Bitumen Tape For Pipe
OPALUS PACK is a manufacturer of bitumen tape for pipe for external anti-corrosion wrapping on steel pipelines in oil, gas, water, wastewater, and petrochemical projects. This cold applied pipe wrap uses PE, PP woven, or PVC backing with a bitumen butyl adhesive layer. With matched primer and 50%-55% overlap, it helps form a barrier against moisture vapor, electrical exposure, soil pressure, handling damage, and backfill impact.
- Material: PE, PP woven, or PVC backing with bitumen butyl adhesive
- Color: Black standard, backing color by confirmation
- Thickness: 1.0 mm-1.65 mm typical range
- Width: 50 mm-300 mm common roll width
- Application: Hand wrapping or wrapping machine
- Use: Underground and overhead steel pipe protection
Product Overview
Bitumen tape for pipe is made for steel pipeline external protection, not general building sealing. It works as a pipe anti-corrosion wrapping tape by combining adhesive bonding, dielectric insulation, moisture resistance, and mechanical shielding.
The tape includes a tough backing, a bitumen butyl adhesive layer, and a release film for clean unwinding. PE backing supports flexibility and dielectric protection. PP woven backing gives tensile support and soil stress resistance. PVC film backing provides a smooth heavy-duty outer layer.
Good wrapping starts with surface preparation. Steel should be clean, dry, and free from oil, loose rust, welding slag, burrs, dust, and unstable coating. New pipe sections are often abrasive blasted to the project-required grade. Repair areas may use power tool cleaning when blasting is not practical. A matched bituminous primer wets the prepared steel substrate and improves bonding between the pipe and the bitumen pipe wrapping tape around weld joints, bends, fittings, and straight runs.
OPALUS PACK can adjust backing type, adhesive thickness, roll width, and temperature grade for different external pipe coating tape requirements. In sample checks, coating continuity is more stable when primer condition, overlap width, and wrapping tension are controlled together.
Benefits
- Protects steel pipe from soil moisture, water vapor, and electrolyte exposure.
- Cold applied construction avoids torch heating during field joint coating or local repair.
- Matched primer improves tape-to-steel contact and reduces weak points under the adhesive.
- 50%-55% spiral overlap can create double-thickness protection on buried sections and weld joints.
- Typical factory test range includes 28-35 kV dielectric strength, <=0.3 g/m2/24h water vapor transmission, and >=10 J impact resistance by sample observation.
How does surface preparation affect bitumen tape performance on steel pipe?
A cold applied pipe wrap performs best when the steel surface and primer condition are controlled before wrapping. Dust, oil, wet surface, loose rust, and weld spatter can leave weak contact points under the tape. In factory sample checks, primed steel panels with uniform preparation usually show more stable peel strength than unprimed or poorly cleaned panels. The primer should be thin, even, and touch-dry before wrapping.
TDS
| Item | Typical Value |
|---|---|
| Product Type | Cold applied bitumen butyl pipe wrapping tape |
| Backing Material | PE film, PP woven backing, or PVC film |
| Adhesive Layer | Rubberized bitumen or bitumen butyl compound |
| Total Thickness | 1.0 mm-1.65 mm typical factory range |
| Common Width | 50 mm-300 mm, wider rolls can be confirmed |
| Recommended Overlap | 50%-55% for double-thickness protection areas |
| Peel Strength To Primed Steel | 40-80 N/cm typical reference value |
| Dielectric Strength | 28-35 kV typical factory test range |
| Water Vapor Transmission | <=0.3 g/m2/24h typical reference value |
| Impact Resistance | >=10 J typical sample observation |
| Application Method | Hand wrapping for joints and fittings, machine wrapping for straight pipe |
| Service Temperature | -30 C to 85 C typical range, higher grade by confirmation |
Applications
- Underground steel pipelines after primer application
- Overhead oil, gas, and water pipe rack sections
- Field weld joints where continuity and overlap control are important
- Pipe bends, elbows, fittings, flanges, and valves requiring hand wrapping
- Straight pipe sections suitable for semi-automatic or machine spiral wrapping
- Repair wrapping for damaged external coating areas on existing steel pipelines
What overlap ratio is suitable for underground and overhead pipe wrapping?
Overlap control decides whether the steel pipeline protection tape forms a continuous corrosion barrier after installation. For buried pipe sections, field joints, bends, and repair areas, a 50%-55% spiral overlap is commonly used because it builds double-thickness coverage and improves resistance to moisture vapor, soil pressure, puncture, and backfill impact. For overhead pipe runs, overlap can be adjusted by pipe diameter and exposure, but the tape should still be applied with steady tension. Wrinkles, trapped air, fish mouths, and loose edges should be corrected before acceptance.
FAQ
Is this tape suitable for underground steel pipe?
Yes. It is made for underground and overhead steel pipe external anti-corrosion wrapping. Clean, prime, wrap under steady tension, and keep sufficient overlap.
Can the tape be applied without heating?
Yes. This cold applied pipe wrap can be installed by hand or wrapping machine without torch heating, but the surface should be dry and the primer touch-dry.
What backing should be selected for pipe wrapping?
PE supports flexibility and dielectric protection. PP woven supports tensile strength and soil stress resistance. PVC provides a smooth heavy-duty outer surface.
Does the tape need primer?
Primer is strongly recommended. It improves tape-to-steel bonding, reduces voids, and supports continuity around weld joints, bends, fittings, and repair sections.