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The difference between NPT vs. BSP threads has more to do with where you live than their applications. NPT and BSP are pipe thread standards for screw threads used on pipes and pipe fittings to seal pipes.
BSP &#; UK, Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa (most countries worldwide)
NPT &#; United States, Canada
Both threads have the same pitch and familiar-shaped peaks and valleys. However, the designs of the threads differ in two fundamental ways. With NPT, the peaks and valleys of the threads are flat. In BSP, they are rounded. Secondly, the NPT angle of the thread is 60 degrees, and the BSP angle is 55 degrees.
What Thread is NPT?
NPT is the abbreviation for National Pipe Thread Tapered, which is the U.S. standard for tapered threads used to join pipes and fittings. They were established as a standard by the American National Standard Pipe Thread, commonly called the National Pipe Thread Standards. NPT is one of the U.S. national technical standards for tapered and straight thread series used for various purposes, such as rigidity and pressure-tight sealing.
What Thread is BSP?
BSP is the abbreviation for British Standard Pipe. The thread, as defined by the ISO 228 standard, uses Whitworth standard threads and is among several technical standards for screw threads that have been adopted internationally for interconnecting and sealing pipes and fittings. It has been adopted as a standard in plumbing and pipe fitting nearly worldwide.
Standardization for NPT and BSP Threads
The necessity to standardize screw threads began in earnest with the onset of the Industrial Revolution in the early nineteenth century. Standardization was needed to facilitate compatibility between different manufacturers and users.
The U.S. standard for tapered threads was established by William Sellers in . Then, as president of the Franklin Institute, he proposed new standards for nuts, bolts, and screws to replace the poorly standardized screw thread practice in the U.S. His thread design gained wide acceptance primarily because of the flattened peaks and valleys, and the 60-degree angle was easier for ordinary machinists to manufacture and produce.
Over two decades earlier in Britain, in , Joseph Whitworth had proposed his thread design, which was quickly adopted by many British railroad companies and became a national standard for the United Kingdom called British Standard Whitworth.
Even though up through the s, this standard was often used in the United States and Canada, it was not universally accepted. It often competed with many other standards used by a multitude of companies. Sellers thread eventually won out in the U.S. when his standard was used for work done under government contracts and then became a standard for influential railroad industry corporations. Many corporations soon followed, adopting it as the national standard in the U.S.
Applications for NPT and BSP Threads? Are They Interchangeable?
Contact us to discuss your requirements of npt threading. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
NPT and BSP tapered threads are utilized because, unlike straight threads, a taper thread can be pulled tightly to make a fluid or air-tight seal. Straight thread applications are designed to simply hold pieces together, whereas a tapered thread, when torque is applied, will compress and seal the fitting.
Applications for tapered threaded pipes provide an effective seal for pipes transporting liquids, gases, steam, and hydraulic fluid. They are used in various industries&#;power plants, gas and oil, chemical, manufacturing, and shipping. For example, many pressure systems onboard ships use BSP, while many oil and gas industry applications use NPT fittings. Both NPT and BSP threads have been adopted for use with a wide range of materials. In addition to steel and brass, the threads are used with bronze, cast iron, and plastics such as PTFE, PVC, and nylon.
Today, these two sealing systems are not inherently better than each other. Each thread works effectively despite the two different designs. In fact, for well over a century and a half later, the use and application of either thread have depended on where it&#;s manufactured. Contact us to discuss which thread works best for your needs!
In the vast world of fittings, threaded fittings play a major role. They are ideal for fast assembly and disassembly and give you an opportunity to solve any possible faults, maintenances and malfunction. In particular, two types of threads are mostly used, especially in hydraulics: BSP thread and NPT thread.
NPT thread accounts for National Pipe Thread and represents the American standard complying with the norm ANSI B1.20.1. After the BSP thread, it is probably the most used one in the field of hydraulic fittings. It features a 60°- thread angle and it is characterized by a conical thread and not cylindrical one. They usually ensure a higher water tightness, even though the use of a gaskets is still recommended. You can refer it to as MPT, MNPT or NPT (M) for male external threads and FPT, FNPT or NPT (F) for internal female threads. Both threads have the same spacing, angle (60 degrees) and form (flat peaks and depressions).
The BSP thread form stands for the British Standard Pipe and is common in Australia and in the Commonwealth countries. BSP is based on threads following standard ISO 228 and Whitworth. The BSP threads were adopted at an international level for the interconnection and sealing of pipes and fittings. The BSP standard incorporates the threads following standard Whitworth, which was developed in as the first thread standard in the world and it is now extremely popular at an international level for the connections of pipes and fittings.
There are two types of BSP threads:
&#; BSPP (British Standard Pipe Parallel). Reference standard: BS ̶ ISO -6. This thread is used in Europe and has a cylindrical thread resulting from the &#;Whitworth&#; thread, but with different sizes and spacing. It is known as GAS cylindrical thread. The mechanical seal is reached with a 60° concave flaring on the male fitting. The seal with an O &#; ring gasket is located on the female fitting cone. The seal with flat seat on the male and female parts is guaranteed with a copper gasket.
&#; BSPT (British Standard Pipe Tapered). It is used in Europe and has a conic GAS thread. The seal is reached with the deformation of threads between the male and female part. BSPT is similar to NPT, but there is an important difference. The thread angle is 55 degrees instead of 60 degrees, which is usual for NPT. Therefore, an NPT fitting will be inserted in a BSPT connection or vice versa, but they will not be sealed. The BSPT fittings are a common connection method in China and Japan, but they are very rarely used in North America, unless the equipment to which they are connected has been imported.
The main difference between BSP and NPT threads is mainly connected to &#;where&#; than to &#;what&#;. While NPT is prevalent in the USA and Canada, BSP is the main standard in the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and many other countries. Furthermore, to sum up, the NPT and BSP threads are not interchangeable due to the differences in the thread forms. The NPT threads are sharp in peaks and valleys, where BSP threads are rounded. In particular, the NPT thread angle is 60 degrees compared to the BSP 55-degree angle.
Right for this last difference, it is good to choose the suitable thread in order not to cause any fluid leakages or faults under pressure.
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