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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 pipes, because of the high chemical resistance, and higher avoidance of algae, fungus and parasites build-up.
The water pipe range is available in SDR11, SDR13.6 and SDR17.6, from 20mm to 63mm for black and blue - and for yellow gas mains MDPE piping in 20mm to 560mm. We offer a full assortment and they are adaptable for fitment to Lead Polyethylene, Copper, PVC and Galvanised Iron.
MDPE water pipe 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 water pipe isn't susceptible to rot, rust, corrosion or loss of wall thickness.
All materials and water 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 options?
So, you need to buy some water piping. You go online and visit your favourite online builder’s merchant, EasyMerchant (obviously). You navigate to our MDPE 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 for the correct situation and installation.
So, we’ll clear this up for you and describe the difference between blue, black and other types of MDPE option.
The two main MDPE pipework colours.
Blue and black. Both different coloured pipes are water pipes, however with one very important difference:
- Blue MDPE is used to carry drinking (potable) water in line with bs en 12201
- Black MDPE is used to carry NON drinking (non-potable) water - again, in line with bs en 12201
For example, blue water pipes may be used as the mains water to connect from the street to your house. The water that comes from your tap likely has travelled through a blue water mains pipe. Black piping however, may be used for non-potable (not drinking water) applications, such as fountain installations or for agricultural irrigation, or industrial systems.
Other MDPE pipe colours.
There are other, less common colours of MDPE piping:
- Green Striped 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 water pipes 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 pipes. At EasyMerchant.co.uk we stock blue poly coils in widths from 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 cold water away from the property you’ll need black pipework – 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 for you needs, because although both colours of MDPE are made from the same material, 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 length, and a non-drinking water length is clearly hazardous. You don’t want to be connecting foul water to your kitchen sink now, do you? On the flip side, connecting a mains drinking water supply 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 piping, so please check prior to installation.
Water pipes 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
Size Chart:
| MDPE 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 |