CODES and STANDARDS

For Piping Systems proper selection of of Material of Construction alongwith

Specifications, Adherence to Codes and Standards is essential. Standardization
reduces cost, confusion and inconvenience. Standards are published by Professional
Societies, Committees and Trade Organizations. It is also accepted by Governments. 
The main objective is to have Standardization and Safety.

 CODE : A group of general rules or systematic procedures for Design,

Fabrication, Installation and Inspection methods prepared in such a manner that
it can be adopted by legal jurisdiction and made into a law.
 STANDARDS : Documents prepared by a Professional group or Committee
which are believed to be good and proper Engineering Practices and which
contain mandatory requirement.
 RECOMMENDED PRACTICES : Documents prepared by professional group
or committee indicating Good Engineering Practices but which are optional.

Companies also develop Guides in order to have consistency in the documentation.

These cover various engineering methods which are considered good practices,
without specific recommendations or requirements. 

Codes and Standards, besides being regulations, might also be considered as Design
Aids since they provide guidance from experts. 

Each country has its own Codes and Standards. On global basis, American National
Standards are the most widely used and compliance with those requirements are
accepted world over. In India, other than American Standards, British and Indian
Standards are also used for design and selection of Piping Systems.

1. AMERICAN STANDARDS : 
Not all American Standards are issued directly by American National Standards
Institute. The Material Standards are covered under ASTM (American Society
for Testing and Materials) and Dimension Standards under ANSI (American
National Standards Institute). Most of these Standards are adapted by ASME
(American Society for Mechanical Engineers).
The American Standards referred by Piping Engineers are mainly the standards
by :
o The American Petroleum Institute (API) : The Standards referred by
Piping Engineers are :
1. API 5L - Specification for Line Pipe
 2. API 6D - Pipe Line Valves, End Closures, Connectors and
Swivels
3. API 6F - Recommended Practice for Fire Test for valves
4. API 593 - Ductile Iron Plug Valves - Flanged Ends
5. API 598 - Valve Inspection and Test
6. API 600 - Steel Gate Valves
7. API 601 - Metallic Gaskets for Refinery Piping
8. API 602 - Compact Design Carbon Steel Gate Valves
9. API 604 - Ductile Iron Gate Valves - Flanged Ends
10.API 605 - Large Diameter Carbon Steel Flanges
11.API 607 - Fire Test for Soft Seated Ball Valves
12.API 609 - Butterfly Valves
13.API 1104 - Standard for Welding Pipeline and Facilities
o The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) : These specify the material
by its Chemical and Physical properties. When specific model of
manufacture of the element is not to be specified, then the material can
be identified by ANSI Standards. The most commonly used AISI
specifications are :
1. AISI 410 - 13% Chromium Alloy Steel
2. AISI 304 - 18/8 Austenitic Stainless Steel
3. AISI 316 - 18/8/3 Austenitic Stainless Steel
o American National Standard Institute (ANSI) and The American Society
for Mechanical Engineers (ASME) : The American National Standards
Institute's standards used in the design of the Piping Systems are :
1. ANSI B 31.1 - Power Piping
2. ANSI B 31.2 - Fuel Gas Piping
3. ANSI B 31.3 - Process Piping
4. ANSI B 31.4 - Pipeline Transportation System for Liquid
Hydrocarbon and other Liquids.
5. ANSI B 31.5 - Refrigeration Piping
6. ANSI B 31.8 - Gas Transmission and Distribution Piping System
7. ANSI B 31.9 - Building Services Piping
8. ANSI B 31.11 - Slurry Transportation Piping System
9. ANSI B 31.G - Manual for determining the remaining strength of
corroded piping - A supplement to ANSI B31

Of the above, the most commonly used code is ASME B 31.3. Refineries
and Chemical Plants are designed based on the same. All Power Plants
are designed as per ASME B31.1. Other major ANSI / ASME Standards
refereed for the piping elements are :
 10.ANSI B 1.1 - Unified Inch Screw Threads
11.ANSI / ASME B 1.20.1 - Pipe threads for general porposes
12.ANSI / ASME B 16.1 - Cast Iron Pipe Flanges and Flanged
Fittings
13.ANSI / ASME B 16.3 - Malleable Iron Threaded Fittings
14.ANSI / ASME B 16.4 - Cast Iron Threaded Fittings
15.ANSI / ASME B 16.5 - Steel Pipe Flanges and Flanged Fittings
16.ANSI / ASME B 16.9 - Steel Butt Welding Fittings
17.ANSI / ASME B 16.10 - Face to Face and End to End dimensions
of Valves
18.ANSI / ASME B 16.11 - Forged Steel Socket Welding and
Threaded fittings
19.ANSI B 16.20 - Metallic Gaskets for Pipe Flanges - ring joint,
spiral wound
20.ANSI / ASME B 16.21 - Non Metallic Gaskets for Pipe Flanges
21.ANSI / ASME B 16.25 - Butt Welding Ends
22.ANSI / ASME B 16.28 - Short Radius Elbows and Returns
23.ANSI / ASME B 16.34 - Steel Valves, Flanged and butt welding
ends
24.ANSI / ASME B 16.42 - Ductile Iron Pipe Flanges and Flanged
Fittings - Class 150# and 300#
25.ANSI / ASME B 16.47 - Large Diameter Steel Flanges - NPS -
26" to 60"
26.ANSI / ASME B 18.2 1 and 2 - Square and Hexagonal head Bolts
and Nuts (Inch and mm)
27.ANSI / ASME B 36.10 - Welded and Seamless Wrought Steel
Pipes
28.ANSI / ASME B 36.19 - Welded and Seamless Austinitic
Stainless Steel Pipe
o American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) : These consist of 16
sections on definitions and classifications of materials of construction
and Test methods. Most of the ASTM Standards are adapted by ASME
and are specified in ASME Section II. The Section II has four parts.

