More Information on Blue Water Pipes and Black Water Pipes:
Medium Density Polyethylene also called alkathene, is a tough and flexible thermoplastic that's employed in the production of water pipe, because of the high chemical resistance, and higher avoidance of algae, fungus and parasites build-up. The range is available in SDR11, SDR13.6 and SDR17.6, in sizes 20mm to 63mm for black MDPE pipe, blue MDPE Pipe and for yellow gas mains MDPE pipe in 20mm to 560mm. We offer a full assortment and they are adaptable for fitment to Lead Polyethylene, Copper, PVC and Galvanised Iron.
MDPE is a light, flexible and durable piping system which is easy to install, it is excellent for carrying water including Potable Drinking Water in addition to many different substances and can be installed above or below ground as is it not susceptible to rust. Internally abrasion resistant, stress cracking resistant, not notch sensitive and resistant to a variety of chemicals. The fact that it does not react negatively wither with surrounding soil guarantees that the pipework isn't susceptible to rot, rust, corrosion or loss of wall thickness.
All materials and MDPE pipe fittings used must comply with Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999. Information is taken from the Water Regulations Advisory Scheme, Water Regulations Guide Book (2000), and is only intended as guidance when laying new water supply pipes.
What is the difference between blue and black MDPE pipe?
So, you need to buy some water pipe. You go online and visit your favourite online builder’s merchant, Easymerchant (obviously). You navigate to our MDPE pipe category sections, and suddenly you’re confronted with a number of options you didn’t know existed. “Argh!” I hear you say, “which one do I need? They’re all made to carry water – right? So why the different colours?”
Well, it’s more simple than you think, but it is also very important that you know the difference and use the correct type of MDPE pipe for the correct situation and installation.
So in today’s blog, we’ll clear this up for you and describe the difference between blue, black and other types of MDPE water pipe.
The two main MDPE pipe colours.
Blue and black. Both different coloured pipes are used to transport water, however with one very important difference:
- Blue MDPE pipe is used to carry drinking (potable) water.
- Black MDPE pipe is used to carry NON drinking (non-potable) water.
For example, blue MDPE water pipe may be used as the mains water pipe to connect from the street to your house. The water that comes from your tap likely has travelled through a blue MDPE water mains pipe. Black MDPE water pipe however, may be used for fountain installations or for agricultural irrigation, or industrial systems.
Other MDPE pipe colours.
There are other, less common colours of MDPE pipe:
- Green Striped MDPE pipe is used for rainwater harvesting systems
- Yellow MDPE is used for Gas Mains, and not to be confused or used with water systems.
What MDPE pipe do I need?
If you need to supply your home or site with clean drinking water then you’ll need to invest in blue water pipe. At EasyMerchant.co.uk we stock Blue water pipe in sizes 15mm all the way up to 180mm to cover any need. We also supply the mechanical fittings for joining the pipes together (see our pipe joining guide here for how to join different types of pipe together properly). If you need to dispose of dirty, non-potable water away from the property you’ll need black MDPE pipe – also available here at EasyMerchant.
So there you have it – the different colours of MDPE pipes explained. So please, go ahead and buy the correct colour pipe for you needs, because although both colours of MDPE pipe are made from the same material (yep, MDPE) it is very important to adhere to the colour-coding of the pipes because it will ensure that you do not mix them up. Confusing a drinking water pipe, and a non-drinking water pipe is clearly hazardous. You don’t want to be connecting a foul water pipe to your kitchen sink now, do you? On the flip side, connecting a mains drinking water supply pipe directly into a drainage system can be a very costly mistake generating a large water utility bill! However, by following our guide you can rest assured you’ve used the correct colour pipework, avoiding any nasty mistakes.
It may be necessary to use twinwall water ducting to protect your blue MDPE pipe, so please check prior to installation.
Remember, we stock the full range of blue and black MDPE pipes and fittings here at EasyMerchant. We would be very grateful for the opportunity to impress you with our fast, reliable delivery service and of course great prices.
Pipe Specifications & Features:
- Material: medium density polyethylene
- Light and durable
- Very flexible
- Suitable for above or below ground use
- Immune to corrosion
- Stress cracking resistant
- Resistant to internal abrasion
- Pipe is not notch sensitive
- Coils pressure rated to 12.5 bar
- HDPE coils pressure rated to 10 bar
- Pipes are WRc tested
- Pipes are WRAS approved
- Complies to water standards ISO 4427:2007, BS EN 15494:2003 and BS 6572:1985
Pipe Size Chart:
| MDPE Pipe Size (mm) | Avgerage Bore inside diameter (mm) | Avgerage wall thickness (mm) | Approximate weight per metre (kg) |
| 20 | 15.2 | 2.4 | 0.13 |
| 25 | 20.1 | 2.5 | 0.17 |
| 32 | 25.8 | 3.1 | 0.28 |
| 50 | 40.4 | 4.8 | 0.67 |
| 63 | 50.9 | 6.1 | 1.05 |