How to Size a Drill Pipe

A drill pipe is the pipe used to drill holes in the ground for oil. A drill pipe consists of two parts. The first part is called the pipe. It’s the long shaft of the drill pipe. The second part is called the tool joint. It is the portion of the pipe that connects to the cutting tool. It is essentially a coupler. Sizing a drill pipe is the process of measuring the pipe’s outside diameter and the tool joint inside diameter.

Dial calipers

Instructions

- 1
  Open the jaws on your dial calipers and place them over the end of the pipe on the drill pipe so the jaws rest over the widest point of the pipe’s diameter.
- 2
  Read the dial calipers. The number on the caliper’s shaft indicates inches and a hundred-thousands of an inch. For example, if the shaft shows a large 2 and a smaller 5, the shaft indicates 2 1/2 inches in diameter. The dial on the calipers indicate one-thousands of an inch. If the dial reads 50, it indicates the overall size of the pipe is 2.550 inches in diameter.
- 3
  Remove the dial calipers from the pipe and close the jaws. Place the pointy inside jaws on the backside of the calipers into the hole located at the end of the tool joint, and open the calipers.
- 4
  Position the calipers so the inside jaws rests at the widest point of the inside diameter of the tool joint. Read the shaft and dial just as you did with the pipe.

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