When selecting tubes for hydraulic cylinder barrels, you have two main options: seamless honed tubes or welded honed tubes. Understanding the differences will help you choose the right one for your application.

 

Seamless tubes are manufactured without a weld, typically by piercing a solid billet of steel and then drawing it to the desired dimensions. This results in a tube with uniform mechanical properties throughout.

 

Advantages:

- No weld seam means uniform strength

- Generally higher pressure rating

- More consistent material properties

- No risk of weld failure

 

Best for: High-pressure hydraulic cylinders, critical applications where maximum reliability is required.

 

Welded tubes are made by rolling steel plate and welding the seam together, then honing the inner diameter to final size.

 

Advantages:

- Lower cost for larger diameters

- More readily available in very large sizes

- Adequate strength for many lower-pressure applications

 

Best for: Lower pressure applications where cost savings are important, or for very large diameters where seamless is not available or cost-prohibitive.

 

If your hydraulic cylinder operates at high pressure or failure could have serious consequences, seamless honed tube is the safer choice. If you're working with lower pressures and want to save cost, welded honed tube may be acceptable.

 

Xinluo Hydraulic supplies both seamless and welded honed tubes precision-honed to your required dimensions. Contact us to discuss your project — we can help you choose the right option based on your pressure rating and budget.