NPS 3 (DN 80) pipe — dimensions and weight
Outside diameter 88.9 mm (3.5 in), unchanged by schedule. This page lists all 13 tabulated schedules that fit on that diameter, with wall thickness, bore, mass per metre and internal volume.
Nominal pipe size is a label, not a dimension. The outside diameter of NPS 3 is 3.5 in (88.9 mm), and the bore depends entirely on the wall you choose — 84.7 mm on the thinnest tabulated wall down to 58.4 mm on the heaviest. The naming convention was fixed decades ago so that a fitting size could serve every wall thickness; it is not a measurement, and treating it as one is how a line gets sized off a table for the wrong pipe.
NPS 3 (DN 80) — every tabulated schedule
| Schedule | Wall mm | Inside dia. mm | Metal area mm² | Mass / length | Water capacity L/m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5S | 2.11 | 84.7 | 574.8 | 4.512 kg/m · 3.032 lb/ft | 5.632 |
| 10S | 3.05 | 82.8 | 822.1 | 6.453 kg/m · 4.336 lb/ft | 5.385 |
| 10 | 3.05 | 82.8 | 822.1 | 6.453 kg/m · 4.336 lb/ft | 5.385 |
| 30 | 4.78 | 79.3 | 1,262.0 | 9.907 kg/m · 6.657 lb/ft | 4.945 |
| 40S | 5.49 | 77.9 | 1,437.7 | 11.286 kg/m · 7.584 lb/ft | 4.769 |
| 40 | 5.49 | 77.9 | 1,437.7 | 11.286 kg/m · 7.584 lb/ft | 4.769 |
| STD | 5.49 | 77.9 | 1,437.7 | 11.286 kg/m · 7.584 lb/ft | 4.769 |
| 80S | 7.62 | 73.7 | 1,945.8 | 15.274 kg/m · 10.264 lb/ft | 4.261 |
| 80 | 7.62 | 73.7 | 1,945.8 | 15.274 kg/m · 10.264 lb/ft | 4.261 |
| XS | 7.62 | 73.7 | 1,945.8 | 15.274 kg/m · 10.264 lb/ft | 4.261 |
| 120 | 8.89 | 71.1 | 2,234.6 | 17.541 kg/m · 11.787 lb/ft | 3.973 |
| 160 | 11.13 | 66.6 | 2,718.3 | 21.339 kg/m · 14.339 lb/ft | 3.489 |
| XXS | 15.24 | 58.4 | 3,526.7 | 27.684 kg/m · 18.603 lb/ft | 2.680 |
Wall thicknesses derived from ASME B36.10M / B36.19M. Outside diameter 88.9 mm. Mass computed for Carbon Steel at 7850 kg/m³.
STD and XS are derived rather than tabulated: STD equals Sch 40 up to NPS 10 and is fixed at 0.375 in above it; XS equals Sch 80 up to NPS 8 and is fixed at 0.500 in above. Both appear here as separate rows because both are orderable designations.
How NPS 3 pipe weight is calculated
Sch 40 at this size, step by step
m = π/4 · (D² − d²) · 10⁻⁶ · ρ
D is outside diameter, d is bore (D − 2t), ρ is density in kg/m³, m is mass in kg per metre.
Worked through with the default dimensions:
D = 88.9 mm (3.5 in, fixed for every schedule)t = 5.49 mm (Sch 40)d = D − 2t = 88.9 − 10.97 = 77.9 mmA = π/4 × (88.9² − 77.9²) = 1,437.7 mm²m = 1,437.7 × 10⁻⁶ × 7,850 = 11.286 kg/m (7.584 lb/ft)
- D
- 88.9 mm — fixed by the standard for NPS 3
- t
- 5.49 mm for Schedule 40 at this size
- d
- 77.9 mm — the bore, and the dimension that governs flow
- ρ
- 7,850 kg/m³ for carbon steel
Internal volume and surface area
Mass is only one of the quantities that fall out of the same geometry. Two others decide real work on a line, and neither appears on a printed pipe chart:
| Wall vs range | Wallmm | Boremm | Masskg/m |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 % | 0.21 | 88.5 | 0.46 |
| 50 % | 0.34 | 88.2 | 0.75 |
| 100 % | 0.60 | 87.7 | 1.31 |
| 200 % | 1.12 | 86.7 | 2.42 |
| 500 % | 2.67 | 83.6 | 5.67 |
| 1,000 % | 5.25 | 78.4 | 10.84 |
Sampled across the lightest to heaviest tabulated wall at this size. Mass rises roughly linearly with wall while the bore falls, which is the trade-off a schedule choice actually represents.
