Category 05 · Milk line and processing room

Tri-clamp ferrules sized by the flange, from $3.50.

Ferrules, 304 short weld: $3.50 to $15.00 each 316L: about 35% more Fittings and clamps: per piece Freight and Wisconsin sales tax extra

The leak we see most

A 1.5-inch gasket on a 2-inch ferrule.

The clamp closes. It even feels tight. It still weeps, because the gasket bead is sitting half out of the groove. Most tri-clamp leaks that come across this counter are that exact mismatch, or its cousin: a 2-inch clamp forced over 1.5-inch flanges and cranked until the wing nut bottoms out.

Here's why it happens. Sanitary tube is sized by its outside diameter, and a 1.5-inch and a 2-inch ferrule look close enough when they're both wet and covered in milkstone. The flange ODs are 50.5 mm and 64 mm. Put calipers across the flange, compare with the chart below, and the argument is over.

We sell ferrules in 304 for general milk contact and 316L where brine, acid whey, or chloride-heavy water is involved. 316L carries molybdenum, which resists the pitting that chlorides cause. For a cheese room with salt anywhere near the line, we'd pay the extra.

Stainless tri-clamp ferrules and hinged clamps in four sizes — Four ferrule sizes, 1.5 to 4 inch. The flange OD is what the clamp and the gasket care about.

Item 05.1

Tri-clamp ferrules and clamps

Weld-on ferrules in 304 or 316L, short weld or long weld, from 1.5 to 4 inch. Hinged clamps with a wing nut to match each flange size, and heavy-duty clamps for pump discharge where the line takes pressure.

Short weld ferrules are the default and the cheapest. Long weld gives the welder more tube to hold and fuse, useful on thin-wall tube or when fitting in a tight run; it costs about 15% more. Both have the same flange face, so the clamp and gasket don't change.

A clamp is sized to the flange, and a wing-nut clamp is fine up to the pressure a milk transfer pump makes. Where a line surges, on tanker loading for instance, ask for the bolted high-pressure pattern. And never reuse a clamp whose hinge pin has worn oval; it closes off-centre and pinches the gasket at one side.

Price basis Per piece. Ferrule 304 short weld $3.50 to $15.00 316L ×1.35, long weld ×1.15, quantity breaks from 25

Ferrule bands, short weld, per piece
Size	304 short weld	316L short weld
1.5 in	$3.50 to $5.50	$4.73 to $7.43
2 in	$4.20 to $6.50	$5.67 to $8.78
3 in	$6.80 to $10.00	$9.18 to $13.50
4 in	$10.00 to $15.00	$13.50 to $20.25

Indicative band, not a quote. Try the combinations in the estimator; the desk confirms the price once it knows the size and grade you actually need.

Send a part inquiry

Item 05.2

Sanitary elbows, tees and reducers

Clamp-end 45° and 90° elbows, equal tees, and concentric reducers, polished inside to a food-contact finish so milk solids have nowhere to lodge. 304 as standard, 316L to order.

The inside finish is the thing to ask about, not the shine on the outside. A fitting that is mirror-bright outside and rough at the weld seam inside will hold a film that CIP won't shift, and that's where the bacteria counts come from. Ours are polished on the product side.

Reducers are the fix for a lot of problems people try to solve with a new pump or valve. A 2-inch discharge meeting a 1.5-inch line needs a concentric reducer, not a hose clamp and hope. Tell us the flange size at each end; reducers are always listed large end first.

Price basis Per piece By shape, size and grade; priced on inquiry

Fitting specification
Shapes	45° elbow, 90° elbow, equal tee, concentric reducer
Ends	Tri-clamp on every port
Sizes	1.5, 2, 3, 4 in
Grade	304 standard, 316L to order
Finish	Polished on the product-contact side
Gaskets and clamps	Sold separately; see gaskets and seals

Send a part inquiry

Ferrule size chart

Measure the flange across its widest point with calipers. That one reading picks the ferrule, the clamp and the gasket. The tube OD confirms it.

Tri-clamp sizes by flange and tube dimensions
Nominal size	Flange OD	Tube OD	Typical tube ID	Gasket to order
1.5 in	50.5 mm	38.1 mm	34.8 mm	1.5 in tri-clamp gasket
2 in	64.0 mm	50.8 mm	47.5 mm	2 in tri-clamp gasket
3 in	91.0 mm	76.2 mm	72.9 mm	3 in tri-clamp gasket
4 in	119.0 mm	101.6 mm	97.4 mm	4 in tri-clamp gasket

Note the flange OD, never the pipe. The gasket size is the ferrule size. A 2-inch ferrule on 2-inch tube takes a 2-inch gasket, and the tri-clamp gaskets page lists them in EPDM, silicone, Viton and PTFE.

From bin to box

Send sizes and counts
Flange OD or nominal size, grade, weld length, and how many. A photo of the run helps when shapes are involved.
The desk checks the bins
Stock, the price at your quantity, and lead time, in writing. If a size doesn't match the chart, we call before we guess.
Confirm and invoice
Nothing ships until you say yes.
Same-day dispatch, usually
Small fitting orders confirmed by early afternoon usually leave the same day. See how ordering works.

Before you ask

Welding
We sell the ferrules. We don't weld them on. Your fabricator or service company does that part.
Mixed-size bodges
We won't sell a clamp for a flange it doesn't fit, even if you're sure it'll pull up. Order the reducer.
Pallet quantities
This counter is for six ferrules by Thursday. Hundreds of a size are a different conversation, and we'll tell you honestly if someone else serves it better.

Fitting inquiry

Flange OD, grade, count.

With those in hand the desk can usually price a fitting order the same working day. Email photos of a run to [email protected] or ring (608) 355-8791.

Name *

Phone *

Email *

What you need

Delivery address or town and ZIP *

Spec

One line per size is fine. Put the rest in notes.

Notes

Foremost Farms may contact me about this inquiry. I have read the privacy policy and the terms.

Inquiry only. The desk replies with stock, an indicative price and a lead time. Nothing is charged online.