Standards guide · Copper tubes
Copper tubes to EN 1057: tempers, dimensions and applications
Copper tube is the classic of building installation: a material for drinking water, heating, gas and solar – long-lived, resistant to temperature and pressure, UV-resistant and diffusion-tight. This page places the product standard EN 1057, explains the three tempers and the marking, shows the dimensions and delivery range to EN 1057 from 6 × 1 to 108 × 2.5 mm – and gives an overview of the coated and pre-insulated system variants.
- Standard
- EN 1057
- Material
- Cu-DHP (CW024A), ≥ 99.90 % Cu
- Quality marks
- RAL / DVGW and others
- In stock
- 12–28 × 1.0 mm straight lengths; 12–22 also coils
What does EN 1057 regulate?
EN 1057 is the product standard for seamless round copper tubes for water and gas in sanitary and heating applications. It specifies the material (oxygen-free, phosphorus-deoxidised copper Cu-DHP with at least 99.90 % copper), dimensions and limit deviations, mechanical properties per temper and the marking. Copper tubes to EN 1057 are water- and gas-tight, resistant to ageing and UV, self-supporting and usable at high permissible operating pressures – the TALOS® tube we carry bears, besides CE, a broad range of quality marks (among them RAL / DVGW, KIWA/GASTEC, BSI, AFNOR) and comes with a 30-year manufacturer’s guarantee – in accordance with the manufacturer’s guarantee conditions in force at the time.
Typical applications: drinking water and hot water supply, heating, natural gas and LPG, solar thermal, compressed air as well as fire-fighting and medical gas networks (the latter with the special variant to EN 13348, see system family below).
The three tempers: R220, R250, R290
EN 1057 distinguishes three material conditions. In practice they decide the form of delivery and the working method:
| Condition | Designation | Tensile strength min. | Elongation min. | Form of delivery | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| soft | R220 | 220 MPa | 40 % | coil | bendable by hand; connecting lines, laying in screed, small sizes |
| half-hard | R250 | 250 MPa | 20 or 30 %* | straight length | cold-bendable with a tool → fewer fittings, faster installation; the installation standard |
| hard | R290 | 290 MPa | 3 % | straight length | self-supporting and dimensionally stable; visible lines, risers, large sizes |
* depending on the size.
Reading the marking
Copper tubes from 10 mm outside diameter carry a continuous, permanent marking to EN 1057. On the TALOS® tube it looks, for example, like this:
TALOS® · EN 1057 · 15X1 · HALCOR · CE · III 19
– that is brand name, product standard, size (outside
Ø × wall thickness), manufacturer, conformity
mark and production quarter/year.
Dimension table EN 1057 with delivery range
The common installation sizes 12 / 15 / 18 / 22 / 28 × 1.0 mm we carry in stock as straight lengths, the sizes 12 to 22 × 1.0 mm additionally in coils (TALOS®, RAL/DVGW) – all other sizes and versions we source on request. Inside diameter, weight and water content help with measurement and calculation:
Show full table · more than 40 rows
| d × s (mm) | Inside Ø (mm) | Weight (kg/m) | Water content (l/m) | Forms of delivery | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 × 1.00 | 4.0 | 0.140 | 0.013 | coil, soft (R220) | stock item |
| 8 × 0.60 | 6.8 | 0.124 | 0.036 | coil, soft (R220) | on request |
| 8 × 1.00 | 6.0 | 0.196 | 0.028 | coil, soft (R220) | stock item |
| 10 × 0.70 | 8.6 | 0.182 | 0.058 | coil, soft (R220) / straight length, half-hard (R250) | on request |
| 10 × 0.80 | 8.4 | 0.206 | 0.055 | straight length, hard (R290) | on request |
| 10 × 1.00 | 8.0 | 0.252 | 0.050 | coil, soft (R220) / straight length, half-hard (R250) / straight length, hard (R290) | stock item |
| 12 × 0.70 | 10.6 | 0.221 | 0.088 | straight length, half-hard (R250) | on request |
| 12 × 0.80 | 10.4 | 0.251 | 0.085 | straight length, hard (R290) | on request |
