Poly Tubing

Blank poly tubing is the plain pipe that carries water from the submain to the emitters, and it is where a lot of nursery systems quietly lose pressure and uniformity. This page covers three kinds: black lateral and submain PE from Netafim, Toro and Irritec in 1/2" through 1-1/4" nominal sizes; Netafim's Bright White Polyethylene (PE) Tubing for benches and propagation; and Dramm's small-bore leader tube that feeds their Dribble Tubes.

ML Irrigation sells all of it wholesale from Fountain Inn, South Carolina, to production nurseries, greenhouses and horticulture programs in all 50 states. If you know the flow you need and the length of the run, ask us about sizing.

Which poly tubing does the job: lateral, submain or leader tube?

Start with what the tubing feeds. Lateral and submain runs across a container block or a field of drip tape want standard black PE. Netafim's Black Polyethylene (PE) Tubing runs from 0.400" to 1.060" ID across twelve diameters, Toro's Blue Stripe Polyethylene Hose from 0.375" to 1.365" ID in 1/2" through 1-1/4" nominal sizes, and Irritec's PE Tubing from .520" to 1.06" ID in 16 to 32 mm nominal. Any of the three will carry laterals and manifolds. Pick the diameter by flow and run length, not by the fittings already in the shop.

Inside a greenhouse, on benches or in propagation, look at white tubing instead. Netafim's Bright White Polyethylene (PE) Tubing is opaque, so it resists algae, and it runs cooler than black under glass or poly, which matters when the tubing sits in the sun before water reaches the plants. Toro also offers white for nursery and extreme-climate use, and stripe colors for zone identification.

Dramm's small-bore tubing is a different product. The .045", .060" and .075" ID sizes are leader tube for Dramm Dribble Tubes, sold in 5,000-foot rolls and color-coded green, brown and blue so a crew can tell sizes apart on the bench. Match the leader size to the dribble tube you are running rather than treating it as a lateral. Dramm's Polyethylene Irrigation Line in 16 mm and 25 mm is the lateral product in that range; ask us about sizing.

What pressure, wall thickness and fittings does the run need?

Every size here carries a working pressure rating, and the ratings are lower than many growers expect. Netafim black PE is rated 46 to 75 psi depending on size, the white 44 to 66 psi, Toro Blue Stripe 46 to 81 psi by size and wall, and Irritec 47 to 66 psi working. Thinner walls and larger diameters generally sit at the bottom of those ranges. If the supply comes off a pump or a municipal main, put a pressure regulator ahead of the poly and set it under the rating for the largest diameter in the zone.

Wall thickness matters as much as diameter. Walls here run from .035" on the thinnest Toro sizes to .080", and Irritec lists five walls between .045" and .060". A thicker wall handles more pressure and survives being dragged across gravel; a thinner wall coils tighter. For tubing that will be walked on, buried under mulch or hung from bench hardware, lean thick.

Fittings are sized to the tubing's ID and OD, not its nominal name. A 1/2" nominal from one maker can differ from another by enough that a barbed insert seats loose or will not go on. Check the actual dimensions in the product table below before ordering fittings, and if you are mixing brands on one block, ask us about matching them. Small-bore Dramm leader tube also clogs on debris a lateral would pass, so a screen or disc filter upstream is standard practice.

What goes wrong, and how do Netafim, Toro, Irritec and Dramm differ?

The mistake we see most is undersized laterals: 1/2" tubing run the length of a long bed of spray stakes or drip tape, the far end starving, and the fix a second feed or a jump to 3/4" or 1". Second is unregulated pressure, tubing rated between 44 and 81 psi fed by a pump that delivers more, and fittings letting go on the first hot afternoon. Third is black tubing on a propagation bench, where sun-warmed water reaches tender cuttings first. Fourth is buying by nominal size and finding the fittings do not fit.

The four lines take different approaches. Netafim's black PE is the broadest single range, twelve diameters in 250-, 500- and 1,000-foot coils, and it pairs naturally with the Netafim dripline and micro-sprinklers many growers standardize on. Their bright white line is the answer for benches and propagation. Toro's Blue Stripe Polyethylene Hose goes widest in size, up to 1.365" ID, with the most coil lengths and a stripe system for zone identification. Irritec's PE Tubing uses low-density resins with strong UV and acid resistance, offers five wall thicknesses, and lists cut lengths alongside full coils, which suits odd runs. Dramm is the greenhouse specialist: color-coded leader tube for Dribble Tubes in 5,000-foot rolls, plus Polyethylene Irrigation Line in 16 mm and 25 mm for growing-on houses. Tell us the crop, house and water source and request a quote, and ask us about sizing the run.