A borewell pipe is a steel casing or column pipe used to line a drilled water well. Indian borewell casing is governed by IS 4270 (mild steel pipes for water wells) and submersible column pipes by IS 12818 (uPVC) or proprietary steel-coupled designs. Sizes range from 100 mm to 300 mm OD for typical agricultural and industrial bores; threading is usually square-shoulder for steel casing and trapezoidal for column pipe.
Casing pipe vs column pipe
Casing pipe (the outer pipe) lines the bore and prevents collapse — typically slotted in the water-bearing zone to allow inflow. Column pipe (the inner pipe) hangs from the surface and carries the submersible pump and discharge water. Buyers commonly conflate the two; specify the role explicitly when ordering.
For shallow agricultural bores (<150 m), MS ERW casing per IS 4270 is the cost-efficient default. For deep bores or saline-water zones, galvanized or stainless options extend service life. Column pipes for submersible pumps are often uPVC per IS 12818 above ground and steel-coupled below.
Threading types and torque
- Square-shoulder threading: typical for IS 4270 MS casing 100-200 mm; assembled with chain wrenches
- Trapezoidal threading: smoother joint, better fatigue resistance, used in column pipe
- Machine-thread (NPT/BSP): used for smaller-diameter and instrumentation lines, not for casing
- Joint torque per drilling-contractor practice; over-torque can crack the box end
| Attribute | Casing pipe | Column pipe |
|---|---|---|
| Position in bore | Outer (lines the well) | Inner (carries water + pump) |
| Material | MS, GI, or stainless | uPVC (IS 12818) or steel-coupled |
| Standard | IS 4270 | IS 12818 (PVC) / IS 4985 |
| Typical OD range | 100 – 300 mm | 25 – 200 mm |
| Threading | Square-shoulder | Trapezoidal / machine-thread |
| Replacement frequency | 15-25 years | 5-12 years (PVC), 10-20 years (steel) |
| Outer diameter (OD) | 100 mm to 300 mm (4" to 12") for casing |
|---|---|
| Wall thickness | 4 mm to 8 mm typical for MS casing |
| Indian standards | IS 4270 (MS casing), IS 12818 (uPVC column) |
| Length | 3 m and 6 m standard; 2 m on request |
| End finish | Square-shoulder threaded with coupling (T&C) |
| Coating | Black, hot-dip galvanized, or epoxy-coated for saline zones |
- IS 4270:2001 — Steel Tubes Used for Water Wells — Specification (Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS))
- IS 12818:2010 — Unplasticized PVC Screen and Casing Pipes for Bore/Tube Wells (Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS))
- CGWB Drilling Manual — Manual on Construction of Tube Wells — Central Ground Water Board, Government of India
- Drill & Borewell Pipes — product detail
- Drill & Borewell Pipes — Kanpur supplier
- How steel pipe pricing works
- IS 4270 borewell casing pipe
- IS 12818 column pipe for tube wells
- Threaded vs bevel-end borewell pipes
- Submersible pump column pipes
- Borewell pipe sizes by depth
- Agricultural irrigation pipe selection
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