1/2 in schedule 40 pipe flow and volume calculator
1/2 in schedule 40 pipe has an outside diameter of 21.3 mm and a bore of 15.8 mm, a wall thickness of 2.75 mm. Nominal pipe size is a label, not a measurement — nothing about a 1-inch pipe is one inch.
Domestic water is usually kept between 1 and 2.4 m/s to limit noise and erosion.
Copper and plastic about 140; new steel 130; old steel 100.
- Flow in US gallons per minute
- 4.662
- Inside diameter
- 15.80
- Wall thickness
- 2.750
- Bore area
- 196.07 mm2
- Water content per metre
- 0.1961
- Water in the run
- 4.90
- Weight of that water
- 4.90
- Friction head loss
- 4.827
- Pressure drop
- 47.336 kPa
Show the working
- Flow velocity = 1.5
- Pipe run = 25
- Hazen-Williams C = 140
- Fluid density = 1000
- Inside diameter = 15.8 = 15.8
- outside = 21.3 = 21.3
- Wall thickness = (21.3 - 15.8) / 2 = 2.75
- Bore area = pi * 15.8^2 / 4 = 196.067
- area_m2 = 196.067 / 1e6 = 0.000 196 067
- Water content per metre = 196.067 / 1000 = 0.196 067
- Water in the run = 0.196 067 * 25 = 4.901 67
- flow_m3s = 0.000 196 067 * 1.5 = 0.000 294 1
- Flow at that velocity = 0.000 294 1 * 60000 = 17.646
- Flow in US gallons per minute = 17.646 / 3.785411784 = 4.661 58
- loss_per_m = 10.67 * (0.000 294 1)^1.852 / (140^1.852 * (15.8/1000)^4.87) = 0.193 076
- Friction head loss = 0.193 076 * 25 = 4.8269
- Pressure drop = 4.8269 * 1000 * g0 / 1000 = 47.3358
- Weight of that water = 4.901 67 * 1000 / 1000 = 4.901 67
Values are shown to six significant figures here; the arithmetic itself runs on exact fractions and is only rounded where a number is printed.
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The formula
- bore area = pi d^2 / 4
- flow = area x velocity
- Hazen-Williams head loss per metre = 10.67 Q^1.852 / (C^1.852 d^4.87), SI units
Nominal pipe size is a legacy label. Above 14 inch NPS the outside diameter equals the nominal size; below it, neither dimension matches.
Hazen-Williams is an empirical formula fitted to water near room temperature. For other fluids or for gases, use Darcy-Weisbach.
Fittings add loss too. A rule of thumb is to add 30 to 50% to the straight-run figure for a typical domestic circuit.
1/2 in pipe at common velocities
| Velocity (m/s) | Flow (L/min) | Flow (US gpm) |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5 | 5.9 | 1.55 |
| 1 | 11.8 | 3.11 |
| 1.5 | 17.6 | 4.66 |
| 2 | 23.5 | 6.22 |
| 2.5 | 29.4 | 7.77 |
| 3 | 35.3 | 9.32 |
Frequently asked
What is the inside diameter of 1/2 in schedule 40 pipe?
15.8 mm, against an outside diameter of 21.3 mm.
How much water does 1/2 in pipe hold?
0.196 litres per metre of run.
Where the numbers come from
- Dimensions are the ASME B36.10 schedule 40 values for the nominal size.