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Oil Country Tubular Goods Definition – Understanding OCTG Industry Related Terms

The following glossary of terms offers the basic oil country tubular goods definition as well as definitions for various industry terms you will want to know when purchasing OCTG and line pipe. If you have any questions, please contact Tex-Isle Supply.

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A

AAR
- Association of American Railroads
AGA
- American Gas Association
AISI
- American Iron & Steel Institute
ANSI
- American National Standards Institute - Formerly ASA
API
- American Petroleum Institute
ASA
- American Standard Institute - Now known as ANSI
ASM
- American Society for Metals
ASME
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers
ASTM
- American Society for Testing Materials
AWWA
- American Water Works Association

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B

BALES
- Banded lifts of pipe
BAR MILL
- Rolling mill where blooms are processed for form billets
BESS
- Bessemer
BEVEL
- The angle formed between the prepared edge of the end of the pipe and a plane perpendicular to the surface. Standard line pipe bevel is 30 degrees.
BILLET
- Round, solid bar of steel which is pierced to form a seamless tube or pipe.
BLK
- Black - Term used when O.D. surface of pipe is protected with a varnish-type oil. Also applies to bare pipe to denote not galvanized.
BLOOM
- A semi-finished hot rolled product produced on a blooming mill.
B.O.F.
- Basic Oxygen Furnace
B.O.P.
- Basic Oxygen Process
BRIGGS STANDARD
- A standard of thread dimensions. Same as American Standard
B.T.U.
- British Thermal Unit
BLDS
- Bundles - practice of packaging pipe from NPS 1/8 to NPS 1-1/2. Pieces per bundle vary with size.
BURST TEST
-A destructive hydraulic test to determine actual yield strength and ultimate strength of seamless
B.W. Butt Weld Pipe
- See Continuous Weld Pipe
B.W.G.
- Birmingham Wire Gauge

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C

CASING
- Pipe used as a structural retainer for the walls of a water, gas, or oil well.
C.D.
- Cold Drawn - Drawing pipe or tubing through a die to reduce diameter and wall, to obtain closer tolerances, a better finish or higher physical properties.
CHAMFER
- A beveled surface to eliminate an otherwise sharp corner. A finishing operation prior to threading.
CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
- Normally associated with a limited number of chemical elements. Minimum or maximum limits are established in most ASTM and API specifications.
CUT LENGTH
- Pipe cut to a specific length as ordered.
CON CAST
- Continuous Cast
CONDUIT
- Pipe serving as a duct for electrical wiring. Usually supplied in 10 foot lengths, threaded and coupled. Pipe used is normally galvanized, slightly lighter than standard weight with a smooth interior surface.
CPLG
- Coupling - threaded sleeve used to connect two lengths of pipe.
C.W.
- Continuous Weld - method of producing pipe normally in sizes from ½ inch to 4 inch.
CU
- Copper
C.W.T.
- per hundred weight

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D

DIA
- Diameter
DIE STAMPING
- Permanent marking placed on pipe as required in some specifications.
DOUBLE EXTRA HEAVY
-Also known as double extra strong. Available from NPS 1/2 to NPS 8 nominal pipe. Wall thickness is twice as heavy as extra heavy pipe with the exception of 8 inch diameter.
DRL
- Double Random Length (35 foot minimum average)
DRIFTED
- Attaining a certain minimum I.D. clearance by pushing a mandrel through pipe or tubing.
DRIVE PIPE
- Pipe used for driving into ground in water well applications. Supplied with drive coupling.
DUCTILITY
- The ability of a material to deform plastically without fracturing. Measured by elongation in a tensile test.

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E

ERW
- Electric Resistance Weld Pipe - method of producing pipe normally in sizes from 2-3/8" OD through 22" OD.
E.U.E.
- External Upset Ends - used in API tubing and drill pipe.
EXPANDED PIPE
- Pipe which has been enlarged circumferentially by mechanical or hydraulic pressure.
EXTRA HEAVY
- Also known as extra strong - pipe with walls heavier than standard weight. Same as schedule 80 in sizes NPS 1/8 to NPS 8 diameter.

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F

F.O.B.
- Free on Board
FRT
- Freight

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G

GALV
- Galvanizing - coating pipe with a protective coating of zinc.
GRADE A OR B
- Designations used to indicate minimum yield and tensile strengths of steel in seamless and welded pipe.
G.T.
- Gross Ton - 2,240 pounds

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H

HYDROSTATIC TESTING
- High pressure water test to predetermine pressures as required by specifications.

