Route creates capability
How EN 10305 tubing is made
The series spans seamless and welded starting hollows, cold drawing, cold sizing, heat treatment, finishing, inspection, and hydraulic-line preparation.
On this page
The short answer
Seamless routes begin with a pierced hollow; welded routes begin with strip formed and longitudinally welded. Cold drawing pulls the tube through a die, often with internal tooling, to refine dimensions and properties. Cold sizing uses forming stands to reach final geometry without the same full-section drawing route. Heat treatment establishes the ordered delivery condition.
Typical production sequence
Exact sequences vary by producer and part.
- Prepare seamless or welded starting hollow
- Clean, descale, and lubricate for cold work
- Cold draw or cold size to the required route and geometry
- Apply stress relief, anneal, or normalization when ordered
- Straighten, cut, and finish ends
- Inspect dimensions, surface, properties, and specified tests
- For Parts 4 and 6, apply system-service preparation and protection requirements
Welded does not mean as-welded
Parts 2 and 6 use welded starting tube followed by cold drawing. The route can refine both geometry and weld-zone character, but it does not make the product seamless. Certification and drawings should retain the correct welded designation.
Sources and limitations
- EN 10305-1:2016 — Seamless cold drawn tubes — Scope and technical delivery conditions for seamless cold-drawn circular precision tubes.
- EN 10305-2:2016 — Welded cold drawn tubes — Scope and technical delivery conditions for welded cold-drawn circular precision tubes.
- EN 10305-3:2023 — Welded cold sized tubes — Current cold-sized tube standard; incorporates the former EN 10305-5 shaped-tube scope.
- voestalpine Rotec — precision tube products — Producer context for manufacturing routes, applications, and capability; not a normative source.
These references inform this page but do not replace the purchased standard or national adoption. Numeric chemistry, property, and tolerance requirements remain controlled standards content. The contract edition, drawing, purchase order, and applicable law govern acceptance.