KNOW YOUR TUBE
A tube size and a bend angle don’t tell the whole story. Radius, wall thickness, material and the finished route all affect what fits and what can be made.
Start with the measurement you’re trying to understand. CLR explains the bend’s centerline radius. Wall Thickness & OD separates the outside size from the opening inside. Bend Angles shows how the direction changes without confusing angle with radius.
The materials guide helps you identify what needs to be specified. The Pie Cuts guide explains another way to plan a custom route when a single catalog bend doesn’t cover the job.
Working from a drawing? Designing for Tube Bending and the RFQ guide will help you bring the useful details into the conversation. You don’t need every answer before you contact us. Start with what you have.
FIND YOUR STARTING POINT
CLR means centerline radius. It’s the radius measured from the center of the bend’s arc to the centerline of the tube. It is not the measurement to the inside or outside surface.
A 1D bend has a centerline radius equal to the tube outside diameter. For example, 2-inch OD with a 2-inch CLR is 1D geometry. That does not mean the inside radius is 2 inches.
Bend angle describes the change in direction through the bend. Radius describes how tightly that change happens. You need both to understand the shape.
OD is the outside diameter. Wall thickness is the thickness of the tube material. ID is the inside diameter. Keep those three measurements separate when you’re matching parts.
Start with what the part needs to do. Material selection affects forming, joining, finish and service conditions, so the grade and condition belong in the conversation early.
Pie cuts let you build a bend from short angled tube sections. That can be useful when the route needs to change in a way a single catalog bend doesn’t cover.
A clear tube drawing gives us more than the finished outline. It tells us the material, OD, wall, bend radii, straight sections, bend orientation and the features that actually control fit.
You don’t need a perfect drawing package to start a conversation. Send what you have, and tell us what the part needs to do.
TAKE THE NEXT STEP
Choose a catalog part or bring your requirements into a project review.
OFF THE SHELFPREPARE YOUR RFQ