Copper Pipe Dimensions & Technical Specifications


CTS Size - this is an abbreviation for Copper Pipe Size and indicates nominal pipe size commonly used to identify pipe size. For example, 1/2" and 3/4" are common CTS pipe sizes found in every plumbing supply and home across the country.
OD - Outside Diameter; for copper pipe, OD is always 1/8" larger than CTS size. For example, the OD of 1/2" CTS pipe would be 5/8" and for 1" CTS pipe would be 1-1/8".
ID - Inside Diameter
Wall Thickness - denotes the thickness of the pipe wall. The main difference between L, M and K type copper pipes are their wall thickness.
PSI @ 150F - pressure rating is commonly expressed as maximum pressure at a given temperature. This number will be higher for lower temperatures and lower for higher temperatures. All copper pipes easily meet and exceed the requirements for residential and commercial plumbing and heatign requirements, so these numbers are provided mainly for uncommon uses.
Pipe Weight - weight of pipe in lbs per 1ft of length.
Pipe + Water Weight - combined weight of pipe and water in lbs per 1ft of length.
Volume, ft3 - water volume in cubic ft (cu. ft) per 1ft of length.
Volume, gal - volume of water in gallons per 1ft of pipe length.
Cross Section ID Area, in2 - expressed in square inches, indicates the area of the inside of the pipe, calculated by formula Pi x (ID / 2)2.

We stock a large selection of copper pipe in various lengths, type and sizes, copper sweat fittings and soldering tools as well as copper press fittings and press tools.

Type L Copper Pipe - Dimensions, Weight, Volume, etc.

Dimensions (inch) Pressure Weight (lbs per 1ft) Volume
CTS Size OD ID Wall thickness PSI @ 150°F Pipe Only Pipe + Water ft3 Gallons Cross Section Area
(ID), in2
1/4" 0.375 0.315 0.03 775 0.126 0.16 0.00054 0.00405 0.078
3/8" 0.5 0.43 0.035 662 0.198 0.261 0.00101 0.00753 0.145
1/2" 0.625 0.545 0.04 613 0.285 0.386 0.00162 0.0121 0.233
5/8" 0.75 0.666 0.042 537 0.362 0.506 0.00232 0.0174 0.348
3/4" 0.875 0.785 0.045 495 0.455 0.664 0.00336 0.0251 0.484
1" 1.125 1.025 0.05 420 0.655 1.01 0.00573 0.0429 0.825
1-1/4" 1.375 1.265 0.055 373 0.884 1.43 0.00875 0.0655 1.26
1-1/2" 1.625 1.505 0.06 347 1.14 1.91 0.0124 0.0925 1.78
2" 2.125 1.985 0.07 309 1.75 3.09 0.0215 0.161 3.09
2-1/2" 2.625 2.465 0.08 285 2.48 4.54 0.0331 0.248 4.77
3" 3.125 2.945 0.09 270 3.33 6.27 0.0473 0.354 6.81
3-1/2" 3.625 3.425 0.1 258 4.29 8.27 0.064 0.478 9.21
4" 4.125 3.905 0.11 249 5.38 10.1 0.0764 0.571 12
5" 5.125 4.875 0.125 229 7.61 15.7 0.13 0.971 18.7
6" 6.125 5.845 0.14 213 10.2 21.8 0.186 1.39 26.8
8" 8.125 7.725 0.2 230 19.3 39.6 0.326 2.44 46.9
10" 10.125 9.625 0.25 231 30.1 61.6 0.506 3.78 72.8
12" 12.125 11.565 0.28 215 40.4 85.8 0.729 5.45 105
Common uses - residential and commercial hot and cold water plumbing. Type L is the most common and widely used copper pipe in the USA.

Type M Copper Pipe - Dimensions, Weight, Volume, etc.

