What's the Difference Between Bends and Elbows, and in What Purpose Can They Be Used?

The elbow is a standard fitting, but bends are custom fabricated. Bends are generally made or fabricated as per the requirement, however, elbows are pre-fabricated and standard. “Elbow” is the overarching term that refers to all types of bends. It’s similar in concept to the difference between whiskey and bourbon, in that all bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon.

Additionally, elbows can be manufactured from many different materials, including aluminum, carbon steel, galvanized steel, and stainless steel. Here are the main differences between the bend and the elbow:

1. Category

A pipe bend is a general term used for changing the flow of a piping system. But a pipe elbow is an engineering term with specific classifications: radius type and degree. You do not find the same with bends.

2. Manufacture

An engineer or contractor makes a pipe bend depending on the moment’s need; it does not come pre-designed that way. On the other hand, a pipe elbow is manufactured with detailed standard specifications, and you can find it in stores for picking.

3. Classification

You can classify all pipe elbows as bends because of the tangent; a bend is a general term for pipe bends and pipe elbows. The pipes come bent, which is the general term for their direction. But you cannot classify all pipe bends as elbows because bends are custom-made, but elbows are not.

4. Angles

Pipe elbows are restricted in how much they can change directions. You buy them already fitted to industry standards. So, they are limited in angle, bend radius, and size. All elbows maintain a 45-degree or 90-degree bending angle. Pipe bends are more flexible, and any other offset on a pipe makes it a bend, not an elbow.

5. Flow

Some elbows have a 180-degree angle, making them a return bend because of the total flow reversal. However, almost all elbows have sharp corners due to their specific right angles and design. On the other hand, bends never have sharp corners but always have a smooth flow.

6. Friction

There is usually less pipe friction involved when forging a bend. The reason is that you do not need to weld, screw, or flange the pipe. Also, there is no frictional fluid pressure loss. However, elbows usually need welding or screwing to connect them to the rest of the piping system, meaning they can create friction.

7. Thickness

There are constraints on pipe bending to prevent a loss of thickness on piping material. The thinner a pipe is, the less able it is to contain the pressure of the fluid. Therefore, there is a requirement for the thickness a pipe must maintain to enable it to hold the pressure of the substance it carries. If there is a standard thickness, there will be less pressure drop.

Advantages of bends:

• The flow of a pipe bend is usually better and smoother because of the lack of irregular surfaces inside it. The substance flowing inside does not have to change its direction abruptly due to sharp turns or twists. It has a wider regular pipe bend radius, accommodating the flow better than a pipe elbow.
• Builders prefer to use pipe bends because they are affordable and do not usually need many expensive fittings. They also work for any purpose to which you can put a pipe elbow, but they do not cost as much. You can always change their direction if you use cold or hot bending on a bending machine.

The biggest difference is the radius of curvature

Bend: The minimum bending radius for a pipe bend is 1.5R; it cannot go lower than that. If you find a pipe with a bending radius of less than 1.5R, it is no longer a bend but an elbow. Common industry-standard bending radii range from 1.5 to 4.5R, but pipe elbows typically have smaller bending radii.

A long radius elbow (LR elbow) means the pipe elbow has a radius of 1.5 times the diameter of the pipe. A 90-degree long radius pipe elbow changes the pipe’s direction by 45 degrees, and a 90 degrees long radius pipe elbow changes the pipe’s direction by 90 degrees. There is also a long radius 180-degree elbow, which is a return bend that allows a total flow reversal.

A short radius elbow (SR elbow) means the pipe elbow has a radius of 1.0 times the pipe’s diameter. You will typically find a short radius 45-degree elbow that changes the pipe’s direction by 45 degrees. A 90-degree short radius elbow changes the course of the pipe by 90 degrees. But a third option is the short radius 180-degree elbow that acts as a return bend and allows a total flow reversal.

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