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IIdentifying the purpose of a pipe, it's contents and the direction of flow is important information. Labels used for marking pipes need to be of a quality that will stand up to the environment where they will be located; they need to be legible with text and images that will be durable; they need to be of sufficient size to be easily read; and they need to use standard colors and be placed in standard locations. The following provides information about those standards.

ASME A13.1-1996 - Identification of Piping Systems

The following is a summary of the ASME standards for marking and identifying pipes. These standards apply to the pulp and paper industry for marking all chlorine, caustic and acid lines. (These standards also apply to many other industries.) The pulp and paper industry has hazards that make standardized pipe marking a priority. However, most other industries will benefit from following these standards.

This is intended to be a brief overview, it is not a complete list of all pipe marking specifications.

O.D. of pipe or covering Length of the color field Size of the letters
inches mm inches mm inches mm
< 3/4" < 19mm A permanently legible tag is recommended
3/4 - 1-1/4 19 - 32 8 200 1/2 13
1-1/2 - 2 38 - 51 8 200 3/4 19
2-1/2 - 6 64 - 150 12 300 1-1/4 32
8 - 10 200 - 250 24 600 2-1/2 64
over 10 over 250 32 800 3-1/2 89

Pipe marker labels should include directional arrows, indicating the direction of flow, at each end of the label. Directional arrows should go around the entire circumfirence of the pipe (or pipe covering). Pipes should be marked in the following locations:

1. Adjacent to all changes in direction

2. Adjacent to all valves and flanges.

3. At both sides of floor and wall penatrations.

4. At any point of entry into the line.

5. At 50 foot intervals on straight runs.

An excellent free online tutorial about industrial pipe marking is available on the Labeling Products web site. In addition, this web site offers a FREE one-page printed pipe marking guide. They will mail the pipe marking guide to you at no charge. You can request either a standard pipe marking guide that applies to most facilities, or a specialized ammonia pipe marking guide for refrigeration systems.

DuraLabel Pro Supplies for making pipemarkers | DuraLabel Pro Supplies

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