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12mm vs 13mm Hard Tube Fittings

bjcsoln

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Apr 19, 2013
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So as part of the planning, prototyping of my first build, I noticed that now hard tube fittings come in 12,13, and 16mm OD, as well as 1/2". With my first build, I think all I ever noticed was 1/2" OD (which is 12.7mm so perhaps this is why there is a 13mm spec), but am I correct in thinking that perhaps 12mm OD is becoming more of a standard?

It looks like there are a lot more 12mm products out there, but I could be wrong.

From a flow perspective (and knowing that this actually relies on the ID) I don't think the tubes will be the biggest resistance to the flow, so does it really come down to personal preference / aesthetics? My 900D case is using all 1/2" (13mm) tubing, I am going down to a Corsair 570x so perhaps the slightly smaller 12mm OD will look pretty much fine.

Thoughts?
 

JD

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I suspect it's due to some companies using Metric and others using Imperial based on where the products are manufactured (US vs. rest of the world).

I use 12mm myself, mostly because I don't want to take up too much space with just the tubes themselves. 16mm looks too "chunky" to me.
 

bjcsoln

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I think you are probably correct JD - I just wonder what drove the 12mm vs 13mm decision? I thought manufactures (that design in metric) would've focused on 13mm so they would be compatible with the 1/2 standard that is used in the States (so they have a bigger market). Guess I will be going with the 12mm, so back to the next big decision which will be around whether or not to float the GPU to show off the block. So much extra work, but would look pretty slick.
 

dustin1706

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This is common with purchasing sheets of metal, plastics etc also. Like JD says, generally 13mm means it was made in the USA and is actually 1/2", while 12mm means it was made elsewhere and is actually 12mm. If going rigid tube, neither is better than the other, but don't mix and match 12/13mm. Also, 16mm is usually 5/8" and 15mm is 15mm.
 

10e

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Not much to say here except that I bought some Alphacool 13mm acrylic tube (I avoid PETG) and it doesn't fit in my Monsoon 1/2" OD hard tube fittings.

Monsoon now has their EV2 version of hardline fittings, which support anything from 12 to 13.2mm in diameter.

But in cases where something says 13mm it is 13mm, not 12.7.
 

bjcsoln

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If only the American's hadn't pissed off the French all those years ago so they didn't get invited to the big unveiling of the metric system (or it happened something along the lines like that)..

12mm it is for me.

And interesting comment about the PETG tubing - I used it for my current build after a couple of cracks in some of my acrylic runs - note that these could've been caused by me not doing a proper job of cutting, or maybe I had a run that didn't quite fit so there was stress on the tube...Who knows - so far (its been 2 years now) the loop is holding. Can't quite remember the issue with PETG and gycol? (or some other chemical). Anyway for my next build I am going to take a crack at glass tubing (12mm), should be fun.
 

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