Compare: outer diameter

The dimension corresponding to the largest diameter measurement possible of an internal feature or cavity of a part. Generally used with respect to piping, in which it is the diamter of the tube as witnessed by the fluid inside the pipe. This can be quite a bit different than the outer diameter, for thick pipes. This is important to keep in mind when designing or purchasing reducers/enlargers to change one size of pipe to another. Also, in the US, piping is usually sold by its O.D. measurement, +/- an arbitrary amount.


  |<--------- O.D. --------->|
  |                          |
  |                          |
  |  |                    |  |
  |  |<------ I.D. ------>|  |
  |  |                    |  |
  |  |                    |  |
  |  |    +22222222222    |  |    
  |  |0UHMMUUU0222UUUHMMUU|  |   
  |+H|H0+               2U|M0|    
  +MM|                    |MMU    
  MMMMU2                +0|MMM    
  MMHHMMMUUU222222220UUHMMMHMM    
  MM0 +20UHMMMMMMMMMMMUU22 0MM    
  MM0                      0MM    
  MM0                      0MM    
  MM0                      0MM    
  MM0                      0MM    
  MM0                      0MM    
  MM0                      0MM    
  MM0                      0MM    
  MM0                +222220MM    
  MM0              0HMMNHNNMMM    
  UMU            0MMN#QQQQQQHM    
  2MMH2        2HMH$0QQQQQQQQ$    
    0HMMH02220HMH$    +$2002      
      +20UMMMMU2