What is the difference between lean pipe and regular steel pipe?

Lean tube (first generation) is a steel-plastic composite flexible pipe (steel inside and plastic outside), while ordinary steel pipe is a single metal pipe; the former is specifically designed for modular assembly, damage prevention and wear resistance, and reconfigurable design, while the latter focuses on structural load-bearing and fluid transportation.

Key Differences Comparison - Structural Material: The lean tube adopts a composite structure consisting of an inner rust-proof coating, a middle welded steel tube, and an outer PE/PVC/ESD plastic coating; ordinary steel tubes are only made of single metal materials such as carbon steel or stainless steel, without any coating layer.
- Connection method: Lean tubes rely on dedicated metal/plastic connectors to achieve welding-free, modular assembly, allowing for repeated disassembly and assembly; ordinary steel tubes require welding, threading, or flange connections, which are difficult to modify once formed.
- Surface characteristics: The surface of the lean tube is soft, anti-slip, wear-resistant, and corrosion-resistant (resistant to salt spray for 72 hours+), without damaging the workpiece and with anti-static options available; the surface of ordinary steel pipes is hard and prone to scratching, requiring additional galvanizing/painting for rust prevention, and is prone to rusting when exposed.
- Application scenarios: Lean tubes are used in flexible production lines, workbenches, turnover carts, light shelves, and other scenarios that require frequent adjustments in factories; ordinary steel pipes are used in fixed high-load scenarios such as building skeletons, pipeline transportation, and heavy-duty load-bearing structures.
- Specification standards: Lean tubes primarily have an outer diameter of φ27.8mm±0.2/φ28mm, with a relatively thin wall thickness ranging from 0.7-2.0mm. Regular steel tubes come in various specifications (with a wide range of diameters/wall thicknesses) and are strictly graded according to national/American standards.
- Cost and maintenance: The initial cost of components for lean tubes is slightly higher, but the disassembly and reuse rate is high, and no welding equipment is required; the unit price of ordinary steel pipe materials is low, but installation requires specialized labor, making the transformation cost high.