PE100 and PE80 are the two main classes of polyethylene used for pressure pipe. The number tells you how much long-term stress the material can carry. That single figure drives the wall thickness, pressure rating and cost of the pipe you make.
What the class number means
The class comes from the material's minimum required strength (MRS): the hoop stress the pipe material can withstand for 50 years at 20 °C, determined by long-term pressure testing under ISO 9080 and classified under ISO 12162.
- PE100: MRS 10 MPa
- PE80: MRS 8 MPa
Pipe designers divide the MRS by a design coefficient (at least 1.25 for water) to get the design stress: 8.0 MPa for PE100 and 6.3 MPa for PE80.
How the class changes the pipe
Pressure rating depends on the design stress and the pipe's SDR (outside diameter divided by wall thickness). For the same SDR, PE100 carries a higher pressure. For example, at SDR 11 a PE100 water pipe is typically rated PN16, while a PE80 pipe is rated PN12.5.
In practice this means PE100 lets you make a thinner wall for the same pressure (less material per metre), or a higher pressure class for the same wall. That is why PE100 is the standard choice for most new water and gas networks, while PE80 is still used for smaller diameters and lower-pressure lines.
PE100-RC
PE100-RC grades have much higher resistance to slow crack growth. They are chosen for trenchless installation and for laying pipe without a sand bed, where stones and point loads could start cracks in standard PE100.
Colour and compound
- Black, pre-compounded: about 2–2.5 % finely dispersed carbon black gives UV resistance. Many pressure-pipe standards prefer pre-compounded black.
- Natural plus masterbatch: flexible for colours, but the masterbatch and dispersion must meet your pipe standard.
- Stripes and colours: blue (water) and yellow or orange (gas) markings follow local practice.
Standards to name in your enquiry
Common product standards are ISO 4427 and EN 12201 for water, and ISO 4437 and EN 1555 for gas. Your market may also require national approvals for drinking-water or gas use.
What to send for a quote
- Class: PE100, PE100-RC or PE80
- Black compound or natural, and stripe colours
- Pipe standard and any approvals your market requires
- Melt flow rate range for your extruder, if specified
- Quantity, packing, destination port and Incoterm