Calculating the design load and distances between pipe supports brackets

Pipe Support Spacing Table: Australian Standards

The following calculations are derived from AS:2419.1.8.7.2 (2005) regarding pipe support bracket distances.

According to the standard, supports must be capable of supporting:

  1. Individual components in accordance with Clause 10.5; or
  2. Two times the mass of the pipework (filled with water) plus a constant mass of 115kg at each support point.

100mm Medium Gauge Pipe (4.5mm wall thickness)

Calculation: (20.9kg/m × 2) + 115kg constant

Span Distance Design Weight
1m 156.8kg
2m 198.6kg
3m 240.4kg
4m 282.2kg
5m 324.0kg
6m 365.8kg
7m 407.6kg

150mm Medium Gauge Pipe (4.5mm wall thickness)

Calculation: (38.3kg/m × 2) + 115kg constant

Span Distance Design Weight
1m 191.6kg
2m 268.2kg
3m 344.8kg
4m 421.4kg

Testing Requirement: A 150mm pipe at 4m spacing (421.4kg) must be tested in a furnace at 940°C for 60 minutes to achieve an FRL of 60/-/- per AS:1530.4.

Pipe Support Spacing Code

Whether it is an engineered or fully tested solution, the design load calculation must be applied and documented in the installation guide as per Australian Standards.