The Steel Tubing Distributor and Your Supply Chain

Steel tubing is specified by its outside diameter, unlike steel piping, which is specified by its inside diameter. Steel tubing is used in a huge range of industries, from processing industries, to structural industries and even consumer products. Round and square tubing are used in structural applications, for structures like catwalks and platforms, for transport of liquids or gas, and for products like vehicle exhaust systems.

Process Industries and Steel Tubing Demand

Process industries include pharmaceuticals, biotech, dairy, chemical, food, and beverages. Water treatment facilities are also process facilities that depend on access to a steel tubing distributor for construction, expansion, and repair needs. Stainless steel alloys offer the process industries resistance to corrosion, chemical and thermal stability, and cost effectiveness. The steel distributor plays a critical role in building these industries and keeping them productive.

The Steel Distributor over the Next Five Years

Despite experiencing fluctuations in demand up through 2010 or 2011, steel distribution is expected to see increased demand over the next few years. Sustained construction growth and increased exploration for petroleum products are main contributors to this growth. Revenues in the steel distribution sector are expected to experience annual growth of around 1.8% per year through 2017.

Upstream and Downstream Steel Tubing Demands

Steel tubing demand comes from a variety of upstream and downstream industries, and is affected by rig counts in the oil and gas industries, construction of gas and water transmission lines, and general economic conditions. Suppliers are learning the best ways to replenish inventories, as well as how to make better forecasts of demand so as to meet it without creating huge inventory backlogs.

Factors Affecting Steel Tubing Costs

The costs associated with steel tubing distribution are affected by numerous factors. The cost of the steel itself is influential, as are labor costs and the costs associated with electricity and natural gas used by the steel tubing manufacturing industry. The steel distribution industry is seeing a trend toward just-in-time inventory systems as steel tubing consumers demand this type of inventory method. International markets and import and export competition is also a factor expected to affect steel suppliers over the next decade.

No Room for Errors with Oilfield Drill Pipe

Did you know that nearly 1700 years ago, oil wells of up to 800 feet deep were drilled in China using drill bits attached to bamboo? In the late 16th century, Persian oil wells were dug by hand to depths of up to 115 feet. Drill pipe in one form or another has been around for a very long time. Fortunately, today's drill pipe complies with international standards so that it gets the job done efficiently and maximizes crew safety.

ASTM Standards in the Petroleum Industry

In 1921, ASTM D 86, a method for distilling petroleum products at atmospheric pressure was approved, and this standard became one of the most-used ASTM standards ever. ASTM D 86 is considered one of the fundamental building blocks of standardization in the petroleum industry. ASTM steel pipe used in the petroleum industry has to conform to strict standards as well, preserving standardization and meeting safety and design standards.

ASTM A53 Steel Pipe

Tubing and pipe complying with ASTM A53 are used in oil and gas drilling. ASTM steel pipe is used in all aspects of the petroleum industry, including exploration drilling, oil production, and transport of gas, oil, water, and natural gas in numerous challenging environments. As drilling operations become more remote, ASTM pipe assures project managers that their steel pipe will stand up to whatever Mother Nature dishes out.

What Drill Pipe Does

Drill pipe is tubular steel conduit. The ends of drill pipe are outfitted with distinct threaded ends that are called tool joints. Drill pipe is what connects the surface equipment of a drilling rig to the bottomhole assembly and the drilling bit. Drill pipe pumps drilling fluid to the bit, and is used to raise, lower, or rotate the bit and bottomhole assembly.

You and Your Oilfield Drill Pipe Supplier

You don't have time to educate your steel pipe supplier on what you need and why you need it. Choose an oilfield drill pipe supplier that is conversant in ASTM standards and that has both the mill network and worldwide transport network to deliver your products to you on time.

Steel Pipe Supplier Is Critical in Numerous Industries

Steel pipe is most commonly associated with the petroleum industry. Drill pipe assemblies use steel pipe, and once the production phase of an oil or gas project is underway, pipeline supplied by a steel pipe supplier is used to transport the product to refineries. Success of petroleum drilling and transport projects depends heavily on the quality of the products made by the steel tubing manufacturer.

