Niobium Pipe and Tube
Niobium (columbium) seamless and welded pipe and tube in Nb1 and Nb1Zr to ASTM B394, corrosion-resistant, ductile, for chemical, superconductor and aerospace service.
- DocumentsMTC and EN 10204 3.1 on request
- TraceabilityHeat number and inspection scope confirmed
- RFQ detailsGrade, standard, size, tolerance, quantity
- PackingExport protection by product form and length
Product Introduction
Nb1 / Nb1ZrCommon niobium grades
ASTM B394Pipe and tube reference
8.57 g/cm3Typical niobium density
MTC / 3.1Traceability documents on request
Acceptance is by the ordered specification. Values are RFQ references only. Final grade, chemistry, dimensions, inspection and documentation are confirmed by the purchase specification and mill test certificate.
Supply envelope: in the two grades carried on this page, Nb1 and Nb1Zr, niobium pipe and tube run 2.0 mm to 100 mm outside diameter in lengths to 8000 mm, random or fixed, cut to drawing, annealed with a bright or pickled surface, with wall taken from the drawing. Other niobium alloys are supplied to customer specification and quoted per drawing.
Niobium (columbium, Nb) pipe and tube combines strong corrosion resistance with high ductility and a very high melting point (2,468 °C). It resists most mineral and organic acids, liquid metals and molten alkali metals, and is widely chosen where tantalum-level resistance is wanted at lower cost and weight.
Grades and standards
| Grade | UNS | Composition | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nb1 (unalloyed) | R04200 | Unalloyed niobium | ASTM B394 / B393 |
| Nb1Zr (Nb-1Zr) | R04261 | Nb + ~1% Zr | ASTM B394 / B392 |
Beyond the two grades above, niobium alloys including C-103 are supplied to customer specification and quoted per drawing. Send the alloy designation and the governing specification with your enquiry, because the composition limits and the acceptance basis are set by that specification rather than by this page.
Supplied seamless or welded (welded-and-drawn) to ASTM B394, in annealed condition, with mill test certificate and EN 10204 3.1 documentation on request.
Typical size range
- OD: 2.0 mm to 100 mm
- Wall: to drawing
- Length: to 8000 mm, random or fixed, cut to drawing
- Condition: annealed; bright/pickled surface
Applications
Chemical process equipment and corrosion-resistant linings
Superconductor stock (Nb-Ti, Nb₃Sn) and cryogenic systems
Sodium-vapour lamps and electronics
Aerospace and high-temperature assemblies
Corrosion notes
Niobium resists hydrochloric, nitric, sulphuric and phosphoric acids across wide ranges, plus most organics. Like tantalum, it is attacked by hydrofluoric acid, fuming sulphuric acid and hot concentrated alkalis - do not use niobium in those media.
RFQ information needed
Send grade (Nb1 or Nb1Zr), OD, wall thickness, length, seamless or welded, surface/condition, quantity and required documents. Drawing-based and custom sizes are quoted on request.
FAQ
Is niobium the same as columbium?
Yes - “columbium” (Cb) is the older US name for niobium (Nb); they are the same element.
Niobium or tantalum?
Tantalum resists an even wider range of hot acids, but niobium offers similar resistance for many duties at lower cost and about half the density. Match the grade to the exact medium and temperature.
Can you supply Nb1Zr?
Yes - Nb-1Zr (UNS R04261) tube is available to ASTM B394; specify OD, wall and length with your RFQ.
Inspection, documentation and packing
Niobium pipe and tube is supplied annealed with a mill test certificate confirming chemistry and dimensions, and EN 10204 3.1 documentation on request. Heat / lot identity is marked on the material, and tubes are bundled and crated for export to protect the surface in transit.
Related products and alternatives
For solid stock see niobium bar and sheet. Where the acid service is hotter or more concentrated, compare tantalum tube - the trade-off is set out in niobium vs tantalum.
Writing purity onto the order instead of into the email
Niobium tube enquiries usually arrive with a purity expectation that never reaches the order line. Purity is what the buyer is actually paying for, and it is stated as a grade with its UNS number rather than as a percentage in the body of an email, because the grade is what a certificate reports against. Alloyed grades are supplied as tube alongside the unalloyed metal, so an enquiry naming only the element leaves the composition table unfixed.
The dimensional side is where a small order most often goes back for clarification. Outside diameter and wall thickness both need their tolerances, length has to say whether ends are cut or finished, and the delivery condition belongs on its own line rather than folded into the surface. Beiyu Titanium reviews the grade with its UNS number, the governing specification, seamless or welded, dimensions with tolerance, the delivery condition, the surface condition and the inspection scope before quotation, and supplies against an EN 10204 3.1 mill test certificate. As on titanium, a reported figure is read against the method that produced it, and a heat analysis is not interchangeable with a later product analysis.