1. Part A - Ferrous Materials

2. Part B - Non-Ferrous Materials
3. Part C - Welding Materials
4. Part D - Properties of Materials

In Section II, the materials are listed in the index based on the available
forms such as plates, castings, tubes etc., and also on the numerical
 index.
The selection of ASTM Specification depends on the manufacturer, form
of material, its mechanical strength and corrosion properties. 
The specification number is given an Alphabetical prefix "A" for ferrous
and "B" for non-ferrous materials.
ASTM also specifies standard practice for numbering metal and alloys as
Unified Numbering System.
Unified Numbering System (UNS) establishes 18 series numbers of
metals and alloys. Each UNS number consists of a single letter prefix
followed by 5 digits. In most cases the alphabet is suggestive of the
family of the metal identified.

5. A00001 - A99999 - Aluminum and Aluminum alloys

6. C00001 - C99999 - Copper and Copper Alloys
7. E00001 - E99999 - Rare earth and rare earth like metals and
alloys
8. L00001 - L99999 - Low Melting metals and alloys
9. M00001 - M99999 - Miscellaneous non-ferrous metals and alloys
10.N00001 - N99999 - Nickel and Nickel Alloys
11.P00001 - P99999 - Precious Metals and Alloys
12.R00001 - R99999 - Reactive and Refractory metals and alloys
13.Z00001 - Z99999 - Zinc and zinc alloys
14.D00001 - D99999 - Specified mechanical properties of Steel
15.F00001 - F99999 - Cast Iron and Cast Steel
16.G00001 - G99999 - AISI and ASE Carbon and alloy steels
17.H00001 - H99999 - AISI H Steels
18.J00001 - J99999 - Cast Steel
19.K00001 - K99999 - Miscellaneous Steels and Ferrous alloys
20.S00001 - S99999 - Stainless Steel
21.T00001 - T99999 - Tool Steel
22.W00001 - W99999 - Welding Filler Metals and Electrodes
o American Welding Society (AWS) : These standards provide
information on the welding fundamentals, weld design, welder's training
qualifications, testing and inspection of the welds and guidance on the
application and use of welds. Individual electrode manufacturers have
given their own brand names for the various electrodes and the same are
sold under these names.
o American Water Works Association (AWWA) : These standards refer to
the piping elements required for low pressure water services. These are
less stringent than other standards. Valves, Flanges etc., required for
 large diameter water pipelines are covered under this standard and are
refereed rarely by piping engineers.
1. C-500 : Gate Valves for Water and sewage system
2. C-510 : Cast Iron Sluice Gate Valves
3. C-504 : Rubber Seated Butterfly Valves
4. C-507 : Ball Valves 6" to 48"
5. C-508 : Swing Check Valves 2" to 24"
6. C-509 : Resilient Seated Gate Valves for water and sewage
o The manufacturers Standardization Society of Valves and Fitting
Industry - Standard Practices (MSS-SP) : In addition to the above
standards and material codes, there are standard practices followed by
manufacturers. These are published as advisory standards and are widely
followed. The most common MSS-SP standards referred for piping are :
1. MSS-SP-6 : Standard Finishes for contact surface for flanges
2. MSS-SP-25 : Standard marking system for valves, fittings, flanges
3. MSS-SP-42 : Class 150 corrosion resistant gate, globe and check
valves
4. MSS-SP-43 : Wrought stainless steel buttweld fittings
5. MSS-SP-56 : Pipe hanger supports - Material, design and
manufacture
6. MSS-SP-61 : Pressure testing of valves
7. MSS-SP-67 : Butterfly Valves
8. MSS-SP-68 : High Pressure off seat butterfly valves
9. MSS-SP-69 : Pipe hanger supports - selection and applications
10.MSS-SP-70 : Cast iron gate valves
11.MSS-SP-71 : Cast iron check valves
12.MSS-SP-72 : Ball Valves
13.MSS-SP-78 : Cast iron plug valves
14.MSS-SP-80 : Bronze gate, globe and check valves
15.MSS-SP-81 : Stainless steel bonnetless knife gate valves
16.MSS-SP-83 : Pipe unions
17.MSS-SP-85 : Cast iron globe valves
18.MSS-SP-88 : Diaphragm valves
