About Our Steel

Pi Tape Texas, LLC offers a variety of steel and finish options designed to compliment every application. The following (listed below) are benefits to consider prior to making your purchase.

  1. 1095 Spring Steel is unquestionably the finest steel available for precision diameter tapes where thermal expansion and minimum stretch under normal operating tension ranges are a primary consideration. Pi Tape Texas, LLC has received spring steel tapes for recalibration service which were manufactured over 50 years ago and are still within our tolerance of 0.001". A light film coating of LPS3 oil is the only maintenance needed for these incredibly accurate instruments.

  2. Our 716 Stainless Steel, a specialty steel manufactured by Uddeholm, is utilized in more corrosive environments. Although stainless steel is a softer material with similar thermal expansion qualities as spring steel, it is used effectively in a multitude of industrial applications.

  3. Our Blue Easy to Read utilizes 1095 spring steel and is an extremely durable instrument, often utilized in low light environments or highly reflective conditions.


Physical Properties of Steel - Pi Tape Texas, LLC


  1095 Spring Steel 716 Stainless Steel
Coefficient of Expansion per inch per degree F.   .0000065  .0000062
Elongation % in inches 7-10%   7-12%
Hardness 51 RC   49-53 RC  
Tensile Strength PSI 259,600 248,000-277,000
Yield Strength PSI    235,690 210,000

The Relevant Criteria Regarding Thermal Qualities of Steel (Comparing coefficient of thermal expansion)


  Our spring steel: Other materials on the market:  
  .0000065” .0000092” Difference
24” with 5ºf temp variable  .0007”  .0011”    .0004”
24” with 20ºf temp variable .0030” .0044” .0014”
48” with 5ºf temp variable .0015” .0022”   .0007”
48” with 20ºf temp variable .0060” .0088” .0028”