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I

I.D.
- Inside Diameter - The O.D. measurement less double the wall thickness is the I.D. measurement of a pipe or tube.
INGOT
- Usually first solid form of steel. Suitable for reworking or remelting.
I.P.S.
- Iron Pipe Size - Same as nominal size from 1/8 inch to 12 inch.

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J

JOINT
- Term used to refer to one length of pipe.

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L

LGTH
- Length
L.T.C.
- Long threads and coupling (OCTG)
LARGE O.D. PIPE
- Pipe NPS 14 and larger
LW.
- Lap Weld - Old method of producing pipe 5 inch diameter and over. Has not been produced for 25+ years.

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M

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
- Tensile strength, elongation, hardness and fatigue limit of steel.
MID-WELDS
- Two or more joints welded to form one long joint.
MINIMUM WALL
- Minimum thickness permissible calculated by subtracting minus tolerance from nominal wall.
MN
- Manganese

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N

N.A.S.P.D.
- The National Association of Steel Pipe Distributors
N.B.S.
- National Bureau of Standards
NI
- Nickel
NIPPLE
- Short length of pipe 12 inches and under normally threaded both ends.
NOM
- Nominal - name given to standard pipe designations 1/8 inch through 12 inch. Does not indicate actual I.D. measurements. Wall thickness are also expressed as nominal.
N.T.
- Net Ton - 2,000 pounds

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O

OCTG
– Abbreviation for oil country tubular goods
Oil Country Tubular Goods
– Products such as pipe, tubing and casing used in the oil and gas industry
O.D
. - Outside diameter
O.H.
- Open hearth

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P

PCS
- Pieces
P.E.
- Plain ends
PERC
- Plain end roller cut
PESC
- Plain end square cut or saw cut or machine cut
PICKLING
- Pipe immersed in acid bath to remove scale, oil, dirt, etc.
PROTECTOR
- Sleeve with threads to protect threads
PSI
- Pounds per square inch.

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R

RANGE
- Allowable lengths in oil field casing and tubing. Expressed as Range 1(20 foot R/L), Range 2 (30 foot R/L) and Range 3 (40 foot R/L).
R/L
- Random Length. Varying lengths of pipe.
R&D
- Reamed and Drifed - commonly used in water wells to guarantee I.D. clearance

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S

SAW
- Submerged Arc Weld - a method of producing very large OD pipe.
SCALE
- An oxide of iron which forms on the surface of steel.
SCHEDULE NUMBERS
- ANSI numbers assigned to pipe to designate wall thickness.
SKELP
- Long narrow strips of plate of correct thickness and width to produce CW or ERW pipe.
SMLE
- Seamless - pipe without a seam or weld in the circumference.
SPEC
- Specification
SRL
- Single Random Lengths - usually 16 foot to 22 foot. Minimum average of 17'6".
S.T.
& C. - Short Thread & Coupled (OCTG).
STD
- Standard - Same as Sch. 40, NPS 1/8- NPS 10
STENCIL
- Identification painted on pipe. Specification, size, wall, grade, test pressure, method of manufacture and mill identification are usually indicated.
STRAND(S)
- Product of Continuous Cast Process
STRETCH REDUCE
- A technique employed in the manufacture of CW pipe in which one or several master sizes of pipe are produced, then stretched reduced through a number of rolls to achieve a variety of pipe diameters. Also used in certain instances in seamless and ERW manufacturing.

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T

TBE
- Thread Both Ends
T & C
- Threaded and Coupled
TOE
- Thread One End
TENSILE STRENGTH
- Ultimate bursting strength to resist being pulled apart. Expressed in P.S.I.
TUBE ROUND
- Billet

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V

VICTAULIC JOINT
- Pipe is grooved near ends to accommodate a victaulic coupling.
YIELD STRENGTH
- The tensile stress required to produce a total elongation of .5 percent of the gauge length as determined by an extensometer. Expressed in P.S.I.

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X

XHY
- Extra Heavy (Extra Strong)
XXHY
- Double Extra Heavy (Double Extra Strong)

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Tex-Isle is a leading supplier of oil country tubular goods and API line pipe. View our list of OCTG products here.

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