Oil and Gas Transport

Oil and gas transport and steel pipe have long been closely associated. Pipelines require significant up-front investment, but when petroleum products have to travel long distances over the long term, pipeline transport is the best type of transport. While rail or truck transport works well over shorter distances, and can be used while a pipeline is under construction, pipeline transport is the gold standard for long term, long distance transportation of petroleum products.

Infrastructure

Bridges, runways, seawalls, and highways are just some of the infrastructure projects that depend on steel tubing manufacturers to come through with products that meet standards and arrive on time. Structural steel, steel pipe, or both are widely used in infrastructure projects. Suppliers of these products must have knowledge of how infrastructure is built, and they must have the transportation and logistics in place to meet demand and schedule.

Commercial and Industrial Development

Structural steel used in commercial construction comes in a range of sizes and cross sections. Architects and contractors depend upon structural steel for skyscrapers, parking garages, manufacturing plants, and other industrial applications due to structural steel's safety, strength, and versatility. If you're in charge of a development project, you don't have time to educate your steel supplier on what cross sections you need, or which standards it must conform to. That's why it's always best to trust experienced structural steel suppliers.

Food Services

Demand for steel pipe is high in the food services sector. Whether it transports waste or finished products, steel tubing in the food industry has to withstand difficult environments and resist corrosion while safely handling food products. Does your steel pipe supplier have a commitment to on-time delivery, high quality, and worker safety? Don't settle for less.

Where Should You Turn for API Drill Pipe or OCTG Products?

If your project involves down-the-hole (DTH) drilling, your tubing and API drill pipe cannot let you down, regardless of what you are drilling through, what type of rig you're using, and how deeply you need to drill. Your tubing must be uncompromising on durability, measurements and threads must be accurate, and getting the pipe you need delivered to your location must be a given.

Dedication to Quality from Mill to Jobsite

Whether you need hot-rolled tubing, cold drawn tubing or any other type of structural or transport tubing, your provider should be committed to quality and have quality assurance procedures from the mill to the point of delivery. Today's OCTG line pipe has to make it to increasingly remote jobsites, and you definitely don't want to have to send it back due to quality issues.

End Pieces that Won't Let You Down

Weak links are unacceptable for your OCTG products. Whatever type of end you require for your pipe, your provider should have it ready to go when you need it. The joints between the tubing and the end pieces are vulnerable points, and you need assurance that your steel pipe supplier heat-treats end pieces and sees to the quality of the threading on pipes so that you get optimum performance, with no question.

Quality Threading for Long Life

Correct threading is absolutely essential to the success of your drilling project. You need to be able to fit tubing together at the correct angle, get a tight fit, and be able to disconnect later when you want to reuse the tubing. When threads are not properly added, the result is frustration and possible safety hazards. Does your OCTG line pipe and drill pipe provider understand the importance of quality threading?

Logistics and Distribution that Won't Shy Away from Tough Jobs

The highest quality tubing in the world isn't useful if your supplier can't get it to you. Top suppliers have logistics engineers on staff and are prepared to deal with all methods of transport including Customs requirements in order to get your products to your jobsite exactly when you need them.

ASME Structural Steel: The Backbone of the World's Infrastructure

ASME Structural steel is used in construction in the form of I-beams, T-beams, and H-beams. Such beams are typically used as load bearing structural members in the framework of buildings. Structural steel is also the type of steel that is used to construct oil drilling rigs as well as civil construction projects and is manufactured in compliance with strict international standards and specifications covering chemical composition and strength.

Supplying the Structural Steel Industry Relies Upon

You steel supplier should be able to supply structural steel products with special cross sections or angles. Generally these are hot-rolled products that are riveted, welded, or bolted into place during the construction of buildings, bridges, highways, airports, harbor berths, seawalls, offshore platforms, or other types of structures. It is best to choose a supplier with ISO 9001 certification for distribution and trading of these products.

APILine Pipe and Petroleum

Line pipe is most closely associated with the oil and gas industries. It may be used for drilling, distribution, or other petroleum applications. With API-certified line pipe, you get high-strength steel that has undergone quenching and tempering to yield outstanding microstructure properties for even the most demanding environments. It has been used successfully on the north slope of Alaska and is designed to perform well in other extreme conditions too.

