American National Standard Pipe Thread standards, often called national pipe thread

standards for short, are United States national technical standards for screw
threads used on threaded pipes and pipe fittings. They include both tapered and
straight thread series for various purposes, including rigidity, pressure-tight
sealing, or both.[1] The types are named with a full name and an abbreviation, such
as NPT, NPS, NPTF, or NPSC.

MIP is an abbreviation for male iron pipe, and FIP is an abbreviation for female
iron pipe.[2]

Outside North America, some US pipe thread sizes are widely used, as well as many
British Standard Pipe threads and ISO 7–1, 7–2, 228–1, and 228-2 threads.

Types
The various types are each named with an abbreviation and a full name, as follows:
[3]

Abbreviation[3] Shorthand expansion Full name[3] Comment[3]

NPT National pipe taper American National Standard Taper Pipe Thread
Tapered for sealing, often without any thread sealant; for connections in
nearly every type of service
NPS National pipe straight American National Standard Straight Pipe Thread For
rigidity; sealable only with sealant; sometimes male straight is mated with female
tapered for low-pressure sealing
NPSC National pipe straight–coupling American National Standard Straight Pipe
Thread for Couplings For general couplings
NPSF National pipe straight–fuel and oil Dryseal USA (American) Standard Fuel
Internal Straight Pipe Thread Internal only, straight
NPSH National pipe straight–hose American National Standard Straight Pipe Thread
for Hose Couplings For hose couplings
NPSI National pipe straight–intermediate Dryseal USA (American) Standard
Intermediate Internal Straight Pipe Thread Similar to NPSF but slightly
larger; internal only, straight
NPSL National pipe straight–locknut American National Standard Straight Pipe
Thread for Loose-fitting Mechanical Joints with Locknuts For use with locknuts
NPSM National pipe straight–mechanical American National Standard Straight Pipe
Thread for Free-fitting Mechanical Joints For various rigid mechanical uses
NPTF National pipe taper–fuel and oil Dryseal USA (American) Standard Taper
Pipe Thread For dryseal connections in nearly every type of service, especially
fuel connections
NPTR National pipe taper–railing American National Standard Taper Pipe Thread
for Railing Joints For railings
PTF-SAE SHORT Pipe taper, fuel, SAE, short Dryseal SAE Short Taper Pipe Thread
Named after SAE International; similar to NPTF but one turn shorter
Uses
Threaded pipes can provide an effective seal for pipes transporting liquids, gases,
steam, and hydraulic fluid. These threads are now used in materials other than
steel and brass, including PTFE, PVC, nylon, bronze, and cast iron.

The taper on NPT threads allows them to form a seal when torqued as the flanks of
the threads compress against each other, as opposed to parallel/straight thread
fittings or compression fittings in which the threads merely hold the pieces
together and do not provide a seal. The various types of pipe threads are designed
for use both with or without thread sealants,[1] as particular applications demand.
The sealants, where used, are typically thread seal tape thread sealant or a thread
seal paste pipe dope (sometimes similar in composition to plumber's putty).

Because the thread body is tapered (0.75 in/ft or 62.5 mm/m), a larger diameter
keeps compressing into a smaller diameter and finally forms a seal (no clearance
remains between the crests and roots of the threads because of the taper). This
means that NPT fittings should be burr-free and lubricated using a lubricant like
lubricating paste or thread seal tape. The use of tape also helps to limit
corrosion on the threads, which otherwise can make future disassembly nearly
impossible.

Commonly used sizes are 1⁄8, 1⁄4, 3⁄8, 1⁄2, 3⁄4, 1, 1+1⁄4, 1+1⁄2, 2, 2+1⁄2, 3, 4,
5, and 6 inch, as pipe and fittings by most US suppliers. Sizes smaller than 1⁄8
inch are occasionally used for compressed air, while sizes larger than 6 inches are
often joined by other methods.

Specifications
NPT is defined by ANSI/ASME standard B1.20.1.[4]

The taper rate for all NPT threads is 1 inch of diameter in 16 inches of length
(3⁄4 inch per foot or 62.5 millimeters per meter) measured by the change of
diameter (of the pipe thread) over distance of thread. The half-angle (between the
taper surface and the axis of the pipe) is arctan(1⁄32) ≈ 1.7899° ≈ 1° 47′.

The standard for Nominal Pipe Size (often abbreviated NPS, which should not be
confused with the abbreviation NPS for the straight thread form standard) is
loosely related to the inside diameter of Schedule 40 series of sizes. Because of
the pipe wall thickness of Schedule pipe, the actual diameter of the NPT threads is
larger than the Nominal Pipe Size outside diameter, and considerably so for small
sizes. Pipe of a given size in a different Schedule than Schedule 40 provides a
different wall thickness while maintaining the same outside diameter and thread
profile as Schedule 40. Thus the inside diameter of a given size of Schedule pipe
differs from the Nominal Pipe Size, while outside diameters for a given nominal
Schedule size are the same between Schedules.

Thread form