Swagelok Publishes Updated and Revised Tube Fitter's Manual

This major new edition now available in softcover and as a free download

Since its debut in 1963, the Swagelok Tube Fitter's Manual has been the industry standard. It's the result of extensive field research and laboratory studies conducted by Swagelok's research and development engineers, plus feedback we've received over the years from our customers. And the original author, Joe Callahan Jr., went on to become the president of Swagelok.

As technology has progressed, Swagelok updated the manual in the '70s, '80s and '90s. Now a new revision is being made available, both in a softcover edition and as a free internet download.

The latest edition now includes information on metallurgy, innovations in product design, advanced manufacturing processes, and selecting tube fittings for severe service requirements.

More than fittings

The Swagelok Tube Fitter’s Manual is intended to provide a quick reference to technically accurate design and installation information so the user can avoid many of the problems encountered on tubing installation projects.

While the manual is primarily about Swagelok tube fittings, it also covers important aspects of tubing, valves, troubleshooting and pressure ratings. To take just one example, a tube fitting can do its job properly only if the tubing material is softer than the fitting material. So you wouldn't want to put stainless steel tubing in a brass fitting. Tubing wall thickness, proper handling, and proper layout are all covered in the manual as well.

There's also an entire chapter on the hidden cost of leakage.

The new edition maintains the manual’s respected, iconic status as “the Tube Fitter’s Bible” while positioning it as the premier multimedia reference source on tube fittings for Swagelok customers in the 21st century. To expand on the wealth of information in the manual, we added a QR code that links to important supplemental information, such as catalogs, publications or videos. If you'd like to request a complimentary softcover version to have handy in the field, click this link.

Revised and updated

Swagelok Company has updated and revised the content five times in the past 51 years, and now the entire 321 page 6th edition is available online in PDF format. The 10 chapters (and 3 appendices) cover the Swagelok® tube fitting itself, plus tubing specification and ordering, tubing and tube fitting handling and installation, severe service, troubleshooting, special purpose fittings, testing and evaluation of tube fitting performance, pipe threads, pressure ratings, the hidden costs of leakage, valves, and more. 

As Callahan wrote in the original preface, "The well-known Swagelok two-ferrule fitting is the best tube fitting we know how to manufacture; however, proper installation and use of high quality tubing will go far to ensure leak-free connections." 

No trouble

Any complex system will have its share of challenges. The manual has a whole chapter on troubleshooting to keep frustrations to a minimum.

If the tube will not go into the fitting, for instance, there could be any of a half-dozen causes from burrs on the end to simply using the wrong size tubing. If the system leaks, there is a good chance the fitting was not installed properly. The manual explains what to look for when the leak happens after initial installation, after reassembly following maintenance, and under high temperatures.

So take some time to request a copy and read a classic. You will get a better understanding of how Swagelok tube fittings work, and how to get the best performance out of them. 

Additional Resources

Tube Fitter's Manual PDF	Swagelok Tube Fitting Catalog and Guide	The Swagelok® Tube Fitting Advantage