API Line Pipe and Water Transport

Water transport is another sector where API-rated line pipe is commonly used. Made from high strength carbon steel, this line pipe is available in diameters from two inches to 48 inches. It may be welded or seamless and must be able to withstand high pressures. Before it can be shipped to users, line pipe has to be tested to ensure it complies with steel chemistry strength and dimension specifications for reliable and safe pipeline transport.

One Supplier, Fewer Hassles

The construction of an oil rig, bridge, or airport requires numerous types of structural steel and piping. When you have one supplier that can be relied upon to provide structural steel, line pipe, oil country tubular goods, and other steel products, you have an easier time keeping your project on schedule and within budget.

What to Expect from Your Line Pipe Manufacturer

When you use ISO structural steel products, you are choosing materials for structural members that have undergone close inspection in order to meet exacting standards. Structural steel is the backbone of infrastructure all over the world, making up important parts of the petroleum chain, roads, bridges, airports, and skyscrapers. Expect your steel distributor to offer structural steel in a range of cross sectional types for every structural need.

Inspection and Defects in Structural Steel

With welded steel processes, products are inspected before welding, between weld passes, and after welding. The weld preparation must be correct, including preparation angles, minimal gap for fillet welds, and depth of preparation for part penetration welds, among other requirements. For multiple pass welds, the suitability of the surface of previous weld material must be determined, and relative position of parts to be joined have to meet fabrication drawing specs. Post-weld inspection is also critical for the integrity of structural steel products.

Steel and Pipe in Industry

Line pipe manufacturers supply industry worldwide with pipe used for drilling and transport. Does your pipe manufacturer ship to wherever you're located, even in remote areas? Does your manufacturer have a global network of mills for providing products on a tight schedule? Your project deserves no less.

Infrastructure and Pipelines

Without structural steel and line pipe, there would be no infrastructure. Structural steel is what makes buildings safe and bridges strong, and pipe is used in countless industries for efficient transport over long distances. Your supplier for line pipe and structural steel should not only have the materials knowledge necessary to bring you products that meet your specifications, it should offer you a range of delivery options suited to your project's needs.

Expect Steel and Pipe Made to the Highest Standards

You don't have to put up with steel and pipe suppliers who promise products but fail to deliver what was ordered or fail to deliver goods on time. Suppliers should be expected to be conversant in standards set by ISO, ASME, and the American Petroleum Institute, among others, because you don't have the time to educate suppliers on the importance of your structural steel and pipe requirements.

Can Your Exploration Pipeline Supplier Meet Your Other Steel Needs?

As world energy demand increases, drilling for oil continues to tap increasingly remote areas. When oil reserves are found, the challenge is getting crude over long distances to refineries. The exploration pipeline supplier plays a critical role in transport of crude oil and other petroleum products, providing steel pipe of various sizes for efficient transport.

Pipelines Still Transport of Choice Over Long Distances

When a lot of gas or oil has to travel over a long distance, a pipeline is the transport method of choice. Pipeline tubing has to be able to withstand extreme conditions, including very high and very low temperatures. The supplier for these products is critical to a properly functioning pipeline.

ASTM Structural Steel in Remote Facilities

Of course, drilling facilities themselves require steel too, in the form of structural steel. ASTM structural steel in various cross sectional types is necessary for offshore platforms and land structures at remote drilling sites. When your pipeline supplier can provide both exploration pipeline and structural steel, projects can go more smoothly, particularly when the supplier has a reputation for expertise, reliability, and quality.

Getting Products Where They Need to Go

Any supplier of structural steel and steel pipe that wants to remain in business has to have logistical expertise, competitive prices, and a global network of mills so that all products get to their destination on time. If you're in the petroleum industry, you need a supplier for steel pipe and tubing with knowledge of how the petroleum industry works, and what products companies need for drilling and transport.

Your Steel Pipe Supplier and You

Who has time to educate a steel supplier on specifications necessary for a drilling project? Your steel supplier is integral to your success, and if they understand what you need and why it must meet certain specifications, you can be confident that you won't have to deal with quality problems, or receiving the wrong product. Getting the steel you need, whether for a drilling rig, a transport pipeline, or facility construction doesn't have to be a hassle when you choose your supplier carefully.