PVC 3 outer diameter: 3.500 in / 88.9 mm
- OD (inches)
- 3.500 in
- OD (millimetres)
- 88.9 mm
- DN
- 80
- Wall range
- 0.216–0.300 in
- Bore range
- 2.900–3.068 in
PVC pressure pipe (CTS-adjacent iron pipe sizes). Walls are minimums, so a derived bore is a maximum. For PVC 3, ASTM D2241 fixes the outside at 3.500 in / 88.9 mm; the 2 published wall series below are what change the bore.
| Wall series | Wall (in) | Wall (mm) | ID (in) | ID (mm) | Bore is | ≈ kg/m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sch 40 | 0.216 | 5.486 | 3.068 | 77.927 | a maximum | 2.01 |
| Sch 80 | 0.300 | 7.620 | 2.900 | 73.660 | a maximum | 2.72 |
Same body, different material. steel 3 Sch 40 = STD, and PVC 3 Sch 40, and stainless 3 Sch 40S are the same 0.216 in wall on the same 3.500 in / 88.9 mm body; steel 3 Sch 80 = XS, and PVC 3 Sch 80, and stainless 3 Sch 80S are the same 0.300 in wall on the same 3.500 in / 88.9 mm body. A caliper cannot separate them — what the pipe is made of does.
The same nominal label in other standards
| Standard | OD (in) | OD (mm) | DN | Published wall series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASME B36.10M · welded and seamless steel pipe | 3.500 | 88.900 | 80 | Sch 10 0.120 · Sch 40 0.216 · Sch 80 0.300 · Sch 160 0.438 · STD 0.216 · XS 0.300 · XXS 0.600 |
| ASTM D2241 · PVC pressure pipe | 3.500 | 88.900 | 80 | Sch 40 0.216 · Sch 80 0.300 |
| ASME B36.19M · stainless steel pipe | 3.500 | 88.900 | 80 | Sch 5S 0.083 · Sch 10S 0.120 · Sch 40S 0.216 · Sch 80S 0.300 |
PVC vs steel — 3 (ASME B36.10M)
Measuring this size
- Measure across the pipe, not the fitting: that is the OD, and it is the number a clamp, a hole saw or an insulation sleeve has to match.
- Measured
88.9± a fraction of a millimetre points at PVC 3. Check which standards a measurement fits — the same OD can belong to more than one. - The bore decides flow; the wall decides pressure rating and how deep a thread cuts. Neither number is in the name PVC 3 carries.
Questions about PVC 3
What is the outer diameter of PVC 3 pipe?
3.500 in / 88.9 mm — but that is only true for ASTM D2241. The same nominal label in another standard is a different pipe. Calipers measure this number; the name does not.
What is the inside diameter of PVC 3 Sch 40?
3.068 in / 77.927 mm — the outer diameter minus twice the wall (3.500 − 2 × 0.216). This standard publishes a MINIMUM wall, so the bore is a maximum: a thicker pipe has a smaller bore. Other wall series for this size are in the table above.
Is PVC 3 the same as DN 80?
DN 80 is the millimetre-family name for this size, so yes for the size — no for the number. DN is not the outer diameter and not the bore; PVC 3 measures 3.500 in / 88.9 mm outside. See the NPS ↔ DN table for the whole series.
Sources for these numbers
- Maxx Supply
- HDPE Pipe Factory
- checked 2026-09-25
Each wall value in this page's tables was confirmed by two independent publications; the list above is those pairs combined, so a source appears once even when it supports several rows. The outer diameter is published per size, not per wall. Data version 48d86b977106.
No edition year is claimed. These values match ASTM D2241 as published by the sources above, but the specific printing was not verified, so the standard is named without a year.
Next
- Full ASTM D2241 chart (9 sizes)
- OD / ID / wall calculator — measure two, get the third
- About ASTM D2241