The short verdict: choose a rubber hose when the duty involves pressure, abrasion, suction, steam or impulse loading, rubber constructions with textile or wire reinforcement carry the mechanical work. Choose a composite hose (EN 13765 film-and-fabric construction) for large-bore petroleum and chemical transfer at moderate pressure, typically up to about 14 bar, where low weight, broad chemical coverage and manual handling by one or two operators decide the specification. A composite hose is never a substitute for a hydraulic or steam hose; a rubber hose is rarely the ergonomic choice above DN 100 on a loading bay.
Choose rubber hose when:
- working pressure or impulse cycling governs the design (hydraulics, high-pressure water, compressed-media duties),
- the cover takes mechanical abuse, abrasion, dragging, vehicle traffic,
- the medium is steam (rubber steam hose to EN ISO 6134 is the only correct flexible option),
- full-vacuum suction with a robust wire helix is required.
Choose composite hose when:
- you transfer petroleum products, solvents or mixed chemical cargoes at tanker, rail or dockside stations,
- bore sizes of DN 50–DN 300 must be handled manually, composite is typically 40–60 % lighter per metre,
- one hose has to cover a wide, changing range of media via PP-, PA- or PTFE-film liners,
- flexibility at large bore matters more than crush or abrasion resistance.
What Is the Structural Difference Between the Two?
A rubber hose is a vulcanised laminate: an elastomer inner tube (NBR, EPDM, natural rubber or a UHMWPE/PTFE liner), reinforcement of textile plies, wire braid or wire spiral, and an elastomer cover. The reinforcement carries the pressure, which is why working pressure is always quoted per type and per DN, never for a whole family. A wire-braided hydraulic hose to EN 853 2SN, for example, is rated 415 bar at DN 6 but only 80 bar at DN 51.
A composite hose, defined by EN 13765, has no vulcanised wall at all. An inner wire helix (galvanised, stainless or polypropylene-coated) supports multiple wound layers of thermoplastic films and fabrics, polypropylene for hydrocarbons and general chemicals, polyamide or PTFE films for aggressive media, closed by an outer wire helix and an abrasion sleeve. End fittings are swaged or clamped by the manufacturer; the assembly is a factory-built, tested product, not a cut-to-length workshop item.
Decision Table: Rubber vs Composite
| Parameter | Rubber hose (typical) | Composite hose (EN 13765) |
|---|---|---|
| Working pressure | From ~10 bar (industrial) to 415 bar+ (hydraulic spiral types); always falls as DN rises | Typically 7–14 bar depending on type and DN |
| Design safety factor | 4:1 braided constructions; ~5:1 unreinforced; 10:1 steam hose | Per EN 13765 type, verify the datasheet |
| Temperature | −40 °C to +100 °C standard elastomers; higher for EPDM/silicone/PTFE-lined versions | Roughly −30 °C to +80/100 °C, film-dependent; cryogenic variants exist |
| Chemical breadth | Depends on tube compound (NBR: oils/fuels, EPDM: aqueous/chemicals, never oils; UHMWPE: concentrated acids and alkalis) | Broad, film package selected per media group; PTFE-film types cover most industrial chemistry |
| Weight (DN 100, indicative) | High, solid vulcanised wall | 40–60 % lighter per metre |
| Bore sizes | Commonly DN 6–DN 150 | Commonly DN 25–DN 300 |
| Abrasion / mechanical abuse | Very good (rubber cover, optional armour) | Moderate, outer sleeve is the weak point |
| Impulse / hydraulic duty | Yes, impulse-tested types (EN 853/856/857) | No, never for hydraulic impulse service |
| Steam | Yes — EN ISO 6134 steam hose only | Never |
| End fittings | Crimped, bolted safety clamps (steam), Camlock/Storz/TW for transfer duty | Factory-swaged only |
How Do Pressure Ratings Really Compare?
The single most common specification error is quoting one working pressure for a whole hose family. For elastomer and composite hoses alike, working pressure is quoted at +20 °C, falls with rising DN, and derates with temperature. A braided rubber hose carries a 4:1 burst-to-working safety factor; unreinforced rubber constructions run around 5:1; rubber steam hose is designed at 10:1 because of the consequence severity of a steam failure. Proof testing of assemblies is typically performed at about 1.5 × working pressure.
Composite hoses occupy a deliberately modest pressure envelope, most catalogue types sit between 7 and 14 bar working pressure. That is entirely adequate for pump-fed tanker and terminal transfer, and no composite construction should ever be pushed toward hydraulic or steam duties. If your circuit sees pressure pulses from a piston pump or rapidly closing valves, only an impulse-tested rubber (or thermoplastic) hydraulic hose from the power hydraulics range is appropriate.
Which Handles Chemicals Better?
