Independent engineering handbook
EN 10305 precision steel tubes, explained
A source-conscious guide to selecting and ordering seamless, welded, cold-drawn, cold-sized, hydraulic, pneumatic, round, square, and rectangular precision steel tubes.
Planning number — not an acceptance criterion.
Choose the governing part
Parts overview →Comparing specifications?
The short answer
EN 10305 is a family of European technical-delivery standards for precision steel tubes. The part number is essential: it identifies the manufacturing route, product form, and intended service. EN 10305-1 covers seamless cold-drawn circular tube; Part 2 welded cold-drawn circular tube; the current Part 3 welded cold-sized tube and now incorporates the former shaped-tube Part 5 scope; Part 4 seamless hydraulic and pneumatic tube; and Part 6 welded cold-drawn hydraulic and pneumatic tube.
Select the part before the grade
A grade such as E235 or E355 does not identify the product by itself. Start with the applicable part, then state grade, delivery condition, dimensions, tolerance option, surface condition, length, inspection document, and any testing or cleanliness requirements. Parts 4 and 6 add system-oriented requirements that general mechanical-tube parts do not automatically provide.
- Part 1 — seamless cold drawn, circular
- Part 2 — welded cold drawn, circular
- Part 3 — welded cold sized, including round and shaped products in the current edition
- Part 4 — seamless cold drawn for hydraulic and pneumatic power systems
- Part 6 — welded cold drawn for hydraulic and pneumatic power systems
Edition status matters
Most of the series remains in 2016 editions, while EN 10305-3 was revised in 2023 and incorporates the scope formerly published as EN 10305-5. Legacy drawings may still cite Part 5. Do not silently translate an old callout: identify the contract edition, review the transition with the purchaser, and obtain the current national adoption from an authorized standards body.
How to use this handbook
Use the parts overview to choose the product route, grades and conditions to define metallurgical state, tolerances to understand acceptance, and the ordering guide to build a complete line item. The calculator gives planning weights only and never replaces measured mass or a producer's certified data.