| 12 × 1.00 | 10.0 | 0.308 | 0.079 | coil, soft (R220) / straight length, half-hard (R250) / straight length, hard (R290) | stock item |
| 14 × 0.80 | 12.4 | 0.295 | 0.121 | straight length, hard (R290) | on request |
| 14 × 1.00 | 12.0 | 0.363 | 0.113 | coil, soft (R220) / straight length, hard (R290) | on request |
| 15 × 0.70 | 13.6 | 0.280 | 0.145 | straight length, half-hard (R250) | on request |
| 15 × 0.80 | 13.4 | 0.318 | 0.141 | straight length, half-hard (R250) / straight length, hard (R290) | on request |
| 15 × 1.00 | 13.0 | 0.391 | 0.133 | coil, soft (R220) / straight length, half-hard (R250) / straight length, hard (R290) | stock item |
| 15 × 1.50 | 12.0 | 0.566 | 0.113 | coil, soft (R220) | on request |
| 16 × 1.00 | 14.0 | 0.419 | 0.154 | coil, soft (R220) / straight length, hard (R290) | on request |
| 18 × 0.80 | 16.4 | 0.385 | 0.211 | straight length, half-hard (R250) / straight length, hard (R290) | on request |
| 18 × 1.00 | 16.0 | 0.475 | 0.201 | coil, soft (R220) / straight length, half-hard (R250) / straight length, hard (R290) | stock item |
| 22 × 0.80 | 20.4 | 0.474 | 0.327 | straight length, half-hard (R250) | on request |
| 22 × 0.90 | 20.2 | 0.531 | 0.320 | straight length, hard (R290) | on request |
| 22 × 1.00 | 20.0 | 0.587 | 0.314 | coil, soft (R220) / straight length, half-hard (R250) / straight length, hard (R290) | stock item |
| 22 × 1.50 | 19.0 | 0.860 | 0.284 | coil, soft (R220) / straight length, half-hard (R250) | on request |
| 28 × 0.90 | 26.2 | 0.682 | 0.539 | straight length, half-hard (R250) / straight length, hard (R290) | on request |
| 28 × 1.00 | 26.0 | 0.755 | 0.531 | straight length, half-hard (R250) / straight length, hard (R290) | stock item |
| 28 × 1.50 | 25.0 | 1.111 | 0.491 | coil, soft (R220) / straight length, half-hard (R250) / straight length, hard (R290) | on request |
| 35 × 1.00 | 33.0 | 0.950 | 0.855 | straight length, hard (R290) | on request |
| 35 × 1.20 | 32.6 | 1.134 | 0.835 | straight length, half-hard (R250) | stock item |
| 35 × 1.50 | 32.0 | 1.405 | 0.804 | straight length, half-hard (R250) / straight length, hard (R290) | on request |
| 35 × 2.00 | 31.0 | 1.844 | 0.755 | straight length, hard (R290) | on request |
| 42 × 1.00 | 40.0 | 1.146 | 1.257 | straight length, hard (R290) | on request |
| 42 × 1.20 | 39.6 | 1.368 | 1.232 | straight length, half-hard (R250) / straight length, hard (R290) | stock item |
| 42 × 1.50 | 39.0 | 1.700 | 1.195 | straight length, half-hard (R250) / straight length, hard (R290) | on request |
| 54 × 1.00 | 52.0 | 1.484 | 2.124 | straight length, hard (R290) | on request |
| 54 × 1.20 | 51.6 | 1.771 | 2.091 | straight length, half-hard (R250) / straight length, hard (R290) | on request |
| 54 × 1.50 | 51.0 | 2.202 | 2.043 | straight length, hard (R290) | stock item |
| 54 × 2.00 | 50.0 | 2.908 | 1.963 | straight length, half-hard (R250) / straight length, hard (R290) | on request |
| 64 × 2.00 | 60.0 | 3.467 | 2.827 | straight length, hard (R290) | on request |
| 66.7 × 1.20 | 64.3 | 2.198 | 3.247 | straight length, half-hard (R250) / straight length, hard (R290) | on request |
| 66.7 × 2.00 | 62.7 | 3.618 | 3.088 | straight length, half-hard (R250) / straight length, hard (R290) | on request |
| 76.1 × 1.50 | 73.1 | 3.129 | 4.197 | straight length, half-hard (R250) / straight length, hard (R290) | on request |
| 76.1 × 2.00 | 72.1 | 4.144 | 4.083 | straight length, half-hard (R250) / straight length, hard (R290) | on request |
| 88.9 × 2.00 | 84.9 | 4.859 | 5.661 | straight length, hard (R290) | on request |
| 108 × 2.00 | 104.0 | 5.928 | 8.495 | straight length, hard (R290) | on request |
| 108 × 2.50 | 103.0 | 7.375 | 8.332 | straight length, hard (R290) | on request |
Straight lengths usually 3 and 5 m (depending on the manufacturer also 4 m), coils depending on size 25 and 50 m. Special sizes on request.
