Choosing seamless tubes: cold rolled vs. hot rolled

Is seamless tube /tubing better to be cold rolled or hot rolled?

Cold-rolled and hot-rolled seamless tubes each have their own specific advantages and applications. The following is a comparative analysis of the two types of seamless tube:

Characteristics of cold rolled seamless tube:

1. Surface quality: Cold-rolled seamless steel tube has a high surface finish and good surface quality.
2. Mechanical properties: Cold-rolled seamless steel tube has higher mechanical properties, greater strength and hardness, but relatively poor toughness and ductility.
3. Accuracy: The accuracy of cold-rolled seamless steel tubes is relatively higher, with higher dimensional accuracy and wall thickness accuracy.

4. Processing difficulty: Cold-rolled seamless steel tubes are difficult to process, and the internal stress generated during processing is large, which may lead to deformation and fracture problems.

Features of hot rolled seamless tube:

1. Surface quality: There is oxide scale on the surface of hot-rolled seamless steel tubes, but it can be removed by pickling, and its appearance is slightly inferior to cold-rolled steel tubes.
2. Mechanical properties: The mechanical properties of hot-rolled seamless steel tubes are relatively low, with slightly lower strength and hardness, but better toughness and ductility.
3. Processing difficulty: The processing difficulty of hot-rolled seamless steel tubes is relatively small, and the internal stress generated during processing is small.

4. Production process: Hot rolling is one of the production methods of seamless steel tubes. The steel billet is heated and then rolled.

Application areas:

Hot-rolled seamless steel tubes are primarily used in petrochemical, shipbuilding, fertilizer, machinery, and other industries. They are suitable for harsh environments, such as those with high temperatures and pressures.

Cold-rolled seamless steel tubes, on the other hand, are mainly used in the production of precision instruments, equipment, semiconductors, and other high-precision fields. They are suitable for applications that require high-precision processing.