TL DR: Choose your Swagelok male connector by tube OD, port size and thread form. Before you order, read the complete suffix because RT, RS and ST identify different threaded connections, while BT identifies bored-through construction.
For your tube-to-pipe connection, Swagelok SS-810-1-8 gives you a 316 stainless steel body with a 1/2 in. tube OD connection and a 1/2 in. male NPT end. Manufacturer specifications.
How do you decode a Swagelok male connector?
Start with your complete part number. Every character matters for your identification. In SS-810-1-8, SS identifies 316 stainless steel, 810 identifies the 1/2 in. tube end, dash 1 identifies the male connector, and the final 8 identifies 1/2 in. male NPT. These mappings follow Swagelok’s material designators and male connector ordering tables.
Keep your connection sizes separate. Tube OD describes the tube exterior. You select the tube fitting end for this outside diameter, then select the threaded end for the equipment port. Matching numerals on opposite sides do not make the connection types interchangeable.
Compare your NPT choices directly. You retain the same tube end across this group. SS-810-1-4 pairs 1/2 in. tube OD with 1/4 in. male NPT, SS-810-1-6 pairs it with 3/8 in. male NPT, and SS-810-1-12 pairs it with 3/4 in. male NPT. The final code changes the threaded connection.
Read your suffix before translating numbers. You must interpret the size within its thread family. For example, SS-810-1-6ST has a 9/16-18 male SAE/MS straight thread, so treating its final 6 as an NPT size gives the wrong result. The manufacturer’s complete ordering number controls your selection.
Write your description in connection order. You should name the tube end before the threaded end, following the manufacturer product description. This keeps the request readable when a planner hands it to purchasing or a technician checks the delivery against the work package. A shorthand request for a stainless connector loses the details which distinguish otherwise similar parts.
Which Swagelok male connector sizes are listed online?
Use your table as a selection reference. Compare your Swagelok male connector requirements through Collins-Oliver’s online connector selection and the linked manufacturer specifications. The store links open either the individual product or its connector category. Confirm the required quantity when you request the part.
Separate your listing check from your specification check. You use the manufacturer links to verify connection details and the store links to locate the product. Carry your selected table entry into the request, then confirm the required configuration and quantity. For a purchasing request, carry the exact part number into your parts list.
Use your table across the whole parts list. You might have several instrument connections with the same tube OD but different equipment ports. Keep each port requirement on its own line, even when the connector bodies look similar in a photograph. Group the quantities only after the complete ordering numbers match, so a common tube size does not erase a thread difference.
When do you choose NPT, RT, RS, ST or BT?
Choose male NPT for your matching NPT port. You need the port drawing or an identified connection. Swagelok’s thread specification and sealant guidance distinguishes NPT from ISO/BSP tapered connections and calls for thread sealant when assembling tapered threads. Treat the thread standard as a requirement.
Choose RT for your ISO/BSP tapered connection. You will also see BSPT terminology. The RT product specification identifies a male ISO tapered thread, and the catalog places RT in the ISO/BSP tapered family. A similar-looking NPT connector is not a substitute for an identified BSPT requirement.
Choose RS when your port requires an ISO parallel thread with the matching sealing arrangement. You are specifying the seal as well as the thread. Swagelok identifies SS-810-1-6RS as a straight-shoulder connection, and its ISO/BSP parallel gasket section describes gaskets which provide the seal for male parallel threads. Include the appropriate gasket in your selection.
Choose ST for your matching SAE/MS straight-thread boss. You need the specified boss geometry and O-ring arrangement. The ST male connector catalog section shows the O-ring and identifies the compatible straight-thread boss standards. A parallel thread alone does not establish compatibility between ST and RS connections.
Specify BT when your application needs bored-through construction. You see this option on thermocouple and dip-tube installations. Swagelok lists SS-810-1-8BT as bored through with male NPT, so BT describes construction rather than a separate thread standard. Preserve the underlying thread designation in your request.
Keep your bore decision tied to system design. You change more than the ordering suffix. Swagelok’s bored-through fitting guidance assigns reduced pressure-rating factors relative to its tubing data. Apply the appropriate manufacturer basis before selecting the bored-through version for service.
Resolve your seal requirement before assembly begins. You need to identify the sealing arrangement alongside the thread family, then carry any required accessory into the work package. Ask for confirmation of the gasket or O-ring supplied with the selected configuration instead of assuming the connector description covers every accessory. The installer needs the complete connection requirement at the point of work.