Coated, pre-insulated, special application: the TALOS® system family
Beyond the bare EN 1057 tube, the same quality level is available in coated, pre-insulated and application-specific variants – all obtainable on request:
| System | Version | Standard | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| TALOS® COATED | plastic-coated (PVC/PE) | EN 13349 | protection against external corrosion, laying in screed and masonry |
| TALOS® GAS | plastic-coated, yellow | EN 13349 | gas installation with coating requirement |
| TALOS® ECUTHERM | pre-insulated (PE insulation) | EN 1057 | heating/sanitary with insulation requirement (German EnEV/GEG practice) |
| TALOS® ACR ECUTHERM 2 | pre-insulated twin line | EN 12735-1 | air-conditioning and refrigeration systems (split systems) |
| TALOS® ECUTHERM SOLAR | pre-insulated, high-temperature resistant | EN 1057 | solar thermal connecting lines |
| TALOS® MED | specially cleaned, capped | EN 13348 | medical gases and vacuum |
| TALOS® ACR | refrigeration/air-conditioning quality, degreased | EN 12735-1 | refrigeration, air-conditioning systems |
| CUSMART® | flexible, plastic-coated | – | fast installation without special tools |
| TALOS® GEOTHERM | for geothermal applications | – | geothermal energy |
| TALOS® PLATED | chromium-plated | EN 1057 | visible installation |
How is copper tube joined?
- Press fitting: today the standard in drinking water and heating installation – flameless, fast, defined joint quality. The matching system from us: Viega Profipress (copper/gunmetal) for copper tube to EN 1057.
- Soldering and brazing: soft soldering is widespread in sanitary installation; brazing is used among other things for gas lines and larger sizes – each according to the relevant technical rules.
- Compression and transition fittings: for removable joints and the transition to other materials and threads.
Frequently asked questions about copper tubes
Which temper suits which application?
R220 (soft, in coils) can be bent freely by hand – typical for small sizes, connecting lines and laying in screed. R250 (half-hard, in straight lengths) is the all-rounder of installation: cold-bendable with a tool, hence fewer fittings and faster installation. R290 (hard, in straight lengths) is self-supporting and dimensionally stable – for visible risers and larger sizes.
Coil or straight length – what is the difference in practice?
Coils (soft, R220) come in small sizes up to about 22–28 mm; they are cut to length on site and bent by hand. Straight lengths (half-hard or hard, usually 3 and 5 m) are dimensionally accurate and self-supporting – the standard for distribution lines and risers. We carry the common installation sizes 12 to 28 × 1.0 mm in stock as straight lengths, 12 to 22 × 1.0 mm additionally in coils.
Is copper tube to EN 1057 approved for gas installations?
Yes – copper tube to EN 1057 with the RAL/DVGW quality mark is an approved material for gas installation. The relevant technical rules (in Germany among others the TRGI) and the requirements of the network operator apply; the work belongs in the hands of a licensed installation company. For buried applications or where a coating is required, there are plastic-coated versions (EN 13349, e.g. TALOS GAS).
How do I recognise copper tube that conforms to the standard?
By the continuous marking on the tube: brand name, standard, size, manufacturer, CE mark and production period – on the TALOS tube we carry, for example, “TALOS EN 1057 15X1 HALCOR CE III 19”. Added to this are quality marks such as RAL/DVGW. Tubes from 10 mm outside diameter must be permanently marked to EN 1057.
How are copper tubes joined – pressing or soldering?
Both are state of the art: press fitting (e.g. Viega Profipress) is today the standard in drinking water and heating installation – fast, flameless and with defined joint quality. Soft soldering remains widespread in sanitary installation; brazing is used among other things for gas lines and larger sizes according to the relevant rules. Permissibility and execution follow the application and the code.
Copper tubes from stock – special sizes on request
12 / 15 / 18 / 22 / 28 × 1.0 mm we deliver at short notice from stock as straight lengths – 12–22 × 1.0 mm also in coils (TALOS®, RAL/DVGW). All other EN 1057 sizes as well as coated, pre-insulated and special variants we source on request – tell us size, temper, form of delivery and quantity; our export team answers in English.
Enquire nowTechnical basis: EN 1057, EN 13349, EN 13348, EN 12735-1; product data and picture from the Halcor manufacturer’s catalogue “Building Installations” (TALOS®) and manufacturer’s data TeProMKC; delivery range from Zickwolff’s own range list (as of July 2026). Selection of values according to our delivery and stock range; these tables do not replace the text of the standard – the current standard prevails. All information without guarantee – the current standard texts and the manufacturer’s technical data sheets always prevail.