Chemical Composite Hose

The Three Builds at a Glance

How a Chemical Composite Hose Is Built

Four layers do four different jobs, and a failure can be traced to one of them.

• Inner helix. Galvanized steel, 316L stainless or polypropylene coated steel, sitting in the bore. It prevents collapse under vacuum and carries static to the fittings on conductive builds.
• Liner. The only layer that touches the product: multiple PTFE films on the PTFE grades, polypropylene film with a polyester barrier on the standard chemical grade, ECTFE on the low-permeability heavy duty build.
• Carcass. Bonded film and woven fabric plies. The film holds the pressure, the fabric carries hoop stress and resists puncture. Ply count rises with bore and pressure, and this is where a cheap build quietly removes material.
• Cover. Abrasion resistant PVC coated fabric, with polyamide, fibreglass or a spiral nylon rope wrap where the hose is dragged.

The helices are coded by material because the pairing decides corrosion life: PG polypropylene coated inner with galvanized outer for acids where metal contact in the bore is unacceptable; PS polypropylene coated inner with 316L outer for corrosive product in a coastal atmosphere; SG stainless inner with galvanized outer for aggressive product on a sheltered site; SS stainless both for dockside and washdown duty.

Dimensions We Build

Which Liner for Which Medium

The liner decides whether the hose survives, not the bore or the pressure class. Three liner families cover the range we build.

Two rules settle most enquiries. Aromatic, chlorinated or concentrated oxidising media go to PTFE. Dilute acid or alkali below 80 °C stays on polypropylene, which is the lower-cost build and the shorter lead time. For a mixture where nobody can name the ratio, send the safety data sheet and the answer comes back in writing rather than as a guess.

Composite or Rubber Chemical Hose?

Both products carry the same media and they age differently, which is the only question that matters at selection.

Many plants run both rather than choosing. Our rubber chemical hose range covers the high pressure and abrasive duties; this page covers solvent, acid and clean-transfer duty. Neither replaces the other.

Applications

• Chemical plants — reactor charging, centrifuge feed, drum and IBC transfer, solvent lines
• Tank farms and terminals — road tanker and railcar unloading, ISO tank discharge, line pigging connections
• Water treatment — hypochlorite, ferric chloride, sulphuric acid dosing, polymer feed
• Mining and metals — acid leaching, reagent dosing, sump and pit transfer
• Pharmaceutical and cosmetic — solvent transfer, cleaning circuits, API charging
• Electroplating and surface finishing — pickling acid, plating bath transfer, rinse circuits
• Marine chemicals — bulk chemical unloading at jetty and barge

Installation, Inspection and Service Life

Installation

Support long horizontal runs every 1.5 to 2 m so the fitting does not carry the weight. Respect the minimum bend radius at the bore centreline under full pressure. Never twist the hose to align a flange: twist loads the plies and shortens life faster than any other abuse. Use a swivel or elbow at the equipment rather than pulling a tight bend into the flange, and fit protective sleeves where the hose crosses a walkway or a steel edge.

Inspection

Check the cover for cracking, blistering and exposed fabric; the outer helix for flattening and corrosion; the fittings for loose collars and worn seals; continuity on conductive builds after any repair. Retire the assembly after a kink that does not recover, a cover softened by chemical attack, or a failed continuity test. A written record per transfer campaign costs minutes and prevents most of the failures we are asked to investigate.

Service life

In a chemical plant with proper handling, three to five years is typical. Continuous solvent duty at the top of the temperature range is shorter; a hose dragged across concrete every shift may fail on the cover before the liner is spent. On chemical duty the liner, not the cover, is normally the limit.

Customization, MOQ and Price

Price is driven by four inputs: bore, ply count, liner grade and end connection. A PTFE-lined DN50 assembly typically costs two to three times a PP-lined equivalent, so specifying PTFE where PP would survive is the most common way buyers overspend.

• Length — 1 to 20 m, tolerance ±1 %
• Ends — NPT, BSP, camlock, fixed and floating flange to EN 1092 or ANSI B16.5, reducing flange, adapters
• Marking — cover colour, printed brand, batch code, medium and pressure text, multilingual labels
• Packaging — coiled, crated or palletised; lifting slings for large dock assemblies
• MOQ — standard sizes from 100 m; custom bore, colour and OEM marking from 500 m per size
• Lead time — 7 to 15 days after order confirmation for standard builds

We are a manufacturer in Hengshui, Hebei: the film, the helix, the assembly and the test all happen in our own 18,000 m² plant across 12 production lines, and we have supplied fluid transfer hose to 70 countries since 2010. OEM and ODM programmes run with your artwork, marking and packaging, and the technical file stays with your brand.

Where a Composite Hose Is the Wrong Choice

• Above 40 bar the right product is a wire spiral hose or a high pressure hose, not a composite.
• Saturated steam needs a dedicated steam hose; a thermoplastic liner softens in it.
• Food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic contact requires a liner with a migration declaration against EU 1935/2004 and FDA 21 CFR 177 — specify that build, not the standard chemical grade.
• Permanent piped runs belong in a lined steel pipe; a hose is for movement, connection and drainage.

Products in This Category

• PP chemical composite hose, 10 bar, 25 to 100 mm
• Heavy duty chemical composite hose, 20 bar, 4 to 8 inch
• Chemical marine composite hose, 14 bar, 50 to 250 mm

Part of the composite hose range, which covers six families from 25 to 254 mm.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a chemical composite hose made of?

A thermoplastic liner that touches the product, several bonded plies of polymer film and woven fabric that carry the pressure, an internal and an external steel wire helix that hold the shape, and a PVC coated fabric cover. No curing step bonds the layers; they are clamped at the fittings, which is why the hose stays flexible at low temperature and drains clean.

What pressure does it handle?

10 bar on the plant grade across 25 to 100 mm, 14 bar on the dockside build to 250 mm, and 20 bar on the heavy duty build with an 80 bar burst. These are continuous ambient ratings. A composite hose is not a hydraulic hose and does not belong above 40 bar.

Which liner do I need for sulphuric acid?

Concentration and temperature decide it. Dilute acid at ambient normally runs on polypropylene; concentrated acid needs PTFE. Send both numbers and the recommendation is issued per duty, in writing, before the hose is built.

Can it be used for suction?

Only when the build is specified as vacuum rated. The internal helix resists collapse, but a discharge-only build flattens under full vacuum and the plies separate permanently.

Does it need earthing?

On flammable solvent duty, yes. The helix carries static to the fittings; the assembly still has to be bonded to the vessel and to earth before transfer starts. Continuity is checked end to end on every conductive assembly before dispatch.

How is the assembly tested?

Proof tested at 1.5 times working pressure with a 60 second hold, continuity tested on conductive builds, and burst tested on a sample per batch. The record travels with the hose and names the bore, ply count, liner lot, test pressure and tester.

What are the order quantity and lead time?

Standard sizes start at 100 m; custom bore, cover colour and OEM marking start at 500 m per size. Standard sizes ship 7 to 15 days after order confirmation, and a custom liner or marking adds about a week.

Not sure which build fits? Read the PTFE composite hose category if the medium is aromatic, chlorinated or a concentrated oxidising acid, or send the duty straight to our engineers through the quotation form.