Editor  Contact  Information:  Matt  Westerfield  Director  of  Operations  800-­‐536-­‐2248  m.westerfield@calpipe.com    

 

CALBRITE™  STAINLESS  STEEL  CONDUIT  OFFERS  MANY  ADVANTAGES  OVER  STANDARD  PIPE      

HAMMOND,  IN  (May  13,  2015)  –  Calbrite™,  the  leading  brand  of  stainless  steel  conduit,  fittings  and  

accessories,  offers  a  stainless  steel  conduit  raceway  system  with  a  number  of  benefits  compared  to  

using  standard  pipe.  Calbrite  products  also  satisfy  the  regulatory  requirements  of  UL,  ANSI,  and  NEC  

while  maintaining  cost-­‐effectiveness.  Calbrite  offers  four  different  types  of  conduit:  stainless  steel  rigid  

conduit,  stainless  steel  EMT,  stainless  steel  IMC,  and  stainless  steel  flex  conduit  (bare  and  coated).    

 

Stainless  steel  rigid  conduit  functions  exactly  the  same  way  as  any  other  metallic  conduit.    The  ease  of  

installation  mitigates  the  need  for  labor-­‐intensive  installation  procedures  and  complicated  

maintenance  and  repair  that  are  typically  inherent  with  PVC-­‐coated  conduit  systems.    

 

Stainless  steel  EMT  conduit  and  fittings  combine  strength  with  ductility,  resulting  in  a  lightweight  and  

easy-­‐to-­‐handle  conduit  assembly.    

 

Stainless  steel  threaded  and  non-­‐threaded  IMC  is  often  specified  in  corrosive  environments  where  it  is  

subjected  to  harsh  chemical  treatments  or  wash-­‐downs  due  to  its  lighter  weight,  precise  tolerances,  

and  ease  of  installation.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flexible  stainless  steel  conduit  can  be  used  for  protecting  electronic/electrical  wires  and  cable  in  

applications  consisting  of  motion  and  vibration.  Calbrite’s  NEMA  4X  approved  coated  stainless  steel  

flexible  conduit  is  suitable  for  those  damp  environments.    

 

“There  are  many  owners,  end-­‐users,  or  contractors  who  recognize  the  benefits  of  stainless  steel  but  

may  be  led  to  believe  cost  savings  are  available  by  installing  stainless  steel  pipe  rather  than  conduit,”  

said  Matt  Westerfield,  Director  of  Operations  for  Calbrite.    “Even  if  the  piping  system,  often  referred  to    

as  ‘plumbing  pipe’  or  ‘water  pipe,’  is  stainless  steel,  the  issues  and  hidden  costs  that  will  be  present  by  

not  using  a  UL  listed  and  approved  electrical  conduit  system  can  be  detrimental  to  the  entire  

installation.”  

 

‘Pipe’  is  not  manufactured  or  designed  to  meet  the  strict  guidelines  set  forth  by  the  electrical  industry  

standards  of  UL  and  ANSI  and  therefore  does  not  meet  the  approval  of  the  National  Electrical  Code  

(NEC).  

 

‘Pipe’  is  sold  in  inconsistent,  undetermined  lengths  and  often  ranges  from  19’  to  21’  in  length.  Typically  

a  single  bundle  of  pipe  will  likely  have  varied  pipe  lengths  that  can  present  unnecessary  challenges  

when  planning  and  laying  out  a  conduit  run.  It  is  also  sold  as  non-­‐threaded,  or  plain-­‐end,  which  requires  

every  piece  to  be  cut  and  threaded  on  the  job  site,  whereas  stainless  conduit  is  manufactured  to  pre-­‐

cut,  pre-­‐threaded,  and  pre-­‐coupled  UL  listed  lengths  and  dimensions.    

 

Conduit  is  provided  in  industry  standard  10’  lengths,  with  a  UL  approved  coupling,  and  can  also  be  

provided  in  any  custom  length  requested  up  to  20’,  all  while  maintaining  its  compliancy  to  applicable  

industry  standards.    

 

‘Pipe’  couplings  (also  known  as  plumbing  couplings)  are  typically  sold  through  pipe,  valve  and  fitting  

distributors  and  are  sold  separately.    They  are  manufactured  with  ‘plumbing’  tapered  threads  (NPT),  

meaning  that  a  large  gap  would  be  present  between  each  conduit  length  when  connected.    The  conduit  

or  any  male  thread  can  only  thread  approximately  half  way  into  the  pipe  coupling,  causing  ‘snags’  when  

pulling  wire  that  can  create  potentially  hazardous  issues  to  the  electrician  and  plant  operators.    

Calbrite’s  threaded  conduit  includes  one  UL  listed  electrical  coupling  per  each  length  sold  and  are    

 

 

 

 

 

manufactured  with  straight  threads,  which  are  required  by  UL,  ANSI  and  NEC.    These  straight  tapped  

electrical  couplings  thread  much  deeper  into  the  pipe,  allowing  for  a  seamless  connection  between  

conduits.  

 Calbrite  stainless  steel  conduit  offers  a  great  number  of  advantages  over  using  pipe,  particularly  in  the  

surface  preparation  and  finished  interior  and  exterior.  Whereas  pipe  is  usually  found  unpolished,  dull  

and  often  with  mill  markings  stamped  continuously  along  the  pipe,  Calbrite’s  conduit  utilizes  a  unique    

and  original  finishing  process  which  insures  each  stick  of  conduit  marked  and  identified  with  an  

industry  standard  UL  listed  label.  The  result  is  a  UL  listed  finished  conduit  providing  greater  corrosion  

resistance,  and  allowing  for  easier  visual  inspection  and  product  identification.      

 

Stainless  conduit  is  often  recommended  when  corrosive  applications  exceed  the  limitations  of  PVC  

conduit,  aluminum  conduit,  rigid  steel,  and  PVC-­‐coated  conduit.  Calbrite's  type  304  and  316  UL-­‐cUL  

listed  stainless  steel  conduit  meets  and  exceeds  current  requirements  for  the  strictest  mandates  by  

various  state  agencies  and  hundreds  of  common  regulatory  requirements  throughout  a  wide  variety  of  

corrosive  environments.  Coinciding  with  nearly  all  Calbrite  products,  Calbrite’s  stainless  steel  conduit  is  

manufactured  in  the  United  States.  

 

For  more  information,  visit  www.calbrite.com;  email  info@calbrite.com  or  call  (219)  844-­‐6800.    

 

About  CalbriteTM  

 Calbrite,  headquartered  in  Hammond,  IN,  a  division  of  Calpipe  Industries,  Inc.,  is  the  leading  name  in  

stainless  steel  conduit  systems  for  harsh  and  corrosive  environments.    We  offer  the  largest  stainless  

steel  conduit  product  line  in  the  industry,  manufactured  to  strict  guidelines  set  forth  by  UL  and  NEMA,  

with  most  products  being  ARRA-­‐compliant.  Calbrite  supports  its  customers  throughout  the  USA  and  

Canada  from  distribution  centers  in  Hammond,  IN,  Rancho  Dominguez,  CA  and  Oldsmar,  FL.  For  more  

information  about  Calbrite,  visit  our  website  at  www.calbrite.com.