Why aluminum air pipe instead of black iron or plumbing pipe?

Modern aluminum compressed air pipe has become the industry standard for permanent air systems because it solves the headaches that steel, iron, and “whatever’s on the rack” pipe create.

Key advantages you’re getting in this collection:

• Corrosion-resistant interior – Aluminum doesn’t rust like carbon steel and iron, so you don’t get flakes, scale, and brown water blowing into tools, valves, and instruments. Cleaner pipe means better air quality and less downstream maintenance.
• Low pressure drop – Smooth internal surfaces and full-bore fittings help maintain flow and reduce friction losses, so your tools see the pressure you’re actually trying to deliver.
• Lightweight and easy to install – Long, rigid aluminum sticks are far lighter than threaded steel. Installers can work faster with fewer people and less equipment, especially when you’re hanging mains high overhead.
• Leak-tight connections – Engineered compression fittings create secure, repeatable seals that hold up under vibration and temperature changes instead of weeping at every threaded joint.
• Reconfigurable network – Need to extend a loop, add a drop, or move a machine? Aluminum systems are modular; you cut, connect, and get back to work instead of re-threading half your plant.

Bottom line: you spend less time fighting leaks and pressure issues, and more time running the tools that make you money.

What’s in the Air Pipe and Fittings collection?

This collection is structured so you can build a complete, leak-resistant air network from compressor room to point of use using parts that actually fit together in the real world.

Pipe:

• Aluminum blue pipe in multiple outside diameters and common stick lengths for mains, headers, and drops. Designed specifically for compressed air, with appropriate working pressures and long service life.
• Specialty pipe and bend links for routing around obstacles while maintaining internal diameter and flow.

Core fittings:

• Compression elbows (45° and 90°) for turning corners without stacking multiple threaded fittings and creating a leak path at every connection.
• Equal and reducing tees so you can build main loops and tie in branches or future expansions without tearing everything apart.
• Unions and straight couplings for extending lines, repairing damaged sections, or joining new pipe into existing runs.

Drop and connection hardware:

• Tapping flanges and flanges with valves to create clean, controlled drops to workstations, hose reels, manifolds, and regulators.
• NPT transition pieces (male and female) in aluminum and brass so you can tie your aluminum mains into regulators, filters, dryers, quick-connect manifolds, and legacy black iron or copper branches.

Valves and tools:

• Full-port ball valves built for compressed air service to isolate zones, machines, or entire loops without choking flow.
• Pipe cutters and installation tools designed for aluminum air pipe so your installs are clean, square, and torque-correct – not hacked together with a saw and guesswork.

How to choose the right air pipe and fittings

If you’re planning a new system or cleaning up an old one, use this collection with a simple, practical approach:

1. Map the loop, not just the straight line
   Design a closed or partially looped header wherever possible so air can reach each drop from more than one direction. That evens out pressure, cuts pressure drop, and gives you margin as demand grows.
2. Size for flow and future growth
   Choose pipe diameters to keep velocity and pressure drop within reasonable limits at your highest expected CFM – not just what you’re using today. Oversizing mains a step or two now is cheaper than tearing them out later.
3. Plan clean, dry drops
   Take drops from the top of your main with proper tapping flanges and valves, and slope mains toward drain points. This keeps condensate out of tools and filters and makes water management much easier.
4. Standardize your fittings
   Sticking with a matched pipe and fitting system gives you predictable sealing, pressure ratings, and install times compared to mixing random plumbing fittings. Leak-tight systems are where a big chunk of your energy savings comes from.

Why buy air pipe and fittings from Warthog

You’re not just buying pipe here – you’re buying into a distribution system that’s been thought through for real industrial and shop environments:

• Components built around proven aluminum piping platforms used in manufacturing, automotive, fabrication, and more.
• A deep catalog of compatible parts – pipe, tees, elbows, unions, valves, bushings, drops, tools, and accessories – so you’re not chasing five vendors to finish one loop.
• People who understand compressed air systems – Warthog’s team can help you match pipe sizes and fittings to your compressors, dryers, filters, and tools, or even work from a basic layout to help you build a bill of materials.

The Air Pipe and Fittings collection is where you go when you’re ready to stop patching leaks and finally build a clean, reliable compressed air network that just works.