- Internal volume — 4.769 L/m in Sch 40 ( 1.260 US gal/ft). Multiply by the line length to size a hydrostatic test or a flush.
- External surface — 0.2793 m² per metre of pipe, which is what a coating or insulation quantity is priced against. It depends only on the outside diameter, so it is identical in every schedule at NPS 3.
- Water mass — 4.77 kg per metre of water at 1,000 kg/m³. This is the number that decides whether a support is adequate during a test, not in service.
Download this size
NPS 3 pipe — CSV
Exports the schedule table above. The full pipe dataset, every size against every schedule, is on the downloads page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the outside diameter of NPS 3 pipe?
NPS 3 pipe has an outside diameter of 88.9 mm (3.5 in), and that diameter is fixed for every schedule at this size. Nominal pipe size is a label, not a dimension: NPS 3 does not measure 3 inches anywhere. The naming convention was chosen so that the outside diameter stays constant while the wall varies.
How much does NPS 3 pipe weigh?
In Schedule 40 it weighs 11.286 kg/m (7.584 lb/ft) with a 5.49 mm wall and a 77.9 mm bore. The heaviest tabulated wall for this size (XXS at 15.24 mm) gives roughly 27.7 kg/m — several times the Sch 40 figure.
How many schedules are available for NPS 3?
This page lists 13 tabulated schedules, including the derived STD and XS walls. Note that STD and Sch 40 are the same thickness at the small sizes and different from NPS 12 upward, and XS and Sch 80 are the same up to NPS 8 and different above — the two confusions that most often produce a wrong order.
What is the internal diameter of NPS 3 pipe?
It depends entirely on the wall. The bore is the outside diameter minus twice the wall, so at NPS 3 it ranges from about 84.7 mm on the thinnest tabulated wall down to 58.4 mm on the heaviest. Flow capacity follows the bore, not the nominal size, which is why two pipes both sold as "NPS 3" can carry very different flows.
Nearby nominal sizes
Adjacent sizes in the NPS series. Outside diameters step non-uniformly — the jump from NPS 14 to NPS 16 is 2 in, the same as from NPS 2 to NPS 4.
- NPS 1 1/2 (DN 40) — 12 schedules
- NPS 2 (DN 50) — 12 schedules
- NPS 2 1/2 (DN 65) — 13 schedules
- NPS 3 1/2 (DN 90) — 11 schedules
- NPS 4 (DN 100) — 13 schedules
- NPS 4 1/2 (DN 115) — 7 schedules
Schedules at this size
Each schedule page lists every size that carries that wall.
- Sch 5S pipe — 2.11 mm wall here
- Sch 10S pipe — 3.05 mm wall here
- Sch 10 pipe — 3.05 mm wall here
- Sch 30 pipe — 4.78 mm wall here
- Sch 40S pipe — 5.49 mm wall here
- Sch 40 / STD pipe — 5.49 mm wall here
- Sch 80S pipe — 7.62 mm wall here
- Sch 80 / XS pipe — 7.62 mm wall here
- Sch 120 pipe — 8.89 mm wall here
- Sch 160 pipe — 11.13 mm wall here
- XXS pipe — 15.24 mm wall here
- STD (Standard) pipe — 5.49 mm wall here
- XS (Extra Strong) pipe — 7.62 mm wall here
Pipe reference and tools
- Pipe overview — schedules, sizes and how weight is computed
- All pipe schedules — Sch 5S to XXS
- All nominal sizes — NPS 1/8 to NPS 36
- DN to NPS conversion — metric to imperial designations
- Pipe weight formula — worked derivation
- Pipe weight calculator — any OD and wall
- All calculators — metal weight and pipe weight
- Download the data — CSV, generated from the same source
- Cross-reference tables — DN / NPS / material equivalents
- Methodology and sources — where every number comes from
Outside diameter for NPS 3 is the standard's governed value of 3.5 in, converted at exactly 25.4 mm per inch. Wall thicknesses are the tabulated B36.10M / B36.19M values. Mass, bore, internal volume and surface areas are computed on this page.
- ASME B36.10M — Welded and Seamless Wrought Steel Pipe (dimensional tables).
- ASME B36.19M — Stainless Steel Pipe (dimensional tables).
- BIPM / NIST definitional constants: international inch = 25.4 mm, foot = 0.3048 m, pound = 0.45359237 kg.
Dataset version 2026.09.1 · dimensions last verified against source 2026-09-21. Found an error? Report it — corrections are issued with a version bump.