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FAQ

Below you'll find some of the most common questions people ask about Superior Tube. If your query is on the list below just click on it and you'll be taken to the answer. However if you can't find the information you're looking for, try using our website's search facility or get in touch via our Contacts page

We are a leading engineering company supplying high precision metal tubes to a variety of industries.

Superior Tube manufactures high quality tubes made from stainless steel, nickel alloys, titanium, and zirconium. We make them in straight lengths or coils and in various sizes and profiles. In addition to selling tubes, with our expertise and experience we can also help you with things like materials selection, production, certification, testing and delivery. Whatever we do, quality and reliability are our highest priorities and we aim to exceed any customer’s expectations.

Our products are manufactured in our tube mill based in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, about 30 miles outside of Philadelphia.

Yes, we currently have sales offices in the UK (Plymouth), Orléans (France), Munich (Germany) and Noida (India).

We currently have around 250 members of staff who are mainly based in our headquarters in Collegeville, PA.

We ship worldwide to over 35 countries on five continents. Click here to find a list and map of the countries we currently export to. If your country isn’t listed, please contact our sales team to discuss whether we can include it.

No. We have a multi-lingual sales team and can work with you in several different languages.

Our main markets include the aerospace, oil and gas, nuclear, power generation, chemical process and medical device industries. However we are also developing products for emerging sectors like desalination, geothermal energy, sports and the automotive industry. We are continually innovating, so if you require tubing for other applications please get in touch and we’ll be happy to discuss your requirements.

Please call us at 610-489-5200 or send an email to info@superiortube.com. You can also send us a fax at 610-489-5220, or just stop by and visit any of our offices. For full contact details click here.

No. We manufacture at an industrial scale and have minimum order charges. Unfortunately we aren’t able to offer our off-cuts for sale. Spare quantities are passed on to our customers, or we recycle the materials and use them in new projects.

Minimum order value depend on various factors including the availability of raw materials and the size of the finished tubing you require. Typically we process $25000 as a minimum mill run but we can work with you for your needs.

No, we manufacture to order. However for customers with long-term contracts we can ensure that a steady supply is maintained by making sure safety or buffer stocks are available.

The availability of raw materials, how busy our plant is, the amount and length of tubes required and the technical specification of your order all play a role in determining how quickly we can deliver. A typical lead time is 8 to 12 weeks, but in some instances our turnaround can be as little as 3 weeks.

Yes, our technical teams can review the specifications and application of the tubes you require. We develop and test solutions that add to existing international specifications in various industries as well as creating tubes intended for use in entirely new areas.

Superior Tube was founded in 1934 as part of the emerging aerospace industry and quickly expanded into other applications that demand high quality tubing products. Since then we’ve refined our capabilities and now provide high quality precision tubing for a range of specialist industries.

We are unique in that we can manufacture both seamless and welded tubes in a wide range of materials all under one roof. As experts in the processing of stainless steels, nickel and titanium alloys we are able to cold-work certain alloys to quality standards and sizes that very few other mills are capable of achieving.

Superior Tube is owned by AMETEK, Inc., a leading global manufacturer of electronic instruments and electromechanical devices.

Superior Tube sells to both the end user and distributors, while always ensuring that our product is supplied at a competitive price.

We are constantly looking for ways to reduce our impact on the environment. One recent major improvement has been our switch-over from trichloroethylene as a degreasing fluid to an environmentally-friendly non-VOC solvent. The new fluid retains all the cleaning properties required and Superior Tube continues to hold ISO 9001 accreditation.

Coming soon we will have a Careers page.

Payment terms vary from Cash with Order and Documentary Credits to Credit Terms and are determined following the review of credit checks made on all new customers.

Our sales staff is highly qualified in their respective markets and can answer any questions you may have about specific materials and products. Our engineering and metallurgy experts are also on hand to solve specific issues and manage product trials and new developments.

When placing an order simply inform our sales team of your bore requirements. Superior Tube can offer tubes down to 0.40 microns Ra as drawn and 0.20 microns Ra with electro-polishing.

Superior Tube can produce precision tubing down to 0.25mm OD, equivalent to 0.010 inches.

A wide range of information can be found on the Products pages of this site. We also offer products conforming to a number of key international specifications such as ASTM and ASME. If you have further technical enquires, just contact your nearest sale representative via our Contacts page.

We supply them in a variety of standard shapes including circular, oval, rectangular, square, diamond and many more. For more information please see contact our sales team at 610-489-5200.

Yes, we will cut it to specific lengths designated by our customers.

The maximum length we supply straight tubes in is about 45 ft, however coiled tubing can be supplied in much longer pieces. We can supply coils up to 2,000 ft long, depending on the width of tubing.

We have several quality and customer approvals. Please see the quality certifications tab for more detail or reach out to our sales team.

Yes, we always give our customers reactive support.

We have several including ISO 9001 and NADCAP Ultrasonic Testing. We are also proud to manufacture tubes that meet a large range of customer-specific standards.

We can produce tube coils up to 2,000 ft long.

When you speak with our sales team they’ll discuss your requirements with you and ask if you have the UNS number or specifications of the tubing you need. We consider parameters such as the material being used, Outside Diameter (OD) by Inside Diameter (ID) in mm or inches or OD by wall thickness in mm or inches, the length of tubes, the quantity required, whether seamless or welded, as a straight length or coiled, and further quality, testing or finishing specifications.

All tube reduction operations are performed cold, thus maximizing the potential for microstructure and hence mechanical property control.

We supply tubes as straight lengths or coils.

They’re made using drawing, cold working and reduction techniques as well as using premium flat strip stock, which is roll formed to precise dimensions and then fused together with a laser. Subsequent drawing and cold working will ‘sink’ this welded stock to the desired dimensions. Both processes are used to deliver absolute performance.

A seamless tube is extruded and drawn from a billet while a welded tube is produced from a strip that is roll formed and welded to produce a tube. A welded tube is usually less expensive than seamless tube and is readily available in long continuous lengths.

We specialize in stainless steel, nickel alloys, titanium and zirconium metals. At the moment we are unable to offer products in materials other than these.

Our tubes can be tested in a variety of destructive and non-destructive ways including eddy current, ultra sonic and pressure testing. For more information of our testing procedures please see our Quality testing page.

Our raw material sources are fully audited, tested and approved before use. We take a quality-first approach, keeping in mind that manufacturing advances around the world will, in time, bring further benefits for our customers.

We mainly supply our tubing in wooden crates with protective caps placed on either end of the tubes, and always ensure our packaging is sufficient to protect the product during storage and transit.

We do not bend tubes, but regularly outsource this to a third party company.

Yes, you can order samples from our sales team. Depending on the quantity and material required this could be subject to a small fee.

Something that is cannulated means “affords a passage through its interior length for wire, thread, etc”. An example would be a cannulated suture needle.
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