19.MSS-SP-89 : Pipe hangers and supports - fabrication and
installation practices
20.MSS-SP-90 : Pipe hangers and supports - guidelines on
terminology
21.MSS-SP-92 : MSS valves user guide
22.MSS-SP-108 : Resilient seated eccentric CI plug valves
 BRITISH STANDARDS : In many instances, it is possible to find
a British Standard which may be substitutes for American
 Standards. For example, BS 2080 (British Standard for Face to
Face or End to End dimensions of valves) is identical to
ANSI/ASME B16.10. Similarly BS 3799 and ANSI/ASME B
16.11 also compare.
There are certain British Standards referred by Indian
Manufacturers for Piping and Valves. The most commonly
referred British Standards in the Piping Industry are :
o BS 10 : Flanges
o BS 806 : Pipes and Fittings for Boilers
o BS 916 : Black Bolts, Nuts and Screws
o BS 970 : Steel for Forging, Bars, Rods, valve steel, etc.
o BS 1212 : Specification for Float Operated Valves
o BS 1306 : Copper and Copper alooy pressure piping system
o BS 1414 : Gate Valves for Petroleum Industry
o BS 1560 : Steel Pipe Flanges
o BS 1600 : Dimensions of Steel Pipes
o BS 1640 : Butt Welding Fittings
o BS 1740 : Wrought Steel screwed pipe fittings
o BS 1868 : Steel Check Valves for Petroleum Industry
o BS 1873 : Steel Globe and Check Valves for Petroleum Industry
o BS 1965 : Butt welding pipe fittings
o BS 2080 : Face to Face / End to End dimensions of Valves
o BS 2598 : Glass Pipelines and Fittings
o BS 3059 : Boiler and Superheater Tubes
o BS 3063 : Dimensions of Gaskets for Pipe Flanges
o BS 3381 : Metallic Spiral Wound Gaskets
o BS 3600 : Dimensions of Welded and Seamless Pipes and Tubes
o BS 3601 : C.S. Pipes and Tubes for pressure purposes at room
temperature
o BS 3602 : C.S. Pipes and Tubes for pressure purposes at high
temperature
o BS 3603 : C.S. and Alloy Steel Pipes and Tubes for pressure
purposes at low temperature
o BS 3604 : Alloy Steel Pipes and Tubes for high temperature
o BS 3605 : SS Pipes and Tubes for pressure purposes
o BS 3799 : Socket Weld / Screwed Fittings
o BS 3974 : Pipe hangers, Slides and Roller type supports
o BS 4346 : PVC pressure pipe - joints and fittings
o BS 4504 : Steel, Cast Iron and Copper alloy fittings
o BS 5150 : Cast Iron Wedge and Double Disc Gate Valves for
general purposes
o BS 5151 : Cast Iron Gate (parallel slide) Valves for general
purposes
o BS 5152 : Cast Iron Globe and Check Valves for general purposes
o BS 5153 : Cast Iron Check Valves for general purposes
o BS 5154 : Copper alloy Globe, Gate and Check Valves
o BS 5155 : Cast Iron and Cast Steel Butterfly Valves for general
purposes
o BS 5156 : Diaphragm Valves for general purposes
o BS 5157 : Steel Gate (parallel slide) Valves for general purposes
o BS 5158 : Cast Iron and Cast Steel Plug Valves for general
purposes
o BS 5159 : Cast Iron and Cast Steel Ball Valves for general
purposes
o BS 5160 :  Flanged Steel Globe and Check Valves for general
purposes
o BS 5163 : Flanged Cast Iron Wedge Gate Valves for general
purposes
o BS 5351 : Steel Ball Valves for Petroleum Industry
o BS 5352 : Steel Gate, Globe and Check Valves, smaller than 2"
NB
o BS 5353 : Specifications for Plug Valves
o BS 5391 : Specifications for ABS pressure pipes
o BS 5392 : Specifications for ABS fittings
o BS 5433 : Specifications for underground stop valves for water
services
o BS 5480 : Specifications for GRP pipes and fittings
o BS 6364 : Specifications for Valves for Cryogenic services
o BS 6755 : Testing of Valves
o BS 6759 : Safety Valves
 INDIAN STANDARDS : Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) have
so far not developed an Indian Standard for the design of Piping
Systems. Hence, ANSI Standards ASME 31.1 and 31.3 are widely
used for the design. These standards also accept materials covered
in other standards. Unlike American Standards, Indian Standards
cover dimensions and material specifications under the same
standard number. There are no groupings based on branch of
