Color Codes for Pipe lines

COLOUR CODING OF PIPING SYSTEM

Type of Pipe Use of pipe Colour of pipeWater Lines: Raw Water Olive Green

Settled or clarified water

Aqua

Finished or potable water

Dark blue

Non-potable water Blue

Water with heating digesters or buildings

Blue with a 6 in. (150 mm) red band space 30 in. (760 mm) apart

Type of Pipe Use of pipe Colour of pipeChemical Lines: Alum or primary coagulant Orange

Ammonia White

Carbon Slurry Black

Caustic Yellow with green band

Chlorine gas solution Yellow

Fluoride Light blue with red band

Lime slurry Light green

Ozone Yellow with orange band

Polymers or coagulant aids Orange with green band

Potassium per-magnate Violet

Soda Ash Light green with red band

Sulfuric Acid Yellow with red band

Sulfur dioxide Light green with yellow band

Type of Pipe

Use of pipe Colour of pipe

Waste Lines: Backwash Waste Light Brown

Sludge Dark Brown

Sewer (Sanitary or other) Dark grey

Sludge Lines: Raw Sludge Brown wid black bands

Sludge recirculation or suction

Brown wid yellow bands

Sludge draw off Brown wid Orange bands

Sludge recirculation discharge

Brown

Gas Lines: Sludge Lines Orange (or red)

Natural gas Orange (or red) with Black bands

Other Lines: Compressed air Green

The yellow background signifies that the piping mayhandle hazardous material.

Unfortunately, much has changed in the typical plantover the last 70 years since this standard wasoriginally conceived.

The basic standard can be traced to the 1920's and use inthe US military. Obviously, our definitions for what is"hazardous" has changed.

Water, air or carbon dioxide, under certain situations(pressure, heat, mixture with other chemicals) are notalways benign.

ANSI Colour Codes

How do we interpret, for example, materials that

should be used for "fire quenching" that are

also "hazardous"?

Should we use the red or the yellow ANSI

scheme?

Or, how do we label a pipe that carries both the

liquid (which should be green) and gas form of

a chemical (which should be blue)?

Hazards, in other words, are not so easily defined.

"Hazardous" may mean that the material ishazardous to a person nearby, or to the operationof the overall plant itself.

Could "hazardous" mean that the materials flowingthrough the process piping, if not handledcarefully, could contaminate the product.

Or, if leaked into the atmosphere, could thechemical infect the environment or cause damageto employees after cumulative exposure over aperiod of years?

Clearly, the ANSI standard was written for farsimpler times.

Color Std Meaning Example

Red APWAElectric Power Lines, Cables, Conduit and Lighting Cables

Buried High Voltage Line

Yellow APWAGas, Oil, Steam, Petroleum or Gaseous Materials

Natural Gas Distribution Line

Orange APWACommunication, Alarm or Signal Lines, Cables or Conduit

Buried Fiber Optic Cable

Blue APWA Water, Irrigation and Slurry Lines Buried Water Line

Green APWA Sewers, Drain Line Buried Storm Sewer Line

Red Traffic Prohibition STOP, Yield

Orange Traffic Temporary Work Zone Construction Zone Ahead

Yellow Traffic Caution Merge Ahead, Slow

Blue Traffic Information Signs Hospital

Brown Traffic Historical or Park Picnic Area Ahead

Color Std Meaning Example

Green Traffic Directional Signs Exit 1 Mile, Go

RedANSI Sign

Danger Signs, Highest HazardHazardous Voltage Will Cause Death

OrangeANSI Sign

Warning Signs, Medium HazardHazardous Voltage May Cause Death

YellowANSI Sign

Caution Signs, Lowest HazardTurn Machine Off When Not In Use

BlueANSI Sign

Notice Signs Employees Only

GreenANSI Sign

Safety First Signs Wear Ear Plugs

RedANSI Pipe

Fire Quenching Materials Fire Protection Water

YellowANSI Pipe

Materials Inherently Hazardous Chlorine

BlueANSI Pipe

Materials of Inherently Low Hazard, Gas

Compressed Air

GreenANSI Pipe

Materials of Inherently Low Hazard, Liquid

Storm Drain

Blue/Red/Yellow

NFPA 701

Blue is used for Health Hazards, Red for Flammability and Yellow for reactivity

Variations in colour-coding standards are inevitable in ourcomplex plant and pluralistic society.

While laudable, harmonization of colour-codes, then, willbe very difficult to achieve.

Many plants use other colour-coding; for example,colour-code each system (i.e. Lube Oil is brown,Condensate is green, etc.) or colour code by Unit (i.e.Unit 1 is yellow, Unit 2 is blue, etc.).

