Technical Foundation
What Is a Silicone Tubing?
Silicone tubing is extruded from a silicone elastomer valued for its wide service temperature range (typically -60°C to 200°C+, far broader than most rubber or plastic tubing), flexibility retained across that whole range, and biological inertness. Cure chemistry matters for application suitability: platinum-cured silicone leaves no by-products and meets USP Class VI and FDA requirements, making it the standard for food, medical, and pharmaceutical use, while peroxide-cured silicone is lower cost but leaves cure by-products that must be off-gassed and is not suitable for those regulated applications.
Peristaltic pump applications place unusual mechanical demand on tubing — repeated compression cycling by the pump rollers fatigues the tubing over time, so peristaltic-grade tubing is formulated and often specified by durometer (hardness) and by pump manufacturer compatibility to achieve a rated service life measured in millions of cycles rather than standard tubing's simple burst-pressure rating. Wall thickness and reinforcement (braided tubing with an embedded fiber layer) trade flexibility for pressure rating — thin-wall unreinforced tubing suits gravity or low-pressure transfer, while reinforced silicone hose is needed for higher-pressure pumped or pressurized systems.
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| Spec | What It Means | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Cure Chemistry | Platinum-cured vs. peroxide-cured | Platinum cure is required for food/medical/pharma use (USP Class VI, FDA) — peroxide cure is not |
| Inner Diameter/Wall Thickness | Wide range from capillary sizes to large-bore hose | Must match the fitting/pump interface exactly — undersized ID restricts flow, oversized won't seal on barbed fittings |
| Durometer (Hardness) | Typically 40-70 Shore A | Peristaltic pump tubing is durometer-matched to the specific pump for rated cycle life |
| Temperature Rating | Typically -60°C to 200°C+ continuous service | Far exceeds most rubber/plastic tubing — critical for steam, autoclave or high-temp process applications |
| Reinforcement | Unreinforced vs. braided (fabric-reinforced) hose | Reinforcement increases burst pressure rating at some cost to flexibility |
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Applications
Where Silicone Tubing Get Used
Silicone tubing is specified anywhere fluid transfer needs a wide temperature range, biological inertness, or peristaltic pump durability that standard rubber or plastic tubing cannot match.
Pharmaceutical & Biotech Manufacturing
Platinum-cured tubing in single-use bioprocessing systems and peristaltic pump fluid transfer lines.
Food & Beverage Processing
FDA-compliant tubing for product transfer and dosing in food-contact equipment.
Medical Device Manufacturing
Biocompatible tubing in infusion sets, catheters and other fluid-path medical device components.
Laboratory & Analytical Instrumentation
Peristaltic pump tubing for precise, repeatable fluid dosing in lab and analytical equipment.
High-Temperature Industrial Processes
Silicone hose handling process fluids or steam where standard rubber tubing's temperature rating is insufficient.
FAQ
Silicone Tubing Questions, Answered
What's the difference between platinum-cured and peroxide-cured silicone tubing?
Platinum-cured silicone uses a platinum catalyst that leaves no reaction by-products, meeting USP Class VI biocompatibility and FDA food-contact requirements — the standard for food, medical, and pharmaceutical applications. Peroxide-cured silicone is generally lower cost but leaves cure by-products in the material that must off-gas over time and is not approved for those regulated uses, making it more suitable for general industrial applications.
Why is silicone tubing specifically recommended for peristaltic pumps?
Peristaltic pumps repeatedly compress the tubing between rollers and a pump housing to move fluid, and silicone's elasticity lets it recover its shape reliably through millions of compression cycles better than most alternative tubing materials. Peristaltic-grade silicone tubing is often formulated and durometer-matched to specific pump models to achieve a rated service life.
What temperature range can silicone tubing handle?
Silicone tubing typically handles a continuous service range of about -60°C to 200°C or higher depending on the specific formulation, significantly wider than most rubber or plastic tubing alternatives — this makes it suitable for steam sterilization, autoclaving, and high-temperature process fluid transfer where other tubing materials would fail or degrade.
Does silicone tubing need reinforcement for pressurized applications?
Unreinforced silicone tubing is generally suited to gravity feed or low-pressure transfer applications. For higher-pressure pumped or pressurized fluid systems, reinforced silicone hose — with an embedded braided fiber layer — provides a significantly higher burst pressure rating, though at some cost to overall flexibility compared to unreinforced tubing.
Is silicone tubing chemically compatible with all fluids?
No — while silicone has broad chemical resistance, it's not universally compatible with all fluids, particularly some solvents, fuels, and concentrated acids/bases which can cause swelling or degradation over time. Check a chemical compatibility chart against your specific fluid and concentration before specifying silicone tubing for a given application.
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