SS 316L U-bend tube for chemical plants

If you are seeking high-performance SS 316L U-bends for a chemical plant, we offer premium-quality seamless U-bends that comply with ASTM A213, ASME SA213, and GB/T 14976 standards. These components are designed to address critical challenges encountered in harsh chemical environments-specifically, corrosion failure, stress cracking, inconsistent bending quality, and the risk of leakage.

 

Our 316 stainless steel U-tubes undergo a rigorous manufacturing process for use in heat exchangers, comprising stages such as seamless tube forming, precision bending, stress-relieving annealing, pickling and passivation, hydrostatic testing, and eddy current flaw detection. We offer a variety of surface finishes-including mill finish, pickled and passivated, or bright annealed-enabling safe and continuous operation across a wide temperature range of -196°C to 800°C.

 

The SS 316L U-tubes supplied by GNEE feature strictly controlled wall thinning rates (≤12%) and exceptionally tight dimensional tolerances (±0.05mm), effectively eliminating issues related to leakage and uneven heat transfer. Following the bending process, a comprehensive stress-relieving heat treatment is performed at 450–550°C to eliminate residual stresses and prevent intergranular corrosion.

These SS 316L U-bends maintain a safe operating temperature of up to 400°C, making them ideally suited for use in heat exchangers, condensers, reactors, piping systems, and various process equipment within the chemical, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, and fine chemical industries.

 

SS 316L U-bend tube specification

Grade	TP304 ; TP304H ; TP304L ; TP316 ; TP316L ; TP 321 ; TP321H ; TP317L ; TP310S ; TP347H
Standard	ASTM A213 , ASTM A 269 , ASTM A789 , etc
Size	Routine OD : 19.05mm,25.4mm,31.8mm,38.1mm
	WT :1.2-2.77mm
Length	According to customer needs up to 20m
Application	Boiler tube applies to petroleum , chemical industry , electric power , boiler , high temperature resistant , low temperature resistant , corrosion resistant . The size can be made according to the customers requirements . High pressure boiler pipe applies to container , petrochemical and so on .
Package	Plywood case

 

316 Stainless Steel Heat Exchanger Tube Chemical Composition

Grade	C	Mn	Si	P	S	Cr	Mo	Ni	N
SS 316	0.08 max	2 max	0.75 max	0.045 max	0.030 max	18 – 20	-	8 – 11	-
SS 316L	0.035 max	2.0 max	1.0 max	0.045 max	0.03 max	18 – 20	-	8 – 13	-
SS 316H	0.10 max	2.0 max	0.75 max	0.045 max	0.03 max	18 – 20	-	8 – 10.5	-

 

316 Stainless Steel Heat Exchanger Tubes Mechanical Properties

Density	Melting Point	Tensile Strength	Yield Strength (0.2%Offset)	Elongation
8.0 g/cm3	1400 °C (2550 °F)	Psi – 75000 , MPa – 515	Psi – 30000 , MPa – 205	35 %
8.0 g/cm3	1400 °C (2550 °F)	Psi – 75000 , MPa – 515	Psi – 30000 , MPa – 205	35 %

 

 

Reference Price List for 316 Seamless U Bend Tubes

Size (OD × WT)	Length	Surface	Price (USD / Ton)
19.05mm × 2.11mm	6m legs	Pickled	$4,200 – $4,400
25.4mm × 2.5mm	8m legs	Annealed	$4,100 – $4,300
31.8mm × 3.0mm	10m legs	Polished	$4,050 – $4,250

 Prices vary with nickel market fluctuations, order volume, and customization requirements.

Contact now

 

Leveraging our extensive export experience to over 60 countries and regions worldwide-including Europe, North America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East-GNEE provides chemical plants with stable and reliable supply guarantees, customized specifications, and trusted solutions. We empower these facilities to achieve safe, efficient, and long-term operational excellence.

 

For chemical plant procurement, another key value-added service we offer is Electric Resistance Heat Treatment (ERHT) following the bending process. We perform localized solution annealing on the bent section (R-bend)-as well as on the straight pipe sections extending at least 300 mm on either side-maintaining a controlled heating temperature between 1040°C and 1100°C. This is followed by rapid quenching to restore the austenitic microstructure and relieve internal stresses.

 

We conduct a 100% ball-pass test on all tubing to verify the unobstructed flow of the internal bore, and perform hydrostatic testing-at pressures reaching up to 10 MPa (approximately 1450 PSI), depending on the wall thickness. Prior to shipment, every U-bent tube undergoes either bright annealing or passivation treatment; the surface roughness (Ra value) is controlled to be less than 0.8 μm, ensuring an exceptionally high surface finish.

 

All tubing is packaged in reinforced wooden crates that comply with the international ISPM 15 standard. Inside the crates, layers of tubing are separated by polyethylene dividers and wrapped in VCI (Vapor Corrosion Inhibitor) film to effectively prevent surface contamination and mechanical damage during long-distance sea transport. Each shipment is accompanied by a detailed EN 10204 3.1 Mill Test Report, providing customers with complete traceability by heat number-an essential requirement for critical safety audits.