WATER FLOW THROUGH

STEEL OR COPPER PIPE

Steel or copper piping is generally sized for water flow that will result in a friction
loss of approximately 2 feet of water per 100 feet of pipe length and a velocity of
7 feet per second or less.

This chart indicates the flow in GPM that a pipe size can generally handle:

Pipe Size GPM

½" Up to 1.5
¾" 2 - 3.5
1" 4-7
1 ¼" 8 - 14
1 ½" 15 - 22
2" 23 - 40
2 ½" 41 - 70
3" 71 - 120
4" 121 - 250
5" 251 - 450
6" 451 - 700
8" 701 - 1200

Adapted from: HVAC Technician's Handbook, LAMA Books, www.lamabooks.com