Every industrial hose datasheet reduces to five load-bearing numbers: working pressure (quoted per DN at +20 °C, falling as bore rises), burst pressure with a class-specific safety factor (braided 4:1, unreinforced ~5:1, PTFE 3:1, UHP water-jetting ≥ 2.5:1), temperature range, minimum bend radius and, where relevant, vacuum rating. A figure quoted without its test standard is commercially meaningless. This guide decodes each parameter so any datasheet can be read critically; the ordering workflow lives in the companion 12-criteria selection checklist.
What do the pressure figures on a datasheet mean?
Working pressure (WP) is the maximum continuous operating pressure at +20 °C for the specific DN. Burst pressure is the destructive qualification value. Proof pressure (≈ 1.5 × WP, method per ISO 1402) is the non-destructive test each assembly can be certified against.
Three rules stop most specification errors:
- WP falls as DN rises. Hoop stress grows with diameter, so the same construction holds far less pressure in a large bore. Hydraulic hose shows the slope clearly — EN 853 2SN: 415 bar at DN 6, 165 bar at DN 25, 80 bar at DN 51. The engineered exceptions are constant-pressure spiral types (R12 = 280, R13 = 345, R15 = 420 bar). The same physics applies to every hose family: a DN 19 chemical hose and its DN 100 sibling do not share a rating unless designed to.
- The safety factor depends on the hose class. Braided hose 4:1; unreinforced hose around 5:1; PTFE hose 3:1; ultra-high-pressure water-jetting hose minimum 2.5:1 per EN 1829-2. Never transplant a factor between families, and never treat burst as operating reserve.
- PN class ≠ working pressure. PN describes the flange rating system of the connected pipework, not the hose.
Transients matter more than nominal figures: water hammer and valve-shift spikes can exceed steady state by 50–200 % and drive reinforcement fatigue. For pulsating duty, ask for impulse qualification data of the specific hose and size.
How does temperature change the numbers?
All catalogue pressures assume +20 °C; the rating derates as temperature rises, per the manufacturer's curve for that compound and construction. Typical continuous tube ranges:
| Tube | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| NBR | −40 to +100 °C | Fuels/oils; not hot aromatics |
| EPDM | −40 to +140 °C | Water, steam, chemicals; never oils |
| FKM | −20 to +200 °C | Aggressive chemistry; not ketones |
| Silicone | −60 to +180 °C | Food/pharma; not high-pressure steam |
| UPE | −35 to +80/100 °C | Concentrated acids/alkalis |
| PTFE | −70 to +260 °C | Near-universal chemistry |
| Corrugated 316L metal | −196 to ~+550 °C | Fittings usually limit first |
Saturated steam couples pressure and temperature, you cannot pick them independently. Steam hose to EN ISO 6134 is rated type 1: 6 bar / 164 °C and type 2: 18 bar / 210 °C, with bolted safety clamps (EN 14420-3 / DIN 2817) as the only permitted fitting retention.
What does minimum bend radius govern?
MBR is the tightest centreline radius at which the reinforcement geometry still works; below it, hoses kink, wires fatigue and helix hoses ovalise, and the damage is permanent and largely invisible. MBR scales with bore and stiffens with construction: a DN 25 wire-braid hydraulic hose sits around 300 mm, a spiral hose of the same DN needs more, and helix-reinforced suction hoses typically need 40–60 % more than plain delivery hose of equal bore. Practical rules: keep a straight tangent behind every fitting, respect the radius in dynamic positions (not just at rest), add ~20 % margin in flexing zones, and solve tight geometry with elbows, not with force.
When does vacuum rating matter?
Any line that can see sub-atmospheric pressure, pump suction, tanker offloading, condensing steam, needs a declared vacuum rating, verified by the ISO 7233 test method. Helix-reinforced suction and S&D hoses are rated to −0.5 … −0.9 bar; plain discharge hoses have no vacuum rating and collapse. Annular corrugated metal hose (EN ISO 10380) is the flexible construction rated for full vacuum. Details in the suction vs discharge comparison.
