Even though we only started stocking black carbon steel fittings this year, we've been rapidly expanding our stock. It's become clear that these fittings can be useful to customers in various industries.
The most popular uses for black steel fittings are for steam generation, oil, and non-potable water. But you can also use them whenever you don't want to use galvanised steel: hydraulics, power generation, refineries, and other general engineering projects.
The black finish is created in the manufacturing process after casting. There's a scaly, dark-coloured iron oxide coating on the surface - you'll know this if you've picked up one of the fittings in our shop. The coating is useful in the above applications but it makes these fittings off limits for transporting potable water.
Oil and petroleum industries use lengths of black steel pipe for moving large quantities of oil through remote areas since it requires very little maintenance. These long pipes are also used for delivering high pressure steam and air as well as for conduits to protect electrical wiring. Due to the non-corrosive quality, sometimes these long pipes move non-potable water prior to treatment.
A more mundane use of these fittings is for industrial themed decor. You have probably seen them in cafes, bars, and restaurants. Furniture manufacturers have been using them for industrial style tables, chairs, shelving or other decor. But we digress!
We've been selling black steel fittings mostly to customers using them for those high-pressure applications that involve oil, steam, and water. We'd be interested to hear if you use them and what for - give us your feedback.