Two welded routes, one comparison
ERW and SSAW are both welded pipe lines named on the company About page, and this page compares them on the only basis on which this site can compare them: forming route and application direction. ERW pipe is formed from flat steel and welded along its length by electric resistance welding. SSAW pipe is formed in a spiral and welded by a submerged arc route. Those two sentences describe the routes, and no further technical comparison is added here. A buyer who needs more than the route difference to choose should name the further points in the enquiry, for the items named.
The size ranges listed on the company About page differ between the two lines, and they are given on the line pages as the About page lists them: ERW at OD 1/2 to 26 inch (21.3 to 660 mm), SSAW at OD 8 to 120 inch (219.1 to 3048 mm). Those ranges are starting points for an enquiry, not guarantees that every size inside either range is available for any particular order. A buyer who needs a particular size should name it in outside diameter terms, together with the application and the quantities, and ask for availability and timing to be confirmed for that size.
Application directions for each route
Both lines are discussed on this site through the same five application directions named on the company About page: petroleum and gas pipelines, water pipelines, construction and building, dredging projects and piling projects. The application pages describe each direction and the lines discussed for it, and neither application page assigns one welded route to one direction as a matter of fact. A pipeline job, a water job and a piling job can each be discussed through either route, and the choice between routes for a particular job is settled by the job detail carried in the enquiry, not by any assignment on this site.
Within those directions, SSAW pipe is also discussed through the piling and structure column names that appear under this line on the company homepage, and those column names are discussed on the structure pipe guide and the piling application page. ERW pipe is discussed through the homepage column names under its own line in the same way. Neither set of column names is turned into a separate product line on this site, and neither page states a specification for any pipe under any column name. A buyer whose job depends on a particular column direction should name it in the enquiry, together with the line and the application.
Questions that decide between ERW and SSAW
The questions that decide between ERW and SSAW for a particular job are job questions, not catalogue questions. They include the size wanted, the quantities, the destination, any date by which the pipes are needed, and any site conditions that affect handling and jointing. They also include any further point the job depends on, such as a coating, jointing or handling requirement, stated in plain terms for the items named. A buyer who answers those questions in the enquiry gives the supplier a job that can be answered, while a buyer who asks only which route is better, without describing a job, will receive only a general answer.
Those questions should be asked together, in the same message, for the same items, together with quantity terms, timing, trade terms, payment method and documents. This site uses only the general wording that certificates are available upon request, and any document question should name the items it concerns. Splitting the questions across separate messages produces fragmented answers that are hard to check against the order, while gathering them produces a single reply that can be checked as a whole. That discipline is the same for every comparison on this site.
From comparison to enquiry
A buyer who has read this page should next read the line page for the line favoured, then the welded pipe guide for the three welded lines together, and then the enquiry checklist page, which collects the questions in order. A buyer who already knows the line can skip directly to the enquiry page, naming line, application, size, quantities, destination and date in the first message. Either path ends at the same place: an enquiry that states the job in full and asks for quantity terms, timing, trade terms, payment method and documents to be confirmed together for the items named.
No comparison on this site settles an order. The catalogue narrows the choice, and the enquiry settles the order, and that division is kept on every page. A buyer who treats a comparison page as an order confirmation will be disappointed, because no catalogue wording can cover quantities, timing and terms for items that have not yet been named. The enquiry pages are therefore written as the working end of the catalogue, not as an afterthought, and the comparison pages point to them at every step.
Certificates available upon request. Please confirm the minimum order quantity in your inquiry before placing an order. Please confirm the lead time with the supplier before placing an order. Please confirm the trade terms and payment method before confirming an order.