Pipe Size: NPS vs DN (Reference Table)

For NPS ≥ 4

DN = 25 x NPS

NPS = DN / 25

Please see table below for smaller NPS values.

NPSNPS (fraction)DN
0.1251/86
0.251/48
0.3753/810
0.51/215
0.753/420
1125
1.251 1/432
1.51 1/240
2250
2.52 1/265
3380
3.53 1/290
44100
4.54 1/2115
55125
66150
88200
1010250
1212300
1414350
1616400
1818450
2020500
2222550
2424600
2626650
2828700
3030750
3232800
3434850
3636900
40401000
42421050
44441100
46461150
48481200
52521300
56561400
60601500
64641600
68681700
72721800
76761900
80802000

Nominal Pipe Size (NPS) is based on inches and is listed throughout ASME piping standards. eg. ASME B36.10M "Welded and Seamless Wrought Steel Pipe"

Diametre Nominal (DN) is based on millimetres and is standardized in ISO 6708 "Pipework components - Definition and selection of DN (nominal size)"

A general rule of thumb for NPS vs DN is to divide DN by 25 for NPS when not using reference table. This formula breaks at lower sizes and sizes with fractions.

Pipe Size Callout vs Actual Size

All pipes have an inside diameter, and an outside diameter, of which the differences is wall thickness. As a result, there are often confusion of which diameter they are referring to. When people call out a size, they are typically referring to a "nominal" size. For example, an NPS 2 pipe does not have an outside diameter or inside diameter which matches 2 inch exactly. A more in-depth discussion on piping size and corresponding butt welding ends is on a separate page. Typically, the outside diameter of a pipe in a certain size stays the same throughout the thickness classes and the inside diameter changes. This means heavier class pipe have reduced opening.

diagram showing different wall thickness of a same size pipe
Example of wall thickness on an NPS 2 pipe

For further reading on the detail of pipe and pipe thickness and sizes, this wikipedia article can be a good starting place.