Home › Shop › Pipe Sizing and Pressure Drop
Excel tool

Pipe Sizing and Pressure Drop

Size a line, or check one that is already running, for liquids, gases or steam. The tool also tells you when a gas line will choke or a liquid will flash.

Pressure drop or allowable flow for liquid, gas and steam lines, with fittings, elevation, choked-flow and flashing checks and a size table over every NPS of your schedule.

USD 29 one-time purchase

  • Excel workbook (.xlsx), no macros, version v1.0
  • Excel 2010 or later, Windows and Mac
  • Instant download after payment; updates to this major version included
  • Single-user licence; team and site options
  • Refund if it does not work as described or has an error we cannot fix: contact support within 14 days of purchase — full refund policy

Download the sample report (PDF)

Need it once? Use it online: check your data free, unlock results from USD 9 for 3 runs.

Try the online calculator

Pipe Sizing and Pressure Drop — sample pages

What it does

Any fluid

Water and steam, gases and gas mixtures, hydrocarbons, solvents, glycols and brines, oils and petroleum fractions from the built-in fluid library, or your own density and viscosity.

Pipe and friction

NPS ½ to 36 inch in schedules 5S to XXS or your measured bore; Darcy–Weisbach with the Colebrook equation, laminar flow and the transition region.

27 fittings and valves

Elbows, tees, valves, entrances and exits with their K values, plus strainers or equipment as extra losses.

Gas and steam lines

Average density for small drops, isothermal flow for long lines and adiabatic flow with friction for plant lines, with the choking check and Mach number.

Size table

The same flow in every size of your schedule, with the smallest size that meets the velocity and pressure-drop guides for 15 services.

Flow for an allowed drop

The flow a line can pass for the pressure drop you have, and a one-page report for the calculation file.

Built for engineers

  • Visible formulas — nothing hidden, so you can check every step.
  • Fully referenced — methods from the standard references, checked against their published worked examples.
  • Safe to share — sheets are protected against accidental edits, with an open password so you can still customise.
  • Built-in input checks — clear warnings for impossible inputs and values outside typical ranges.

For engineering estimates; verify against site data. Code-based methods are aligned with the publicly documented procedure; they are not a licensed reproduction or a certification.

Preview the workbook

Real pages from the workbook with its built-in example loaded (example data, not a measured plant). Choose a page below, or select the large image to enlarge it.

Report: results for the calculation file
Select a page, then the large image to enlarge.Open original-resolution imageDownload the sample report (PDF)

A worked case

The case: 100,000 kg/h of water at 30 °C leaving a pump at 5 bar g through 100 m of 6-inch Schedule 40 pipe (154.08 mm) with fittings worth ΣK = 5.34. The workbook gives: velocity 1.50 m/s, Re 284,370, Darcy f = 0.01704, friction 0.123 bar per 100 m, total drop 18.3 kPa and 5.83 bar a at the outlet. The size table runs the same flow through every NPS and marks 6 inch as the size that meets the pump-discharge guides (1.22–1.98 m/s, at most 1.131 bar per 100 m, from Branan); the chart shows velocity against diameter.

Specification and checks

FormatExcel workbook (.xlsx), no macros
Versionv1.0
Works inExcel 2010 or later, Windows and Mac
UnitsSI, US and British, mixed freely
IncludesGuide tab with method and references, calculator, print-ready report
Checked againstPerry's Example 6 (fittings and valves) gives the same tank level, 0.74 m against 0.73 m; Perry's Example 8 (choked air flow) gives 2.73 kg/s against 2.7 kg/s; 17 of 17 checks against an independent model within tolerance.
Free versionTry the online calculator

Free calculator, online tool or Excel tool?

Free calculatorOnline toolExcel tool
What it doesFriction, fittings and elevation by Darcy-Weisbach, plus velocity and pressure drop for every Schedule 40 size.The full Excel tool, run in your browserPressure drop or allowable flow for liquid, gas and steam lines, with fittings, elevation, choked-flow and flashing checks and a size table over every NPS of your schedule.
CostFree, no sign-up3 runs for USD 9, or every online tool for USD 15 a monthUSD 29 once, yours to keep
Input checks and findingsBasic warningsEvery input checked, with findings and recommendationsEvery input checked, with findings and recommendations
Report for your calculation filePrint the web pagePrintable results sheetPrint-ready report with your plant, tag, document number, revision and sign-off
FormulasMethod described on the pageMethod described in the guideEvery formula visible in its cell
Save, edit and rerun your cases—Each run separatelyYes — keep and edit your own file
Works offline, on a plant PC——Yes — Excel 2010 or later, Windows and Mac

Compatibility, licence and support

FileExcel workbook (.xlsx), no macros, version v1.0; works in Excel 2010 or later on Windows and Mac. Sheets are protected against accidental edits, with an open password so you can customise.
LicenceSingle user. A team licence (up to 5 named users) is 3 × the shop price; site licences on request — licence terms.
UpdatesUpdates to this major version are included; download them again from the link in your receipt.
SupportEmail [email protected] with your order number — questions on the method, your inputs or your results are welcome.
RefundsIf the tool does not work as described, or has an error we cannot fix, email [email protected] with your order number within 14 days of purchase and we will refund you in full. Refunds are not offered for a change of mind once a file has been downloaded. Read the full refund policy.