Dimensions (inch) Pressure Weight (lbs per 1ft) Volume
CTS Size OD ID Wall thickness PSI @ 150°F Pipe Only Pipe + Water ft3 Gallons Cross Section Area
(ID), in2
3/8" 0.5 0.45 0.025 485 0.145 0.214 0.0011 0.00826 0.159
1/2" 0.625 0.569 0.028 420 0.204 0.314 0.00176 0.0132 0.254
3/4" 0.875 0.811 0.032 346 0.328 0.551 0.00359 0.0269 0.517
1" 1.125 1.055 0.035 286 0.465 0.843 0.00607 0.0454 0.874
1-1/4" 1.375 1.291 0.042 287 0.682 1.25 0.0091 0.0681 1.31
1-1/2" 1.625 1.527 0.049 282 0.94 1.73 0.0127 0.0951 1.83
2" 2.125 2.009 0.058 254 1.46 2.83 0.022 0.165 3.17
2-1/2" 2.625 2.495 0.065 233 2.03 4.14 0.034 0.254 4.89
3" 3.125 2.981 0.072 215 2.68 5.7 0.0485 0.363 6.98
3-1/2" 3.625 3.459 0.083 214 3.58 7.64 0.0653 0.488 9.4
4" 4.125 3.935 0.095 213 4.66 9.83 0.0847 0.634 12.2
5" 5.125 4.907 0.109 198 6.66 14.8 0.131 0.982 18.9
6" 6.125 5.881 0.122 186 8.92 20.7 0.189 1.41 27.2
8" 8.125 7.785 0.17 195 16.5 37.1 0.331 2.47 47.6
10" 10.125 9.701 0.212 195 25.6 57.5 0.513 3.84 73.9
12" 12.125 11.617 0.254 195 36.7 82.5 0.736 5.51 106
Common uses - boiler hot water system piping (boiler to baseboards, radiators, fan coils) and other low pressure and low risk applications.

Type K Copper Pipe - Dimensions, Weight, Volume, etc.

Dimensions (inch) Pressure Weight (lbs per 1ft) Volume
CTS Size OD ID Wall thickness PSI @ 150°F Pipe Only Pipe + Water ft3 Gallons Cross Section Area
(ID), in2
1/4" 0.375 0.305 0.035 913 0.145 0.177 0.00051 0.00379 0.073
3/8" 0.5 0.402 0.049 960 0.269 0.324 0.00088 0.0066 0.127
1/2" 0.625 0.527 0.049 758 0.344 0.438 0.00151 0.0113 0.218
5/8" 0.75 0.652 0.049 626 0.418 0.562 0.00232 0.0174 0.334
3/4" 0.875 0.745 0.065 724 0.641 0.829 0.00303 0.0227 0.436
1" 1.125 0.995 0.065 557 0.839 1.18 0.0054 0.0404 0.778
1-1/4" 1.375 1.245 0.065 452 1.04 1.57 0.00847 0.0634 1.22
1-1/2" 1.625 1.481 0.072 420 1.36 2.1 0.0119 0.0894 1.72
2" 2.125 1.959 0.083 370 2.06 3.36 0.0209 0.156 3.01
2-1/2" 2.625 2.435 0.095 338 2.93 4.94 0.0324 0.242 4.66
3" 3.125 2.907 0.109 328 4 6.87 0.0461 0.345 6.64
3-1/2" 3.625 3.385 0.12 311 5.12 9.01 0.0625 0.468 9
4" 4.125 3.857 0.134 306 6.51 11.6 0.0813 0.608 11.7
5" 5.125 4.805 0.16 293 9.67 17.5 0.126 0.94 18.1
6" 6.125 5.741 0.192 295 13.9 25.1 0.18 1.35 25.9
8" 8.125 7.583 0.271 314 25.9 45.4 0.314 2.35 45.2
10" 10.125 9.449 0.338 314 40.3 70.6 0.487 3.64 70.1
12" 12.125 11.315 0.405 314 57.8 101 0.701 5.25 100.55
Common uses - water mains, high-pressure industrial and lab uses. Small diameters such as 3/8" are commonly used to supply heating oil from oil tank to the oil boiler burner.
Top