Pipe spools: build them in the shop or on site?

Home

Blog

An engineer in a hard hat standing beside the open end of a large steel pipe section in a fabrication hall

Most of the process pipework we install is welded in our own shop and arrives on site as spools: lengths with their flanges, bends and branches already in place. It is faster, the welds are easier to inspect, and nobody is welding next to a running line.

When site welding still wins

Some jobs are better built in place. We ask four questions: can we survey the route accurately; will the spool fit through the doors; is there room to lift it into position; and will the plant move before we install it? Two "no"s and we weld on site.

A spool that is five millimetres out is scrap. Survey twice, fabricate once.

our fabrication manager

On a typical plant-room job the answer is a mix: long straight runs prefabricated, and the final closing pieces measured and welded on site.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *