Why Are Precision Tubes More Expensive Than Regular Steel Tubes?

The precision tube is more expensive than the regular steel tube, mainly due to their significant differences in many aspects. Here is a detailed analysis of the reasons why precision tubes are more expensive:

Raw material costs

Precision tubes are high-precision, high-brightness seamless steel pipe manufactured by cold drawing or cold rolling processes. They are usually made of high-quality carbon steel, alloy steel or stainless steel, which are inherently costly. In contrast, regular steel tubes may have lower raw material quality and therefore lower costs.

For example, precision tubes are generally made of high-carbon steel (0.18%-0.23%) such as SAE 1018/1020, which has a 30% increase in tensile strength (510MPa vs 370MPa) compared to the Q235 material commonly used for regular steel tubes. The high quality of this material ensures the performance of precision tubes in high-precision applications such as hydraulic tube and boiler tube.

Manufacturing process

The manufacturing process of precision tubes is complex and delicate, and requires multiple cold working, quenching and tempering annealing and other processes to ensure its high precision and high performance. These processes consume a lot of energy and human resources, which increases the manufacturing cost.

The manufacturing process of ordinary steel pipes is relatively simple and the cost is relatively low. The detailed information is shown in the following table:

Performance and quality

The improvement of performance depends on high-quality raw materials and complex manufacturing processes, which further pushes up the cost of precision tubes. Precision tubes have the following significant advantages:

1. High precision and high finish

The dimensional accuracy and surface finish of precision tubes are much higher than those of ordinary steel tubes, and are suitable for high-precision machining.

2. High strength and corrosion resistance

The tensile strength and corrosion resistance of precision tubes are better than those of ordinary steel tubes, and can meet the needs of harsh working conditions.

Market demand and supply

1. High-end industry demand

The market demand for precision tubes is usually high, especially in industries with high precision requirements such as automobile manufacturing, aerospace, and petrochemicals. These industries have extremely high requirements for the quality and performance of steel tubes, so they are willing to pay higher prices for high-quality, high-precision precision tubes.

2. Competition and price

The market demand for ordinary steel tubes is extensive but highly competitive compared to the market demand for precision tubes, so the price is relatively low.

Other factors

Such as transportation costs, taxes, brand premiums, etc. will also affect the price of precision tubes. These additional costs will also be reflected in the final sales price:

1. Transportation and packaging

Due to their high precision and high performance, precision tubes require special packaging that is moisture-proof and shock-proof to ensure that they are not damaged during transportation. Usually more sophisticated packaging, transportation methods, and stricter transportation conditions are required.

2. Brand premium and taxes

Factors such as brand premiums and taxes will further push up the final selling price of precision tubes.

Summary

In summary, due to factors such as high raw material costs, complex manufacturing processes, excellent performance, and strong market demand, precision tubes are usually more expensive than ordinary steel tubes. However, for application scenarios that require high-precision and high-performance steel tubes, the value of precision tubes is irreplaceable.