Tech Tip: How To Measure A Hose Clamp
Question: Is it OK to use a 3” clamp on my 3” hose?
Answer: Not necessarily. Depending on the manufacturer, some may specify their clamps by the ID of the hose whereas others measure based on the overall usable dimension or range of the clamp.
In general, hoses are measured by the inside diameter (ID). In order to find the right size clamp for your hose, you will need to know the outside diameter of your hose.
We’ll use a 3” ID hose for this example.
In the specifications, the outside diameter of the hose (OD) measures 3.39”. If the OD is not shown in the specs, the OD can easily be calculated using the following formula.
(ID) + Wall Thickness + Wall Thickness = (OD)
once we have the OD, we can go to the clamp chart to find a match for this hose. We are using T-bolt clamps as an example as they are the most difficult to size up correctly. The same principles can be used for pretty much any type of hose clamp.
Using the chart, we want to find a clamp that has an effective diameter range that fits our OD of 3.39”. We can see that clamp #72 and #76 both put our hose OD in range. However if you look at #72, the largest dimension that this clamp is usable at is 3.44”.
3.44” - 3.39” = 0.05”
That doesn’t give us any room to work with, especially once the hose is installed onto a pipe. For this reason, clamp #72 is not a good fit. At the very least, you will want about ⅛” (0.12”) of free space in order for the clamp to work properly.
Clamp #76 is the most suitable for this hose because the effective diameter range places our OD closest to the middle.
3.25” + 3.44” = 6.69”
6.69 / 2 = 3.345”
Our clamp charts also show which clamp is compatible with your hose to help you quickly decide what size clamp to choose. This chart was compiled based on dimensions from HPS hoses. If you are using a hose from another manufacturer, this chart will get you close but may not be 100% accurate. The safe and fool-proof way to find the right clamp is by measuring.
We hope this tech tip was informative and helpful. Drop us a line at tech@hpsperformanceproducts.com if you would like us to cover of your frequently asked questions.
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