The Difference of Wrought and Forged Fittings

1. Two standards for fittings

Pipe fittings are the most often used components in piping industry. There are two prevalent standards for fittings: 1) ASME B16.9: Factory-Made Wrought Buttwelding Pipe Fittings; 2) ASME B16.11: Forged Fittings, Socket-Welding and Threaded. Both of them are widely applied to various project practices. However, the words "Wrought" and "Forged" confuse a lot of people.

2. Different definitions of "wrought" and "forged"

In mechanical nomenclature, "Wrought" states the condition of material, where material has been formed into shape by various methods such as forging(hammering), extruding, drawing, rolling or pressing, etc. Hence, "Forged" or "Forging" is a specific method of forming materials that is contained by "Wrought". Take the fabrication processs of a buttwelding elbow(ASME B16.9) for example: the short piece of pipe is preheated by the mid-frequency machine then is pushed through a mandrel where it is bended and expanded to form an elbow shape. This extruding process can be called "Wrought". Another example is the buttwelding cap which is made by deep drawing. "Forged" or "Forging" usually means hammer the preheated metal to a required shape. In conclusion, "Wrought" contains but is not limited to "Forged".