Ductile iron pipe is a pipe made of ductile iron commonly used for potable water transmission and

distribution.
[1]
This type of pipe is a direct development of earlier cast iron pipe, which it has
superseded.
[1]
The ductile iron used to manufacture the pipe is characterized by the spheroidal or
nodular nature of the graphite within the iron.
[2]
Typically, the pipe is manufactured using centrifugal
casting in metal or resin lined molds.
[3]
Protective internal linings and external coatings are often applied
to ductile iron pipes to inhibit corrosion: the standard internal lining is cement mortar and standard
external coatings include bonded zinc, asphalt or water-based paint. In highly corrosive
environments polyethyleneencasement may also be used. Life expectancy of unprotected ductile iron
pipes depends on the corrosiveness of soil present and tends to be shorter where soil is highly
corrosive.
[4]
However, a lifespan in excess of 100 years has been estimated for ductile iron pipelines
installed using "evolved laying practices", including use of properly installed polyethylene
encasement.
[5][6]
Studies of ductile iron pipe's environmental impact have differing findings regarding
emissions and energy consumed. Ductile iron pipe manufactured in the United States has been certified
as a sustainable product by the Institute for Market Transformation to Sustainability
Ductile iron pipe is sized according to a dimensionless term known as the Pipe Size or Nominal Diameter
(known by its French abbreviation, DN). This is roughly equivalent to the pipe's internal diameter in
inches or millimeters. However, it is the external diameter of the pipe that is kept constant between
changes in wall thickness, in order to maintain compatibility in joints and fittings. Consequently the
internal diameter varies, sometimes significantly, from its nominal size. Nominal pipe sizes vary from
3 inches up to 64 inches, in increments of at least 1 inch, in the USA.
Pipe dimensions are standardised to the mutually incompatible AWWA C151 (U.S. Customary Units) in
the USA, ISO 2531 / EN 545/598 (metric) in Europe, and AS/NZS 2280 (metric) in Australia and New
Zealand. Although both metric, European and Australian are not compatible and pipes of
identical nominal diameters have quite different dimensions.