316 stainless steel tube one of the piping components used in various applications. The pipes are used in fluid flow systems in various industries. Starting from the low cost and domestic applications such as water lines, the pipes are used in high end and high cost applications such as aerospace industries and nuclear power plants. 316 stainless steel tube is preferred due to its high strength and corrosion resistance. When used in highly sensitive applications like chemical and pharmaceutical industries, another factor is involved; the roughness of the pipe. The roughness is the undulations on the surface of the pipe. The inner roughness is more important than the outer roughness.

If the pipe has roughness it will influence the fluid flow by adding friction in the flow. The chemicals that pass through the pipes can be affected if the friction is above the recommended maximum. Also the energy needed to circulate the fluids will increase with the friction as well. The roughness of the pipes is measured so that the friction can be calculated. Seamless pipes usually have less roughness as they are cold drawn to get into the shape. The seamless stainless steel tubing 316 for this reason has less roughness and friction and therefore is used in sensitive applications. In addition to the corrosion resistance the roughness is also a preferable property in the 316 seamless pipes. The stainless steel tube price depends on the material make, standards and grades, diameter, wall thickness, roughness and other factors as well.