PVC (polyvinyl chloride) is a versatile thermoplastic piping material, available in rigid (e.g., UPVC) and flexible forms.

Its most notable advantages include low cost, corrosion resistance, good insulation properties, and ease of processing. However, plastic PVC pipe is less impact-resistant, with a typical operating temperature range of 0-60°C.

PVC has long dominated applications such as building drainage, electrical conduit, and water supply pipes.

To enhance the rigidity of PVC, unplasticized polyvinyl chloride (UPVC) was developed.

By omitting plasticizers, UPVC achieves higher strength and pressure resistance while maintaining excellent corrosion resistance and improved hygiene ratings. However, UPVC sacrifices some flexibility and generally operates within a temperature range of 0-60°C.

UPVC is commonly used in cold and hot water supply systems, wastewater treatment, and industrial piping.

In the flexible pipe sector, PE (polyethylene) is another major material category, classified by density into HDPE, MDPE, and LDPE.

PE plastic tube pipes offer excellent flexibility, outstanding low-temperature resistance, chemical stability, and non-toxicity. They can be joined through heat fusion or electrofusion, with a wide temperature range of -40°C to 80°C.

These make PE an ideal choice for municipal water supply and drainage, gas distribution, and agricultural irrigation.

Through specialized molecular structure design, PE-RT retains all the excellent flexibility and heat-fusion capabilities of PE while significantly increasing the long-term heat resistance temperature to 95°C. Its cost is slightly higher than that of standard PE pipes.

PE-RT pipes are ideal for floor heating systems and cold and hot water supply applications.

For applications requiring higher thermal stability, PP-R (Polypropylene Random Copolymer) is currently the mainstream for cold and hot water, heating, and air conditioning systems.

It offers excellent heat resistance (long-term 70°C, short-term 95°C), corrosion resistance, and scale resistance. The heat-fusion joining method eliminates the risk of leakage at joints.

However, PP-R becomes brittle at low temperatures, requiring careful installation below 5°C, and its high thermal expansion coefficient necessitates compensation for expansion in long runs.

Combining the advantages of metal and plastic, this pipe features a five-layer composite structure: "plastic-adhesive-aluminum-adhesive-plastic."

The middle aluminum layer provides excellent strength, pressure resistance, and shape retention, while the inner and outer plastic layers ensure corrosion resistance and hygiene.

Aluminum-plastic composite pipes are commonly used in heating systems, hot plastic water pipes, and gas distribution, where shape retention is critical.

Steel-plastic composite pipes consist of a metal steel pipe as the base, coated internally with a plastic layer such as polyethylene or epoxy resin powder.

They maximally combine the high mechanical strength and pressure resistance of steel pipes with the corrosion and scale resistance of plastic layers. However, they are heavy and require relatively complex installation and connection techniques.

Steel-plastic composite pipes are ideal for conveying high-pressure, high-temperature, or corrosive media, such as in fire protection, wastewater transport, and optical cable protection.