Lufkin – Page 3 – Business Gift Blog: Quality Business Gifts With Your Logo | Promotional Corporate Gifts @ Advantage-Advertising LLC

The Mystery of Pipe Diameter Tape Measure Codes

Lufkin pipe diameter tape measure products are available with different scales. To find the right tape for your needs, here is how to read the codes that are embedded in the SKU numbers.

“P” means that it is a “pi” tape, also known as a diameter tape.

Examples are w606p, w906pd, w606pm, asw616pd, w606pd, w906p.

“D” means that it measures in tenths of an inch. If the “D” were missing, it would measure in 64ths of an inch.

Examples are w906pd, asw616pd, w606pd.

“M” means that it measures in metric scale.

An example is w606pm.

Celebrate Pi Day 2019 With A Diameter Tape Measure

Pi Day is March 14. This year you can help celebrate by answering the question at the bottom.

Pi is the constant ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, no matter what size the circle is. This is useful knowledge when you work with water pipes or oil or gas pipelines, and you need to replace part of it. You can measure the circumference and divide by pi. But there’s an easier way to do that.

Let a Lufkin Diameter tape measure do it for you. You just wrap it around the pipe, and read the diameter. Mathematicians call pi an irrational number, since it goes on for an infinite number of decimal places, but using a diameter tape is a very rational and easy way to find the diameter of a pipe. To see a little video on How to measure the diameter of a pipe, just click here.

Trivia: What famous scientist was born on Pi Day?

5 Pipe Diameter Tape Measure Tips

When you use your Lufkin or Pi-Cobra pipe diameter tape measure, here are 5 tips to keep you out of trouble.

Make sure the pipe is free of dirt and mud. You don’t want to measure those things, just the pipe.
Use the right tape. Do you want your answer in 100ths of an inch, 64ths of an inch, or millimeters? There is a tape for each purpose.
Use the right side of the tape. The other side is probably a regular linear tape. It will give you the circumference, not the diameter.
Wrap the tape around the pipe straight, not at an angle. If it is not straight, you will get an elevated result. You can test this by wiggling the tape so that it gives you the lowest reading.
Be familiar with the scale. It can be tricky on a 64ths of an inch diameter tape. 48 on the scale means 3/4 ” diameter. The easy one is 32, which is of course 1/2″ diameter.

5 Useful Jobs For An Architect Scale Ruler

An architect scale ruler with your company logo has more uses than you may have realized. Your customers need architect rulers. Here are 5 important uses:

w906a Architects scale Lufkin tape

To help new homeowners read the blueprints for a house that was designed for them. They can easily see if certain rooms will be large enough for their furniture.
Carpenters can easily find the sizes of lumber that they need to order for the job.
HVAC contractors can calculate the size and amount of sheet metal they need to install the furnace and air conditioning.
Excavators can see the exact location and size of the footers they need to dig.
And of course, architects use these rulers continuously in their day to day work.

The Pipe Diameter Tape Measure You Must Have

If you fix your car, boat, or furnace pipes or plumbing at home, you need this pipe diameter tape measure. Do you ever need to replace a heater hose on your car. How about the water intake hose on your boat? Before you remove the old one, you can use this tape to make sure you buy the right size.

How do you use it?

Just wrap it around the hose or pipe, and read off the “outside diameter”.
Then take this figure with you to the store, measure the new pipe or hose, to make sure it matches up.
Careful, they name hoses by their “inside diameter”, but you are shopping according to the “outside diameter. Your diameter tape will assure you are getting the right size.

W906P Lufkin Diameter Tape

How To Choose The Correct Pipe Diameter Tape Measure

Answer these questions for yourself, and you will get the right pipe diameter tape measure!

Metric or Imperial (Inch). Which do you need in your job? There are also 2 tapes that have BOTH metric and inch diameter scales. If the SKU number has a “m” in it, that means it is a metric scale.

Pi-Cobra Diameter Tape, Metric & Inch

Diameter-Tapes.com 24″ OD Tape Measure, Metric & Inch
64ths or 100ths? This question applies only if you need the Inch version of a pipe diameter tape. If you are in the oil and gas industry, you probably prefer the 100ths calibration. If you are in the boat or automotive industries in the USA, you would probably prefer the 64ths of an inch calibration. If the SKU number has a “d” in it, this means it is calibrated in 100ths of an inch.
Size. The Lufkin models of the pocket diameter tapes will measure pipe diameters up to 23 inches. The Pi-Cobra models will measure pipe diameters up to 38 inches.

W906PD Lufkin Diameter Tape

Pi-Cobra Diameter Tape, Inches

Here’s the Secret About a Pipe Measuring Tape

If you have to find the length of a pipe, that’s easy. But what about the outside diameter of a pipe? What if you can’t just measure the diameter at the end? What if the pipe doesn’t have its ends exposed. It is part of a piping system, or a pipeline. How can you fine the OD, or outside diameter?

The secret is finding the right pipe measuring tape. What is it called?

Diameter Tape
Pipe Tape
Pipe Diameter Tape
Pi Tape
OD Tape
Outside Diameter Tape
Circumference Tape (a misnomer, but they are sometimes called this)

To use one, all you do is wrap it around the pipe, and read off the diameter. You don’t need to divide by pi (3.14159).

W906PD Lufkin Diameter Tape

How a Diameter Tape Can Find a Pipe Diameter For You

How do you work a diameter tape? You don’t. It works for YOU.

A Lufkin Diameter Tape Measure will make your job quick and easy. Just wrap it around a pipe, pipeline, or other round object, and read its diameter right off the tape. Yes, you wrap it around the “circumference”, but it reads “diameter” for you. You don’t need to divide by pi (3.14159).

See our 2 minute diameter tape video to learn a few other details about this valuable tool.

The Most Popular Pipe Diameter Tape Measure In The World

The market for diameter tapes is relatively small. But for the people that use them at work, they are very valuable. There are a few manufacturers worldwide. Of that small group, one manufacturer stands out above the others. Lufkin. Yes, Lufkin makes the most popular pipe diameter tape measure in the world. Everyone who works with pipes and oil and gas pipelines prefers that brand. It is known for consistent quality and engineering.

W906PD Lufkin Diameter Tape

The Best Choice of the Pipe Diameter Tape Measures

Diameter Tapes

There aren’t a whole lot of pipe diameter tape measures out there, but there are enough to make a contest. In my opinion, looking at the most popular one in our store, the winner is:

W906PDC Lufkin Diameter Tape

Lufkin is a name you can trust. They know how to make an accurate pocket tape measure. An when it comes down to a detail, like putting a wider space between the zero mark and the next mark, they do it right. That extra space accounts for the thickness of the tape. The resolution is 100th of an inch diameter. It comes in a durable chrome-plated metal case. A company logo is imprinted on the front, and protected by a clear overlay. This is the best choice for a pipe diameter tape measure.

Can I help, too?