Welded Vs Seamless Stainless Steel Tube

Although a wide topic in the realm of stainless steel, manufacturing processes play a vital role in key production factors along the way. The difference in basic manufacturing methods are obvious from the title. Seamless tube is extruded and drawn from a billet while a welded tube produces from a strip that is a roll form and welded to produce the tubing. Welded tube is considerably less expensive than seamless tube and is readily available in bulk. The basis for much of today’s bias regarding seamless vs. welded tubing stems from an early manufacturing process when the weld area was not reworked to provide a homogeneous tube wall. Even today the standard for working the welded area is open allowing a great variance in the final order of the product. Seamless tubing simply avoids the potential defects in the corrosion resistance of the weld area.