For most plants, we recommend either the ANSI pipemarker colour codes or simply black on yellow markers.

For more complex plants, we recommend a colour-codingby system.

For all environments, we recommend the inclusion of RTKinformation on the valve or on the pipe.

ANSI Color Code for Thermocouple and Thermocouple Extension Wire

ANSISymbol Wire Alloys Polarity

Thermocouple Wire Color T/C Extension Wire Color

Individual Jacket Individual Jacket

JIronConstantan(TM)

+JP-JN

WhiteRed

BrownWhiteRed

Black

KCHROMEL®*ALUMEL®*

+KP-KN

YellowRed

BrownYellowRed

Yellow

TCopperConstantan(TM)

+TP-TN

BlueRed

BrownBlueRed

Blue

ECHROMEL®*Constantan(TM)

+EP-EN

PurpleRed

BrownPurpleRed

Purple

NNicrosil(TM)Nisil(TM)

+NP-NN

OrangeRed

BrownOrangeRed

Orange

RSXCopperCopper Alloy

+RSP-RSN

- -BlackRed

Green

BXPCLW630/CopperCopper

+BP-BN

- -GreyRed

Grey

W3XW5X

Alloy 203; Alloy 405Alloy 225; Alloy 426

+WP-WN

- -White/RedRed

White/Red

ANSI & PipesWhat are the ANSI pipe marking guidelines and do

we have to follow them?

No, many industries have not followed the ANSIguidelines.

But they can still a useful guide to smaller firms,even as they becomes less popular with largerfirms.

The ANSI pipe marker guidelines define both colourcodes and sizes.

Material Marker Color

Fire Quenching Materials Red

Materials Inherently Hazardous

Yellow

Materials of Inherently Low Hazard, Gas

Blue

Materials of Inherent Low Hazard, Liquid

Green

Pipe OD Min Pipe OD Max

Length of Colour Field for Pipe Marker

Size of Letter for Legend

0.75" 1.25" 8" 0.5"

1.5" 2" 8" 0.75"

2.5" 6" 12" 1.25"

8" 10" 24" 2.5"

10" -- 32" 3.5"

The problem, unfortunately, is that the modernprocess plant has become ever more complexand internationally "aware".

To most nuclear and large international chemicalfirms, the traditional ANSI pipe marker designsare both superficial and outdated.

Note that OSHA or an ISO 9000 audit team inspectsyour plant, not ANSI!

The demand, then, to put more and moreinformation on the pipe marker is driven byseveral new regulations and standards: the EPAStandards for Clean Air, the OSHA ProcessChemical Specifications and ISO 9000 programs.

Just as OSHA is changing their focus from compliance-oriented standards to performance-oriented standards,plants are changing too.

Before, the only question was whether or not your pipes,valves and hazards were labeled at all.

Simple, one-word legends were sufficient (enough to"CYA", to put it bluntly).

Now, the questions are more complicated: (1) do youremployees actually understand potential hazards, (2)do they know how to avoid the hazard, and mostimportantly (3) do they know what to do in anemergency.

Passive, single word pipe markers have been supplantedby those giving more information and integrating intothe plant's proactive hazardous communicationtraining.

SAFETY & PIPING COLOR CODESOSHA SAFETY COLORS

GENERAL INFORMATION: The Occupational Safety andHealth Act (OSHA) requires that all industries colour-code safety equipment locations, physical hazards andprotective equipment.

Safety colour codes were established by the AmericanNational Standards Institute (ANSI) and adopted byOSHA for use in hazardous areas. Porter Coatings’Safety Colours conform to OSHA and ANSI guidelines.

OSHA does not specify the exact shade of colour, but thecolour-coding should be consistent throughout afacility.

RED:THE BASIC COLOR FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF:Fire Protection Equipment and Apparatus: Used for: fire alarm boxes, fire

blanket boxes, fire buckets or pails, fire exit signs, fire extinguishers,fire hose locations, fire hydrants, fire pumps, fire sirens, post indicatorvalves for sprinkler system and sprinkler piping.

Danger. Used for: safety cans or other portable containers of flammableliquids having a flashpoint at or below 80°F, table containers offlammable liquids (with additional clearly visible identification of thecontents either in the form of a yellow band around the can or thename of the contents conspicuously stencilled or painted on the can inyellow and danger signs.

Stop. Used for: Emergency stop bars on hazardous machines and stopbuttons or electrical switches used for emergency stopping ofmachinery.

