (Schedule 40 & 80 steel pipe)

For system to work properly, it is important to maintain reasonable velocities of liquid passing through the piping. Pipe velocities are a function of gallons per minute and pipe diameter. This calculator determines the minimum pipe diameter for suction piping based on Schedule 40 or 80 pipe.

In addition, water temperature and velocity are key factors that influence pump performance (i.e., cavitations). Lower velocities are used for higher water temperatures at a given flow rate (GPM).

A user of the calculator must select the following inputs:

• Pump Flow (ranging from from 1 to 500 GPM).
• Pipe Schedule (40 or 80).
• Water Temperature (<210°F or ≥210°F).

Suction Piping Calculator
1. Select pump flow. 1 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 60 70 80 90 100 125 150 175 200 225 250 275 300 325 350 375 400 425 450 475 500 GPM #1	Minimum Pipe Diameter inches #3 Velocity feet/second #4
2. Choose pipe schedule. Schedule 40     Schedule 80 #2
3. Choose a temperature group. < 210°F     ≥ 210°F
Press "Reset All" to CLEAR ALL calculations and enter new values.

Notes

1. Select value of pump flow (GPM) that is equal to or greater than the pump flow of your application.
2. Schedule refers to strength of pipe. Wall thickness of pipe varies based on dimensions of pipe as defined in ASME Standard 36.10. See Glossary for more information.
3. Pipe sizing assumes no manifolded piping between receiver and pumps. Calculation single between receiver and pump suction.
4. Velocity is a function of the cross sectional flow area. Therefore, it is constant for a given flow rate and independent of pipe length. Values may vary slightly from other published data due to rounding.

Shipco® MathWizard™ • Go to Top