What should you verify before releasing the order?
Build your request around the actual connection. You need the tubing specification and the port identity together. Start with the equipment drawing, then compare the complete manufacturer description against the replacement requirement. Keep the thread suffix visible on every purchasing document.
- Record your complete part number, including every suffix.
- Confirm your tube OD from the tubing specification.
- Identify your mating port’s size and thread standard.
- Specify your required gasket or O-ring arrangement.
- Record your tubing material, wall thickness and service conditions.
- State your quantity, required date and pickup or shipping preference.
Do not assign your connector a standalone working-pressure figure. You must use the correct tubing basis. Swagelok’s pressure-rating basis rates tube fitting ends to the working pressure of tubing listed in its tubing data. Evaluate the threaded connection and other system components as part of the complete assembly.
Give your tubing condition equal attention. You need a sound sealing surface. The tubing selection guidance identifies scratches, depressions, raised areas and other surface defects as sealing concerns, particularly for gas service. Resolve damaged tubing before installing the connector.
Check your installation state before tightening. Depressurize your system first. Swagelok’s installation instructions require the tube to rest firmly against the fitting body shoulder and direct the installer to hold the body while turning the nut. Use the procedure for the fitting and assembly state in front of you.
Make your purchasing description readable at the counter. You should put the complete SKU first, followed by the connection types and any specified sealing accessory. Keep a clear port drawing with the request when the equipment identification is incomplete. Give the person selecting the part the same information your installer needs.
Check your delivered parts against the request. You should compare the full ordering number with the work package before assigning the item to a job. Keep any unresolved suffix or connection mismatch visible to purchasing and maintenance rather than shortening the description to make the records agree. Correct the parts list before the connector reaches the installation location.
Where do you get the right connector from Collins-Oliver?
Bring your part number to Collins-Oliver. You reach a Baton Rouge industrial distributor with stock depth across more than 19,000 part numbers. Same-day pickup in Baton Rouge and nationwide shipping support your maintenance and purchasing schedule. Talk to a person who knows the part.
Start your request with the connector identity. Open the SS-810-1-8 ordering page or the SS-810-1-12 connector listing while preparing your parts list. Collins-Oliver buys new and new surplus material. State your suffix, quantity and delivery requirement so the conversation starts with the required item.
Prepare your call around the work ahead. You should identify which items belong to an immediate repair and which belong to planned maintenance, then ask about the required quantities and fulfillment timing. For a mixed connector list, keep each complete ordering number on a separate line. A clear request helps the counter work through your requirements without reconstructing the job from shorthand.
What else do buyers ask about these connectors?
How do you tell a metric fitting from an inch fitting?
You should check your marking and ordering number first. Swagelok’s metric identification guidance also describes a stepped shoulder on the body hex of metric tube fittings, while shaped metric fittings carry an MM marking. Keep this identification step separate from choosing the threaded port connection.
Does a gap inspection gauge check pipe threads?
You use your Swagelok gap inspection gauge at the tube fitting nut-to-body gap during initial installation. The gaugeability instructions assess whether the tube fitting has been tightened sufficiently. They do not make the gauge a test of your pipe-thread identity or seal.
How do you remake a disconnected tube fitting?
First, depressurize your system and follow the reassembly procedure. Before disassembly, mark the tube and nut-to-body position so the nut returns to its previous pulled-up position during reassembly. Swagelok then directs slight additional tightening and excludes the gap inspection gauge from reassembled fittings.
Should you keep another brand’s ferrules with this body?
You should keep your tube fitting components within the specified manufacturer system. Swagelok’s product warning prohibits mixing or interchanging its tube fitting end connections with other manufacturers’ components. A matching tube size does not establish component compatibility.
Does standard cleaning cover special cleaning requirements?
You need to state your cleaning requirement separately. The standard connector specification lists Standard Cleaning and Packaging, SC-10, while the catalog cleaning section addresses additional cleaning and packaging options. Do not treat the base part number as confirmation of a special cleaning process.
Is a bored-through version available for every size?
You need to check your exact ordering combination. Swagelok’s bored-through availability guidance excludes male connectors whose pipe-thread end is too small relative to the tube fitting end. Adding BT to an arbitrary ordering number does not establish an available configuration.
Call (800) 247-5756 or request a quote for your connector. Have your full part number ready. Tell Collins-Oliver when you need the parts.
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