PORTER COATINGS SAFETY RED:• 2772 PORTER GUARD™ Fast Dry Gloss Enamel Safety Red• 2912 PORTER GUARD™ DTM Acrylic Gloss Enamel Safety Red• PC4072 PORTERGLAZE™ 4000 Gloss Epoxy Safety Red

ORANGE:THE BASIC COLOR FOR DESIGNATING DANGEROUS PARTS OF

MACHINES OR ENERGIZED EQUIPMENT WHICH MAY CUT,CRUSH, SHOCK, OR OTHERWISE INJURE.

Used to emphasize such hazards when enclosure doors areopen or when gear belt or other guards around movingequipment are open or removed, exposing unguardedhazards.

PORTER COATINGS SAFETY ORANGE:• 2754 PORTER GUARD™ Fast Dry Gloss Enamel Safety Yellow• 2913 PORTER GUARD™ DTM Acrylic Gloss Enamel Safety

Yellow• PC4074 PORTERGLAZE™ 4000 Epoxy Gloss Yellow Base• PC9074 PORTERTHANE™ 9000 Urethane Gloss Yellow Base

YELLOW:

THE BASIC COLOR FOR DESIGNATING CAUTION: Used for:marking physical hazards such as striking against, stumbling,falling, tripping and “caught in between.”

Solid yellow, yellow and black stripes, yellow and black checkers(or yellow with suitable contrasting background) should beused interchangeably, using the combination which willattract the most attention in the particular environment.

PORTER COATINGS SAFETY YELLOW:

• 2754 PORTER GUARD™ Fast Dry Enamel Safety Yellow

• 2913 PORTER GUARD™ DTM Acrylic Gloss Enamel SafetyYellow

• PC4074 PORTERGLAZE™ 4000 Epoxy Gloss Yellow Base

• PC9074 PORTERTHANE™ 9000 Urethane Gloss Yellow Base

GREEN:

THE BASIC COLOR FOR DESIGNATING “SAFETY” AND THE LOCATION OF FIRST AID EQUIPMENT (OTHER THAN FIREFIGHTING EQUIPMENT)

PORTER COATINGS SAFETY GREEN:

• 2744 PORTER GUARD™ Fast Dry Enamel Ultra Deep Base

• 2904 PORTER GUARD™ DTM Acrylic Gloss Enamel Ultra Deep Base

• PC4044 PORTERGLAZE™ 4000 Epoxy Gloss Neutral Base

• PC9044 PORTERTHANE™ 9000 Urethane Gloss Neutral Base

BLUE:THE BASIC COLOR FOR DESIGNATING “CAUTION”,

LIMITED TO WARNING AGAINST THE STARTING, THEUSE OF, OR THE MOVEMENT OF EQUIPMENT UNDERREPAIR OR BEING WORKED ON.

PORTER COATINGS SAFETY BLUE:• 2744 PORTER GUARD™ Fast Dry Enamel Ultra Deep

Base• 2904 PORTER GUARD™ DTM Acrylic Gloss Enamel Ultra

Deep Base• PC4044 PORTERGLAZE™ 4000 Epoxy Gloss Neutral Base• PC9044 PORTERTHANE™ 9000 Urethane Gloss Neutral

Base

PURPLE:THE BASIC COLOR FOR DESIGNATING RADIATION HAZARDS

(X-RAY, ALPHA, BETA, GAMMA, NEUTRON, PROTON,DEUTERON, AND MESON TYPES).

Used in combination with purple for markers such as tags,labels, signs and floor markers.

PORTER COATINGS SAFETY PURPLE: Tint* from:• 2744 PORTER GUARD™ Fast Dry Enamel Ultra Deep Base• 2904 PORTER GUARD™ DTM Acrylic Gloss Enamel Ultra

Deep Base• PC4044 PORTERGLAZE™ 4000 Epoxy Gloss Neutral Base• PC9074 PORTERTHANE™ 9000 Urethane Gloss Neutral Base

BLACK, WHITE, OR COMBINATIONS OF BLACKAND WHITE:

THE BASIC COLORS FOR DESIGNATING TRAFFIC ANDHOUSEKEEPING MARKINGS.

Solid white, solid black, single colour striping, alternatestripes of black and white, or black and white checkersshould be used in accordance with local conditions.

PORTER COATINGS SAFETY BLACK:

• 2728 PORTER GUARD™ Fast Dry Enamel Black

• 2928 PORTER GUARD™ DTM Acrylic Gloss Black

NOTE: The Porter Coatings Industrial Colour SelectionGuide (Order #5860/E) for safety colour tint formulas.