It depends on the liner, not the family name. In rubber hoses the tube compound sets the boundary: NBR for fuels and mineral oils (not hot aromatics), EPDM for water, steam condensate, many acids, alkalis and ketones (never oils or fuels), UHMWPE liners for concentrated acids and alkalis, PTFE liners for near-universal chemistry. In composite hoses the film package does the same job: polypropylene films handle hydrocarbons and many industrial chemicals; PTFE-film types extend coverage to aggressive solvents and acids.
The practical difference is operational. A chemical terminal handling changing cargoes benefits from a composite or PTFE-film hose that tolerates the whole product slate; a dedicated line moving one medium is often cheaper and more robust as a rubber chemical hose to EN 12115. In every case the manufacturer's resistance chart for the exact liner grade, concentration and temperature is binding, if a combination is not listed, ask before ordering, don't extrapolate.
What About Electrostatic Safety?
Both families are used with flammable media, so electrical continuity is a formal requirement, not a footnote. Rubber transfer hoses for fuels and solvents are built with conductive compounds or embedded wires and marked accordingly (M/Ω per the relevant hose standard); composite hoses conduct through their inner and outer helix wires, and that path depends on correct fitting attachment. Verify resistance end-to-end (measurement per ISO 8031) at commissioning and at every periodic inspection, a corroded helix or badly swaged ferrule silently breaks the earth path. In ATEX zones this test is mandatory before first use.
Where Does Each Type Fail?
Rubber hoses announce most failures visibly: cover abrasion exposing reinforcement, tube swelling from an incompatible medium (detectable as OD growth), kinking from sub-minimum bend radius. Wire corrosion under a damaged cover is the dangerous hidden mode, moisture reaches the braid long before the hose bursts.
Composite hoses fail differently. Over-bending cracks internal films without external evidence; water ingress through a damaged outer sleeve corrodes the inner helix; and ferrule pull-out, almost always a swaging or over-age issue, is the most severe failure mode. Composite hoses in petroleum and chemical transfer therefore belong in a documented periodic test regime (visual inspection plus hydrostatic proof test and continuity check at the interval your safety system prescribes; marine petroleum practice per OCIMF guidance is annual). Neither family should ever be repaired with tape or clamps, condemned assemblies come out of service, full stop.
Typical Applications, Side by Side
The split in real plants follows the physics above. Rubber hoses dominate wherever the hose is part of the machine: hydraulic circuits on mobile and industrial equipment, compressed-air and water utility lines, abrasive-media transfer (shot, granulate, concrete) with thick NR wear liners, dedicated chemical duties per EN 12115, and every steam point on the site. Composite hoses dominate wherever the hose is part of the logistics: road- and rail-tanker loading and unloading, depot and terminal manifolds, ship-to-shore petroleum transfer, and multi-product chemical distribution, duties defined by frequent manual handling, changing cargoes and moderate pump pressures.
Suction deserves a separate sentence, because it is often the hidden decision-maker. Full-vacuum unloading favours rubber hoses with embedded steel helix, which hold bore shape indefinitely; composite hoses offer defined but generally lower vacuum ratings that must be read from the type designation, not assumed. If the pump can dead-head the line under vacuum, a routine event at tanker bays, verify the rating explicitly.
Temperature closes the triage. Standard composite films work roughly from −30 °C to +80/100 °C; outside that window (hot bitumen, low-temperature gases, steam condensate) the rubber and PTFE-lined families take over, and genuinely cryogenic transfer moves to purpose-built cryogenic composite or metallic hose. As with pressure, the datasheet of the specific type, not the family reputation, is the binding document.
Selection Checklist (Condensed)
- Medium, concentration, temperature, check the exact liner grade against the manufacturer's chart, including cleaning media.
- Working pressure at the actual DN, including surge; never read a family headline figure.
- Vacuum requirement, full-vacuum suction favours wire-helix rubber constructions; verify the composite type's vacuum rating.
- Bend radius vs routing, composite hoses need generous radii at large bore; sketch the path before ordering.
- Weight and handling, filled weight per metre decides ergonomics above DN 100; composite usually wins.
- Electrical continuity, conductive construction plus documented resistance test for flammable media.
- End fittings, factory-swaged for composite; correctly crimped or clamped for rubber, matched to the exact hose type (industrial fittings range).
- Certificates, pressure test report, conductivity result and material declaration for the specific assembly, not the series.
For the deeper single-family treatment, see the companion guides on composite hose selection criteria and chemical transfer hose technology.
Browse the full industrial hose range or the product catalogues to compare rubber and composite constructions by DN, pressure and liner. If the application is borderline, mixed cargoes, marginal pressure, ATEX zoning — send us the parameters: our engineering team selects the hose and fittings and pressure-tests the finished assembly before dispatch.