The remaining datasheet lines, decoded
- Electrical resistance: for flammable media and ATEX zones (2014/34/EU), assemblies must be conductive or bonded, resistance is tested to ISO 8031; markings M/Ω on the hose wall indicate the class. Require the certificate.
- Abrasion resistance of the cover: measured as volume loss (rotating drum, ISO 4649; hose covers per ISO 6945), specify a numeric maximum for dragging duty.
- Food-contact compliance: EC 1935/2004 + GMP 2023/2006; rubber compounds additionally FDA 21 CFR 177.2600, PTFE 177.1550; Regulation 10/2011/EU covers plastics only (not rubber or silicone). Certificates are medium- and version-specific.
- Fitting retention: crimped ferrules per the manufacturer's hose-specific crimp data, or bolted safety clamps to EN 14420-3, mandatory on steam, standard on heavy-wall chemical/S&D hose. Coupling systems (Camlock EN 14420-7, liquids only; Storz; Guillemin EN 14420-8; TW) are not interchangeable with each other.
- Marking: compliant hose is branded with manufacturer, standard/type, DN, WP and production date, check it against the order at goods-in.
Standards map for industrial hose
| Standard | Scope | Key figures |
|---|---|---|
| EN 853 / 856 / 857 | Hydraulic rubber hose | 4:1 burst factor; WP per DN |
| EN 12115 | Chemical S&D hose | 16 bar class; conductivity variants |
| EN ISO 6134 | Steam hose | 6 bar/164 °C; 18 bar/210 °C |
| EN 1765 | Oil tanker S&D | Heavy-wall, large bore |
| EN 1829-2 | UHP water-jetting | SF ≥ 2.5:1 |
| EN ISO 10380 | Corrugated metal hose | Full vacuum; 4:1 burst factor |
| ISO 1402 / ISO 7233 / ISO 8031 | Test methods | Hydrostatic / vacuum / electrical |
Browse the industrial hose range or run a search for steam hose to compare datasheet values across certified constructions; fittings and clamps are in the industrial fittings category.
The five most common datasheet misreadings
- Family pressure applied to a large bore. The DN 6 figure never applies at DN 51; within one construction the rating can fall by a factor of five across the size range.
- Ambient rating used at process temperature. The +20 °C figure is a laboratory reference; at 90–100 °C many elastomer hoses have lost a quarter or more of their rating.
- Burst pressure read as margin. Burst is a one-time destructive qualification of a new hose, an aged, flexed, heated hose in service has none of that margin left.
- "Steam-resistant" read as steam-rated. A cover that tolerates steam splash is not a steam hose; steam duty requires EN ISO 6134 construction, coupled P/T ratings and bolted clamps.
- "Antistatic" read as certified. Without an ISO 8031 resistance test certificate and continuity across fittings, the adjective has no compliance value in an ATEX zone.
A worked example
A DN 50 line unloading 60 °C detergent solution with CIP at 90 °C, vacuum priming, routed with one 350 mm bend: the medium and CIP chemistry point to EPDM (never NBR here); vacuum priming demands an S&D construction rated to −0.9 bar (ISO 7233-verified); the 90 °C peak requires the derated pressure figure, not the +20 °C rating; the 350 mm bend must clear the helix hose's MBR, and the fittings need bolted clamps sized to the actual wall. Five datasheet lines, read correctly, specify the hose completely.
Inspection: reading the specification back in service
Exposed reinforcement, kinks, permanent bore deformation (vacuum event), soft/swollen wall (chemical attack), hardened cover (heat), fitting movement, each maps to one violated parameter above. A hose register recording standard, WP, test date and location turns inspection rounds into a compliance asset; proof-test safety-critical assemblies at 1.5 × WP on a defined schedule.
Specification support, tested assemblies, full documentation
Send the medium, pressures, temperatures, sizes and routing, our engineering team selects hose and fittings, assembles with the correct retention method and pressure-tests every assembly with certificates. Browse industrial hoses, see applications by industry, download the technical catalogues, or request a quotation.