Twelve material families, from carbon steel to Hastelloy — chosen primarily for compatibility with the shell-side and tube-side fluids, not for pressure rating alone. Thickness and pitch are calculated; material is a chemistry decision.
Thickness comes from a calculation. Material comes from a compatibility decision — and a tube sheet often touches two different fluids on its two faces at once.
It's tempting to think of tube sheet material selection the way you'd think about structural steel — pick a grade that meets the pressure and temperature rating and move on. That approach fails in this application because a tube sheet's two faces are frequently in contact with two entirely different fluids: the shell-side medium on one face, the tube-side medium at every drilled hole. A material that resists one may be attacked by the other.
That's why material selection here is really a chemistry and corrosion-mechanism decision first, with mechanical strength checked afterward. Chlorides drive pitting and stress-corrosion cracking, which rules out standard austenitic stainless in seawater and pushes toward duplex, super duplex, or copper-nickel. Reducing acids favour Hastelloy over stainless or duplex. Elevated temperature narrows the field further — where nickel alloys take over from stainless.
Browse the 22 grades index, compare alloys in the material comparison tool, or jump to export market standards.
Illustrative comparison only — always confirm against the specific fluid, concentration, and temperature of your service.
| Family | Corrosion Resistance | Max. Practical Temp. | Primary Environment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon Steel | ~425°C | Clean water, steam, non-corrosive process fluid | |
| Alloy Steel | ~540°C | Elevated temperature, moderate pressure service | |
| Stainless Steel | ~815°C | Chemical processing, food, pharmaceutical | |
| Duplex Steel | ~300°C | Chloride-bearing water, moderate acids | |
| Super Duplex Steel | ~300°C | Seawater, offshore, aggressive chlorides | |
| Copper Nickel | ~300°C | Seawater cooling, marine condensers | |
| Copper, Brass & Bronze Alloys | ~260°C | Freshwater cooling, condensers | |
| Nickel Alloy (Monel) | ~480°C | Hydrofluoric acid, seawater, sour gas | |
| Inconel | ~980°C | High-temperature oxidation, refinery service | |
| Incoloy | ~815°C | Carburizing and high-temp sulfur environments | |
| Hastelloy | ~550°C | Severe reducing and oxidizing acids | |
| Titanium | ~315°C | Seawater, chlorine, extreme purity requirements |
Clean water, steam, and non-corrosive process fluids. Lowest cost per unit area.
Chemical processing, food, pharma — general corrosion resistance and hygiene.
Marine condensers, desalination — chloride stress-corrosion resistance.
Refinery and petrochemical services above the practical limit for stainless.
Aggressive acids in chemical processing where stainless or duplex will pit.
Seawater cooling, pharma-grade purity, or where weight is a design constraint.
Yes, and it often is — but galvanic compatibility between the tube sheet and tube material must be checked, since dissimilar metals in contact with an electrolyte (like process water) can set up galvanic corrosion. Compatible pairings are well established for common combinations such as copper-alloy tubes with steel tube sheets.
Cost and machinability. Hastelloy and titanium can cost many times more than stainless per unit weight and are harder to machine, so they're reserved for services that genuinely require them. Over-specifying material is a common way procurement budgets get needlessly inflated.
Not automatically — 316L adds molybdenum for better resistance to chlorides and pitting, but at a cost premium. For fresh water or mild chemical service where 304 has a proven track record, 316L is not a required upgrade, though many buyers default to it as a safety margin.
Yes. Duplex and super duplex work-harden quickly and require different cutting speeds and tooling than carbon steel. Titanium requires strict control of heat generation during machining to avoid contamination and embrittlement. These factors affect lead time as well as cost.
Send us your fluid composition, concentration and operating temperature — NPRO India's engineering team will confirm the correct family and grade before quoting.
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