Material Selection & Specification

There are many materials that may be used to make a gasket. The material selection will depend on the required functionality of the gasket and its operating conditions.

Piping Materials

The compound of the gasket must be selected to be compatible with operation conditions of the flange, namely:

• Temperature
• Pressure, and
• Characteristics of the material being conveyed, for instance oils will attack some compounds and not others and similarly the same can be said for bases and acids
• Condition of the flanges; their surface finish and alignment. If the surface finish of the mating flanges is poor and/or they are poorly aligned a softer and/or thicker gasket material may be considered.
• The possibility of the material being contained by the gasket material, for instance only a few products are approved for food and/or potable water.

Material Thickness

Generally thinner gaskets seal better than thicker gaskets and the gasket thickness selected will usually depend on:

• Condition of the flanges; their surface finish and alignment. If the surface finish of the mating flanges is poor and/or they are poorly aligned a softer and/or thicker gasket material may be considered

Other Applications

In other applications such as for heat shields, electrical insulators, diaphragms, other properties and parameters are important and the selection criteria for each may vary significantly.