Selecting the correct hose material for your pump system is essential to ensure efficiency, longevity, and safety. Different hose materials offer unique properties that make them suitable for specific applications, whether handling food-grade products, aggressive chemicals, or abrasive slurries. This guide will help you determine which hose material is best suited for your needs.

Key Factors to Consider

When selecting a hose material, consider the following:

– Fluid Compatibility: Ensure the hose material can withstand the chemical properties of the fluid being transferred.
– Temperature Range: Different materials have varying tolerance levels to heat and cold.
– Pressure Resistance: Check that the hose can handle the operating pressure of your pump.
– Abrasion Resistance: If handling slurries or solids, a highly abrasion-resistant material is crucial.
– Regulatory Compliance: For food and pharmaceutical applications, ensure the hose is Food Grade.

Hose Material Options

Our table below shows our available hose materials, their temperature ranges, and operational pressure limits. It also provides you details of their resistance, and what they are most suitable for.

Material	Best for	Resistant to	Temperature Range	Max Operating Pressure
Natural Rubber	General applications requiring excellent abrasion resistance.	High Abrasion Diluted acids Diluted Alcohols	Min -10°C Max 80°C	16 BAR (232 PSI)
Food-Grade Natural Rubber	General applications requiring good abrasion resistance.	Mild Abrasion Diluted acids Diluted alcohols	Min -10°C Max 80°C	16 BAR (232 PSI)
Nitrile (Buna)	Applications involving oils, greases, alkalis, and detergents.	Oils Greases Alkalis Detergents	Min -10°C Max 80°C	16 BAR (232 PSI)
Food-Grade Nitrile (Buna)	Food and beverage applications requiring FDA compliance.	Oils Greases Alkalis Detergents	Min -10°C Max 80°C	16 BAR (232 PSI)
EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer)	Handling strong oxidising products, acids, and alkalis.	Chemicals Ketones Alcohols Strong acids.	Min -10°C Max 80°C	16 BAR (232 PSI)
CSM (Chlorosulphonated Polyethylene Rubber / Hypalon™)	Applications requiring resistance to chemicals and concentrated acids.	Oxidising products Strong acids Strong bases	Min -10°C Max 80°C	16 BAR (232 PSI)
FKM (Fluoroelastomer / Viton™)	Highly aggressive chemical applications.	Strong chemicals Acids Alkalis	Min -10°C Max 80°C	16 BAR (232 PSI)

Making the Right Choice

Using the data above, it should give you a strong indication of the material you need for your application. For example, if you are pumping chemicals, you will be looking at either a FKM or EPDM rubber hose. To confirm the level of chemical compatibility to your specific chemical, use our chemical compatibility chart.

At Enviroflex, we offer high-quality peristaltic hoses that are manufactured in the UK. There are reinforced with Natural Rubber, with between 2 and 6 layers, to meet diverse industrial needs. You can browse our range of hoses here or use the below contact form to speak with one of our friendly advisors.

We also offer fully bespoke hoses, for unique situations where off-the-shelf products don’t fit the bill. You can customise your hose with 5 different material options, the amount of reinforcement layers, food-grade options, as well as the length, ID and ODs.

For more information on our bespoke hoses, visit our dedicated bespoke hose page here.