Compare refractory metal products
Refractory metals categoryProduct
Material
Reference
Best for
Niobium Pipe and Tube
Nb1 / Nb1Zr
ASTM B394
Tube and pipe RFQs
Niobium Bar and Sheet
Nb1 / Nb1Zr
ASTM B392 / B393
Bar, sheet and machined blanks
>
Tantalum Pipe and Tube
Ta / Ta alloy
ASTM B521
Acid-resistant pipe and tube
>
Tantalum Plate and Sheet
Ta / Ta alloy
ASTM B708
Plate, sheet and lining parts
>
Molybdenum Bar and Rod
Mo / TZM
ASTM B387
High-temperature rods and parts
>
Tungsten Bar and Rod
W / heavy alloy
By drawing / ASTM B777
High-density and high-temperature parts
>
Zirconium Bar and Wire
Zr702 / Zr705
ASTM B550 / AWS A5.24
Bar and wire for chemical-process parts
>
Zirconium Plate and Sheet
Zr702 / Zr705
ASTM B551
Plate, sheet and lining parts
>
Related refractory metal products
Niobium category
Unalloyed niobium and niobium alloys are ordered in two different ways
An enquiry for niobium tubing that names only the metal has left the most important line open. Unalloyed niobium is ordered to a grade with its UNS number, because the grade is what the certificate reports against, and the supply envelope for it is published. Niobium alloys are a different transaction: Beiyu Titanium supplies them to customer specification and quotes them per drawing, so an alloy enquiry needs the specification or the drawing rather than a grade designation. Sending one and expecting the other is the most common reason a niobium tubing enquiry sits without a price.
The dimensional side splits the same way the words do. Tubing and tube are called out by outside diameter and wall thickness. Pipe is called out as a nominal size with a schedule, and the two do not transfer directly, which is why a drawing carrying a nominal call-out is converted at enquiry rather than assumed. The conversion itself is set out on the tantalum pipe and tube page and works the same way here.
| What the enquiry names | What it fixes | What it still needs |
|---|---|---|
| Unalloyed niobium, by grade | The composition the certificate reports against | Outside diameter, wall, length and their tolerances |
| A niobium alloy, by name only | Nothing that can be quoted | The customer specification or the drawing |
| Nominal size with a schedule | A piping call-out | The outside diameter and wall the part is made to |
Supply range for unalloyed niobium tube and tubing is 2.0 mm to 100 mm outside diameter with the wall taken from the drawing, in lengths to 8000 mm.
How much does niobium tube weigh per metre?
Weight per metre follows from outside diameter and wall: kg/m = π × (OD − wall) × wall × density ÷ 1,000, with OD and wall in millimetres and density in g/cm³. The table uses 8.57 g/cm³, the density given on this page for unalloyed niobium. The sizes are examples for estimating only; the wall is taken from the drawing, and any outside diameter from 2.0 to 100 mm in unalloyed niobium can be quoted. Alloy tube is quoted per drawing, as set out above.
| OD × wall (example) | Weight per metre | Weight of a 6 m length (example) |
|---|---|---|
| 6 × 0.5 mm | 0.074 kg | 0.44 kg |
| 10 × 1 mm | 0.242 kg | 1.45 kg |
| 25 × 1 mm | 0.646 kg | 3.88 kg |
| 50 × 2 mm | 2.585 kg | 15.51 kg |
| 100 × 3 mm | 7.835 kg | 47.01 kg |
Lengths run to 8000 mm. For other sizes, the weight calculator takes OD and wall under its tube setting, with niobium at the same density.
Specification detail with sources
The Beiyu Titanium supply ranges publish niobium pipe at Ø2.0 mm to 100 mm in lengths to 8000 mm, and give the metal a density of 8.57 g/cm³ and a melting point of 2468 °C. The two niobium grades carried across every form are the UNS designations R04200 and R04210.
Three standards are named for niobium alongside those ranges: ASTM B392, B393 and B394. They are listed against the metal as a group and not against individual product forms, so the published ranges do not settle which one governs a pipe order and this page does not settle it either. That choice belongs to the buyer's design documents, and it belongs at the start of the enquiry.
For a view of who else publishes this material and what each one states, see Niobium Tube Suppliers: Five Company Pages Compared.
Request a quote for Niobium Pipe and Tube
Send material grade, standard, size, condition, quantity and certificate requirements. Beiyu replies with quotation, lead time and documentation scope.