Through, PVC and UPVC pipes and fittings are distinctive, these two can be confused with one another. PVC pipes are malleable, while UPVC is un-plasticized. They both are made from Polyvinyl Chloride, but some of their properties differ and therefore are fit in different applications.

Below are significant differences between PVC and UPVC pipes:

1. Manufacturing Phases

PVC is usually perplexing and sturdy because of the rigidity of polymer PVC. To burst this hardness and make PVC flexible, a plasticizing polymer is added to PVC during the manufacture of PVC pipe.

On the contrary, plasticized polymer uPVC is excluded from the pipe manufacturing process which leads UPVC pipes to be rigid and unbendable meaning that not as flexible as PVC products.

2. Use Cases

The principal application of both PVC and UPVC pipes is plumbing. You might have heard PVC piping is the best alternative to copper and aluminum pipes in irrigation, plumbing, and pool circulation structures. And that’s true…

The reason behind this is the non-rigidity of PVC substance, it is easy to be amended into sought-after lengths, cuts, designs and can be fastened with glue.

On the other side, UPVC pipes are not only used for plumbing applications, they are used for wide purposes such as in heavy-duty water transportation or the construction of industry as an alternative to several stout metals. As these pipes are very tensile, they have the resistant strength to cope up with heavy-duty chemicals and corrosion.

3. Plastic Pipe Fittings

Although uPVC pipes are strong and rigid, they are relatively easy to work with. UPVC pipes from leading manufacturers such as Skipper Limited have low weight and can be easily fitted using solvent cement.

One big perk of lightweight UPVC is that the cost involved in transportation and installation can be reduced. On the flip side, the installment of PVC is a little complex.

4. Durability

Both PVC and uPVC piping are designed to be durable. However, UPVC pipes are more durable in comparison to PVC. The one example behind UPVC’s more durability is UPVC reduces air infiltration to keep your indoors comfortable.

5. Safety and Risks

PVC can introduce health hazards as PVC-coated wires can form HCl fumes in a fire due to Plasticizers that are being used in its manufacturing. Phthalates such as benzyl butyl, Dibutyl, and DEHP are one of those harmful substabces that are used in PVC to make them flexible.