Elite Tube utilises ERW Mild Steel tube, Contiflo and Pre-Galvanised Tube, available from stock, cut and fabricated to your project requirements.
Our steel tubes are high quality and always manufactured and supplied to industry standards.
Our tube is available in a range of grades: -
E155, E190, E195, E220, E235, E260, E275, E320, E355, E370, E420 and E460.
Choosing the right tube is not always straightforward. Tubes form the backbone of countless applications, from carrying fluids under pressure to supporting major structural frameworks. The right choice ensures durability, safety and efficiency, while the wrong one can lead to costly failures.
Our step-by-step guide breaks down the different types of tube applications and the tube selection process. Outlining everything from material choice to shapes, finishes, tensile strength and the tools used to work with tubes.
Common Tube Applications
Agriculture and Horticulture
You can rely on carbon and mild steel tubing across a wide range of agricultural needs. From yard gates, stock pens and cattle crushes to fencing, barriers, tractor components, dump trucks and crop sprayers, steel provides strength and durability where it matters most. In horticulture, tubes are essential in lawn mowers, wheelbarrows, garden rollers and other maintenance equipment, valued for their toughness and ease of forming.
Automotive and Performance Components
In the automotive sector, precision cut and fabricated carbon and mild steel tubing delivers both strength and versatility. You will find these products used in seat frames, roof racks, cycle carriers and commercial bars. Many well-known manufacturers, including Ford, Porsche, Jaguar, Rolls Royce, Vauxhall and Volvo, already use this type of tubing, showing its reliability and consistent performance.
Office, Home and Leisure
Steel tubing also enhances everyday life in offices, homes and leisure spaces. From towel rails and support rails to shelving systems and door furniture, the right tube provides both practicality and style. For leisure and sport, tubes are used in trampolines, play frames, football and tennis equipment, equestrian exercise areas, stable fittings, boat trailers and camping gear. Carbon and mild steels are especially well suited for their balance of strength and workability.
Retail and Shopfitting
Retail spaces demand both attractive design and dependable supply. You can use steel tubes in shelving, display units and shopfitting installations, with options in round, square and custom profiles. Finishes and coatings can be tailored to ensure a professional look while resisting daily wear.
General and Industrial Use
For more general industrial applications, carbon and mild steel tubes provide dependable performance in items such as platform trolleys, sack trucks, conveyors, platforms, balustrades, handrails, fencing and transport racks. Their inherent strength, combined with the ability to be cut, bent and finished to exact specifications, makes them a versatile choice across many industries.
Tube Selection Guide – Key Buying Factors
1. Choosing the Right Material
Our core expertise lies in carbon steel and mild steel tubes. These materials are widely used because they provide exceptional strength, durability and versatility, making them suitable for everything from heavy structural work to everyday manufacturing.
Mild steel is valued for its workability, while carbon steel is chosen where additional hardness and resistance are required. Alongside these, stainless steel is a good option when corrosion resistance is essential, such as in marine or outdoor environments.
While we specialise in steel, it is worth noting that other industries may also utilise materials such as copper or aluminium for conductivity and heat transfer, and carbon fibre for lightweight, high-performance applications.
2. Matching Tube to Application
Once the material is selected, the tube must be matched to its intended use. For high pressure environments, selecting carbon or mild steel tubes that can withstand significant force, supported with pressure gauges, is vital to ensuring safe operation.
Structural frameworks benefit from the immense strength of carbon steel, while stainless steel may be preferred where exposure to moisture or chemicals is a concern. Precision engineering projects often require tubes that can be cut and finished with great accuracy, which is why we supply steel that is suitable for advanced laser cutting processes.
3. Tube Shape Options
Shape influences performance just as much as material. Round tubes are commonly used for pipelines and pressure systems as they distribute internal and external forces evenly. Square and rectangular tubes, especially in carbon and mild steel, are ideal for construction projects where stability and ease of connection are required. For unique designs, custom profiles can be fabricated. To achieve the desired shape, methods such as bending machines and roll bending allow our steel products to be formed into precise curves or angles without compromising integrity.
4. Tube Finish and Coatings
The finish of a tube enhances its longevity and performance. For example, galvanised carbon steel tubes are coated with zinc to improve corrosion resistance, making them suitable for outdoor use. Powder coated or painted finishes add further durability and a clean appearance. Heat treatment processes are also available for carbon and mild steel, increasing toughness and wear resistance, which extends the tube’s service life in demanding applications.
5. Strength, Grade and Duty Cycle
Different projects call for different levels of strength. Carbon and mild steel tubes are supplied in a range of grades to suit varying structural and mechanical needs. Higher grades are used when greater tensile strength and fatigue resistance are required. Another consideration is the duty cycle in fabrication operations such as welding or bending. This refers to how long equipment can operate without overheating, which affects both the handling and performance of the steel tubes during installation.
Tools and Techniques for Working with Tubes
The next step in the process is fabrication and installation.
A steel tube cutter remains a simple yet effective tool for creating clean, accurate cuts.
For more advanced applications, especially where precision is crucial, laser cutting offers unmatched accuracy and consistency.
Shaping tubes is equally important, with bending machines allowing for angular designs and roll bending enabling smooth, large radius curves.
Each method has its strengths, and choosing the right approach ensures accuracy, efficiency and reduced material waste.
Why Work with Elite Tube?
We support a wide range of sectors with high quality carbon and mild steel tubing. From agricultural equipment and automotive components to office, leisure, retail and industrial applications, our products combine strength, versatility and a choice of finishes. You benefit from expert advice, dependable supply and certified quality, ensuring you always get the right tube for the job.