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Everything you want to know about pipe marking

Posted by Lennart on January 10, 2023 in Other news

Everything you want to know about pipe marking

Marking pipes on ships, offshore or onshore sites is essential to ensure safety at all times. Accidents, injuries and damage to machines and equipment can be caused by the fact your crew, operators or external maintenance engineers and intervention services are unaware of the risks of the substances that flow through pipes. The importance of marking pipes becomes clear when we look at the different standards & regulations.

Standards & regulations

Several regional or maritime organisations require compliance with pipe marking standards. Whether it is ISO 14726, ISO 20560, ANSI, ASME A13.1, BSI 1710, DIN 2403, NORSOK or other company standards, T-ISS can supply the correct and compliant pipemarkers in any color with any print that meet these standards.

Because of this variety in global or regional standards, the new published ISO 20560 standard will realize a truly global, harmonized system of hazard recognition for pipemarking systems with uniformity of graphics, color-coding and formatting of safety messages. T-ISS can supply you with pipe markers meet the requirements of this new ISO 20560 standard.

 

Pipe marking requirements

The color, the color pattern, the size, the width, the content description, the letter size, the flow direction and the safety symbols differ from one standard to another. Our markers, regardless of the sector in which they are to be used, always comply with the latest applicable standards and requirements regarding legislation and regulations.

Where to apply pipe markings?

  • At least one in every room for every pipe and every medium
  • At frequent intervals on straight pipe runs, between 3 and 5 meter
  • When pipes pass through the floor, ceiling or wall, mark both sides
  • When pipes change direction
  • In the proximity of each valve and pump

For particular surfaces or if the pipes have a too large diameter, it is also possible to provide individual pipe markers. This marker contains all the necessary information in accordance with legislation and regulations, such as color coding, medium name, safety symbols and possibly the direction of flow. These also differ per standard.

Everything you want to know about pipe marking

 

Layout & Design

Within our production process, we can make several different layouts of pipe marking. These layouts always include the mandatory (in most national norms & regulations) safety information:

  • Flow direction
  • GHS/CLP symbols and warning signs
  • Pipe contents description

It has recently also become common to include process information, secondary language, and more detailed information about hazard symbols and even QR codes.

Customized Pipe Marking

Our fully customizable pipe markers can include all the pipe, contents, and flow information your location (both maritime, offshore, or industry & chemical sectors) needs to optimally increase workplace safety and efficiency. We will produce all pipe markers using the colors according to the latest global or local regulations and your specific demands. We can supply customized pipe markers with a Self-Adhesive layer, or Non-Adhesive.

 

Elements of pipe marking design

Our multi-color pipe marking comes standard with medium text and flow direction and is available in two sizes (100 and 150 mm wide). The pipe marking tape can also be supplied without text and flow direction upon request.

 

Pipe marking quality levels

We supply pipe markers for any location (maritime, offshore, or onshore) in the world. Our standard maritime program has 3 quality levels and can be fully customized to include any pipe, contents, and flow information your location or customer needs.

Single Color Pipe Marking

Single-color pipe marking tape is a tape that needs to be combined with the correct color coding. Additionally, a flow direction tape can be added to the combination to enhance identification.

Vinyl Unlaminated Pipe Marking (Economy Line)

This pipe marking tape is an economical, unlaminated vinyl. The recommended use of this tape is indoors such as a ship’s engine room and can be used outdoors with a short lifespan compared to PolyesPro® and the Basic Line.

Everything you want to know about pipe marking

Vinyl Laminated Pipe Marking (Basic Line)

This pipe marking tape is a standard performance vinyl sandwich manufactured according to 3M™ MCS™ (Matched Component System™) production specifications. This tape comes with a gloss laminated finish and can be used outdoors and indoors in various types of environments.

 

Polyespro pipe marking

We are the supplier of specially developed PolyesPro® pipe markings. This product is the highest available quality pipe marking and has a better temperature resistance, therefore a longer service life and improved colorfastness. The tape comes with all the usual 3M™ guarantees. PolyesPro® pipeline markings are made out of two layers; a PVC-free polyester base material with the image finished with a protective laminate. As a result, the material is suitable for insulated pipes, painted pipes, and stainless steel pipes.

Benefits of PolyesPro®:

  • UV-resistant
  • Scratch-resistant
  • Usable in extreme weather conditions
  • Withstand chemicals
  • Strong adhesive
  • Greater thickness
  • Temperature resistance -40 °C up to +130 °C

Everything you want to know about pipe marking

 

Precoiled pipe markers – Removable PolyesPro® pipe marking

Removable PolyesPro® Pipe Marking film is a high-performance non-PVC polyester sandwich, manufactured according to 3M™ production specifications, for the marking of pipes and pipeline systems. With a 3M™ base polyester material printed with LED UV Inkjet on a 3M™ Configured Printer and a 3M™ Protective Laminate, this Pipe Marking product can be used in demanding environments, and with a long expected lifetime. Legends can include warning signs, GHS symbols, pipe origin and destination, line number, QR, and bar codes in addition to pipe contents.

The PreCoiled pipe markers allow for very quick installation aboard ships, platforms, and industrial plants.

This product features a high-quality adhesive strip for fast and effective wrapper attachment.

Everything you want to know about pipe marking

 

Benefits of PreCoiled pipe markers

  • Developed for general purpose pipe identification harsh conditions for application in maritime, offshore, petrochemical & refinery industry
  • Can be used on dirty, oily, greasy, or rough-surfaced piping systems
  • Meets various Standards like ISO 20560, DIN, ASME / ANSI Standard, BSI, etc.
  • Precoiled PolyesPro® pipe markers are UV resistant, durable, and can be replaced and reused.

 

If you have any questions regarding our pipe marking products, please feel free to contact us.