What to include in a plastic tube enquiry — start with the application

The information most often missing

In the enquiries we receive, the details most often left out are the application and the environment. We may know the size and the quantity while still not knowing what the tube needs to do. Different uses call for different requirements, even when the dimensions look the same.

That gap means more questions before we can give a useful answer. It also leaves room for the wrong assumptions in a quotation. Tell us the intended use at the beginning and we can discuss the specification in context, offer suggestions, and point out pitfalls before you order.

Describe the job and the conditions

You do not need to write an engineering report. Start with what the tube does in the finished product and where it will be used. Then add the conditions you already know. The following questions are prompts; answer the ones that apply to your part.

• Where will it work? Indoors or outdoors, near a source of heat, or in another particular environment? Include the service temperature if you know it.
• What will it meet? Name any liquid, cleaner or adhesive it will contact. If it contains a liquid, say whether there is pressure and how long the contact lasts.
• How will it be used or assembled? Tell us about fittings, clamping, bonding, drilling or other work planned after delivery.
• What matters most? For example, the appearance of a visible part, the fit with another component, or a particular performance requirement.

If a condition is still undecided, say so. We can start with what you know and identify what needs confirming. Our articles on acrylic versus polycarbonate and crazing and annealing explain why the material and the way a part is used belong in the same conversation.

The specifications to send with a standard tube enquiry

For a standard, non-custom product, these details are enough to begin without a drawing. Put the application and environment above them, rather than leaving us to infer the use from a material name.

For round tube, avoid an unlabelled string of numbers: write OD × wall thickness × length, with units. If your specification uses inside diameter instead, label it explicitly. If the tube has to fit another component, tell us which dimension controls that fit and any tolerance already specified.

You can point us to a size in the acrylic round tube table or the existing tooling and standard size lists. Include the dimensions in your message as well, so the section you mean is clear.

Do you need a drawing?

For a standard, non-custom tube, no drawing is needed to start the enquiry if you provide the details above. Not having a CAD file should not stop you from asking about an existing size.

A custom section is a different enquiry. Send the drawing and requirements you have so we can review the geometry through our custom extrusion process. The standard-product checklist does not replace that review.

What if you have not chosen the material?

Write “please advise” and explain the use. The application is the starting point for our suggestions. A material name on its own tells us less than a description of what the finished part has to do.

Advice also depends on the details you supply. Where liquid contact is involved, for example, include the actual medium and conditions; our fuel and solvent guide explains the limits of a general material comparison. If you have an inspection requirement, send it with the enquiry so it can be discussed before the order. Our quality control page describes the inspection process.

A tube RFQ checklist you can copy

Use this in your email or in the enquiry form below. Fill in what you know and mark anything still open. Application and environment come first.

Application / what the tube will do:
Environment / service conditions:
Outside diameter (OD), with units:
Wall thickness, with units:
Length per piece, with units:
Material (or "please advise"):
Colour / appearance:
Usage requirements / critical dimensions:
Quantity, with units (pieces or total length):
Trial order or repeat requirement:
Standard size reference / drawing, if available:

The purpose of this list is to make the first exchange useful. With the intended use and the basic specification together, we can discuss what you need, suggest options and flag the questions worth resolving before you buy.