API 5L Seamless Line Pipe Specifications

The American Petroleum Institute specification API 5L covers seamless and welded steel line pipe.  This is steel pipe for pipeline transportation systems in the petroleum and natural gas industries.  API 5L is suitable for conveying gas, water, and oil.  Size range is limited only by manufacturer’s capabilities.

Specifications for API 5L adhere to the International Organization for Standardization ISO 3183, which standardizes pipeline transportation systems within the materials, equipment and offshore structures for petroleum, petrochemical, and natural gas industries.  The technical committee authoring the standards recognized that there are two basic Product Specifications Levels (PSL) of technical requirements and therefore developed PSL 1 and PSL 2.  PSL 1 is a standard quality for line pipe where PSL 2 contains additional chemical, mechanical properties, and testing requirements.

Grades covered by this specification are A25 ,A ,B (and the following “X” Grades), X42, X46, X52, X56, X60, X65, X70, X80.  The two digit number following the “X” indicates the Minimum Yield Strength (in 000’s psi) of pipe produced to this grade.

Federal Steel Supply stocks a full range of API 5L X52 PSL-1 & PSL-2 line pipe in seamless.

Sizes
Nominal Pipe Size 2″ to 24″ O.D.
Wall Thickness – Schedule 10 through 160, STD, XS, XXS.

Standard                                            API 5L

Product Specification Level             PSL-2

Steel grade                                         X52

Chemical Properties %

 Mechanical Properties        

                                                                        API 5L PSL-1 X52                API 5L PSL-2 X52

Tensile strength, min /max, psi (MPa)         66,700(460)/ n/a66,700 / 110,200

Yield strength, min /max, psi (MPa)            52,000 (300)/n/a          52,000 / 76,900

1. a.      For each reduction of 0.01% below the specified maximum concentration for carbon, an increase of 0.05% above the specified maximum concentration for manganese is permissible, up to a maximum of 1.65% for > grades B, but < X52; up to a maximum of 1.75% for grades >X52, but <X70; and up to a maximum of 2.00% for grade X70
2. b.      The sum of the niobium, vanadium, and titanium concentrations shall be < 0.06%.
3. c.       Unless otherwise agreed, 0.50% maximum for copper, 0.30% maximum for nickel, 0.30% maximum for chromium, and 0.12% maximum for molybdenum.

Select differences between PSL 1 and PSL 2: