Getting compressed air piping wrong doesn't just cost you money on replacements. In a commercial or industrial setting, undersized or non-compliant pipework can fail under pressure, and when that happens, the consequences range from production shutdowns to serious safety incidents.
New Zealand has specific requirements around how air compressor piping is specified, tested, and certified, and if you're planning a new system or upgrading an existing one, it pays to understand them before you commit to a design.
Every length of compressed air hose or rigid piping in your system carries two numbers: a rated operating pressure and a burst pressure. These aren't interchangeable. The operating pressure is the maximum the system is designed to handle during normal, continuous use. The burst pressure is the point at which the material fails entirely, and it needs to sit well above your operating pressure to account for pressure spikes, water hammer events, and general wear over the life of the system.
For most commercial installations in New Zealand, the established safety protocol requires that a system's test pressure be double the intended operating pressure. This is how structural integrity and leak prevention are verified before a system goes into service. A system operating at 8 bar, for example, needs piping rated to handle a 16-bar test without issue. It's a straightforward rule, but one that catches out plenty of projects where the piping spec hasn't been matched to the actual system demands.
Not sure which compressor suits your operation? Use our Air Compressor Selector Tool to get a recommendation based on your specific requirements.
Pressure ratings alone won't get you across the line. Commercial compressed air piping in New Zealand must also carry recognised certifications to meet compliance. This is where CE certification comes into play. CE marking confirms that a product meets the relevant international standards for health, safety, and environmental protection, and for piping for air compressor systems used in commercial environments, it's a requirement rather than a nice-to-have.
When you're specifying pneumatic tubing or rigid piping for a commercial installation, look for products that come with this certification already in place. It saves you the headache of trying to verify compliance yourself and gives you confidence that the product has been independently tested to the standards that matter.
The type of piping you choose has a direct impact on how well your system meets these pressure and certification requirements. Traditional steel pipe is heavy, prone to internal corrosion over time, and requires more support infrastructure. Poly pipe is lighter but tends to sag over long runs, which creates low points where condensate collects, and downstream air quality suffers. Neither option is particularly well-suited to the demands of a modern commercial compressed air system.
Aluminium air piping sits in a different category altogether. It's lightweight, corrosion-resistant, and holds its shape over long spans without sagging. The smooth internal bore means lower pressure drop across the system, which translates directly into energy savings at the compressor. For commercial operations where pressure performance and longevity both matter, aluminium is the material worth considering.
Industrial Air Systems stocks the Alu Air piping system, which is engineered specifically for the kind of high-demand environments we've been discussing. It carries a 16-bar operating pressure rating and a 25-bar burst pressure, giving you a healthy safety margin above typical commercial operating pressures. It also comes with CE certification, so the compliance side of things is already taken care of.
The thin-walled aluminium construction delivers up to twice the airflow of poly pipe at the same outside diameter, and the push-on fittings make installation and future modifications straightforward. No welding, no specialist labour required. If your system needs to expand down the track, the whole thing can be reconfigured or extended without starting from scratch.
For larger mains, the double-locking clamp system on the bigger Alu Air sizes provides a secure, high-strength connection that holds up under sustained commercial use. Whether you're running a ring main across a manufacturing floor or routing air piping through a multi-level facility, the system scales to suit.
Pressure requirements and certification might sound like paperwork, but they're the difference between a compressed air system that runs reliably for years and one that becomes a liability. Specifying the right piping from the outset avoids costly rework, keeps your operation compliant, and means your system performs the way it's supposed to from day one.
If you're scoping out a new compressed air system or looking to upgrade your existing air compressor piping, start by reviewing the full range of equipment available. Our compressed air equipment catalogue covers everything you need to know.