engineering. Some of the most commonly referred Indian
Standards by Piping Engineers are :
o IS 210 : Grey Iron Castings
o IS 226 : Structural Steel (superseded by IS 2062)
o IS 554 : Dimensions of Pipe Threads
o IS 778 : Specification for Copper Alloy Gate, Globe and Check Valves
o IS 780 : Specification for Sluice Valves - 50 NB to 300 NB
o IS 1239 (Part I and II) : Specification for Mild Steel tubes and fittings
o IS 1363 : Hexagonal Bolts, Screws and nuts - Grade C
o IS 1364 : Hexagonal Bolts, Screws and nuts - Grade A and B
o IS 1367 : Technical supply conditions for threaded steel fastners
o IS 1536 : Centrifugally Cast Iron Pipes
o IS 1537 : Vertically Cast Iron Pipes
o IS 1538 : Cast Iron Fittings
o IS 1870 : Comparison of Indian and Overseas Standards
o IS 1879 : Malleable Iron Pipe Fittings
o IS 1978 : Line Pipe
o IS 1979 : High Test Line Pipe
o IS 2002 : Steel Plates
o IS 2016 : Plain Washers
o IS 2041 : Steel Plates for Pressure Vessels used at moderate and low
temperature
o IS 2062 : Steel for general structural purposes
o IS 2379 : Colour Code for Identification of Pipelines
o IS 2712 : Compressed Asbestos Fibre Jointing
o IS 2825 : Code for Unfired Pressure Vessels
o IS 2906 : Specification for Sluice Valves - 350 NB to 1200 NB
o IS 3076 : Specification for LDPE Pipes
o IS 3114 : Code of Practice for laying pipes
o IS 3516 : Cast Iron flanges and flanged fittings for Petroleum Industry
o IS 3589 : Seamless or ERW Pipes (150 NB to 2000 NB)
o IS 4038 : Specifications for Foot Valves
o IS 4179 : Sizes for pressure vessels and leading dimensions
o IS 4853 : Radiographic Examination of Butt Weld Joints in pipes
o IS 4864 to IS 4870 : Shell Flanges for vessels and equipments
o IS 4984 : Specification for HDPE Pipes
o IS 4985 : Specification for PVC Pipes
o IS 5312 : Specification for Check Valves
o IS 5572 : Classification of Hazardous area for Electrical Installation
o IS 5822 : Code of practice for laying welded steel pipes
 o IS 6157 : Inspection and Testing of Valve
o IS 6286 : Seamless and Welded pipes for Subzero temperatures
o IS 6392 : Steel Pipe Flanges
o IS 6630 : Seamless alloy steel pipes for high temperature service
o IS 6913 : Stainless Steel tubes for food and beverage industry
o IS 7181 : Horizontally cast iron pipes
o IS 7240 : Code of Proctice for Cold Insulation
o IS 7413 : Code of Proctice for Hot Insulation
o IS 7719 : Metallic spiral wound gaskets
o IS 7806 : Stainless Steel Castings
o IS 7899 : Alloy Steel castings for pressure services
o IS 8008 : Specification for moulded HDPE Fittings
o IS 8360 : Specification for fabricated HDPE Fittings
o IS 9890 : Ball Valves for general purposes
o IS 10221 : Code of Proctice for coating and wrapping of underground
MS pipelines
o IS 10592 : Eye wash and safety showers
o IS 10605 : Steel Globe Valves for Petroleum Industries
o IS 10611 : Steel Gate Valves for Petroleum Industries
o IS 10711 : Size of Drawing Sheets
o IS 10805 : Foot Valves
o IS 10989 : Cast / Forged Steel Check Valves for Petroleum Industry
o IS 10990 : Technical drawings - Simplified representation of pipelines
o IS 11790 : Code of Proctice for preparation of Butt welding ends for
valves, flanges and fittings
o IS 11791 : Diaphragm Valves for general purposes
o IS 11792 : Steel Ball Valves for Petroleum Industry
o IS 12709 : Specifications for GRP pipes
o IS 13049 : Specifications for Diaphragm type float operated valves
o IS 13095 : Butterfly Valves
o IS 13257 : Ring type joint gasket and grooves for flanges

There are certain other international standards, which are also referred in Piping
Industry. These are DIN standards of Germany and JIS standards of Japan. DIN
standards are more popular and equivalent.
Periodic review of the standards by the committee are done and these are
revised to incorporate the modified features based on the research and feedback
from industry. It is, hence, necessary that the latest editions of the codes and
standards are referred for the design.