Gaskets

Industrial Gaskets — Sheet, Spiral Wound & Pre-Cut for Pipe Flanges and Equipment

A gasket creates a sealed joint between two mating surfaces — pipe flanges, valve bodies, heat exchanger covers, pump housings and equipment manways — by filling the microscopic surface irregularities that would otherwise let fluid or gas leak through the contact face. The right gasket must hold a seal under the bolt load, fluid pressure, temperature cycling and chemical attack of the service environment. AIMS Industrial supplies industrial gasket material and pre-cut gaskets for pipe and equipment sealing across Australian industry.

Sheet Gasket Materials at a Glance

Cut-to-size sheet gasket material covers the broadest range of plant maintenance needs. Selection comes down to media compatibility, temperature and pressure rating:

• PTFE (compressed white sheet): Excellent chemical resistance — suitable for virtually all chemicals including strong acids and alkalis. Temperature ceiling around 200°C. Standard for chemical processing, water treatment and food-grade flanged connections.
• Graphite sheet (flexible graphite): High-temperature and high-pressure resistance, excellent compressibility, good chemical resistance. The default for steam service and high-temperature flanges where PTFE's temperature limit is insufficient.
• Compressed fibre: Traditional gasket material for water, oil and moderate-service applications. Inexpensive and widely available in standard flange sizes. Not suited to strong acids, high-temperature steam, or aggressive chemicals.
• Rubber sheet (NBR, EPDM, neoprene): Low-pressure water, air and general service. EPDM for hot water and steam; NBR (nitrile) for oil and fuel service; neoprene for outdoor and weather-exposed joints.

Spiral Wound & Metallic Gaskets

Spiral wound gaskets — alternating thin metal strip and a soft filler (graphite or PTFE) — are the standard for high-pressure, high-temperature and critical-service flanged joints. They combine the compressibility of soft fillers with the structural integrity of the metal winding. Spiral wounds require a minimum bolt load to seal correctly; in raised face flanges an outer guide ring prevents over-compression.

For correct selection — including AS 4087, AS 2129 and ASME B16.5 flange standards, ASME B16.20 colour codes for winding and ring material, and torque guidance — see the Spiral Wound Gasket Guide covering construction, flange standards and the cast-iron-flange torque warning that catches many tradies out.

O-Rings & Rotary Seals

For round-section sealing in hydraulic cylinders, pump shafts, fittings and equipment access covers, the right elastomeric O-ring is the cleanest choice:

• O-Rings & O-Ring Kits — metric and imperial sizes, plus assortment kits for workshop and field use.
• Oil Seals & O-Rings — rotary lip seals, V-rings and shaft seals alongside the O-ring range.

Choosing the right elastomer (NBR / Viton / EPDM / Silicone) for the service is critical. The O-Ring Selection Guide covers material compatibility, sizing and the chemical resistance chart for the most-used elastomers — the same data tradies waste hours hunting down from multiple manufacturer datasheets.

RTV Silicone & Form-In-Place Gaskets

For irregular flange surfaces, valve covers, gearbox housings and OEM-style form-in-place gasket applications, RTV silicone gasket maker is often the right call instead of a pre-cut gasket. AIMS stocks Loctite silicone gasket makers and form-in-place sealants. For application technique, cure time, oil-resistant vs general-purpose grades, and when to use anaerobic flange sealant instead, see the RTV Silicone Gasket Maker Guide and the broader Industrial Adhesive Types Guide.

How to Select the Right Gasket Material

Gasket material selection drives sealing success. Match the gasket to the service rather than defaulting to whatever is on hand:

• Media: water, oil, fuel, steam, acid, alkali, food-grade — each has a recommended material family.
• Temperature: elastomer rubbers fall away above 120°C, PTFE plateau ends around 200°C, graphite handles up to ~450°C continuous.
• Pressure: low-pressure water and air → rubber sheet. Higher pressure or pulsating service → compressed fibre or PTFE. Critical / high-pressure steam → spiral wound.
• Flange type: raised face vs flat face vs ring-type joint changes which gasket is appropriate. Flat-face cast iron flanges with full-face gaskets — wrong gasket choice cracks the flange.
• Bolt load: spiral wounds need adequate minimum bolt torque to seal; over-torque crushes the winding.

Related Sealing Products

• Oil Seals & O-Rings — rotary shaft seals and round-section elastomers.
• Pipe Flanges — for matching gasket size to flange type.
• Hose Clamps — for flexible-line connections.
• Loctite — anaerobic flange sealants and threadlockers for fitting and pipe-thread sealing.
• Hydraulics and Pneumatics for the fittings and components alongside gasket replacement work.

Order Gaskets from AIMS Industrial

AIMS stocks gasket sheet material in standard sizes for on-site cutting plus pre-cut gaskets for common flange standards. For specific sizes, materials or volume requirements, contact our team — we ship Australia-wide from our Sydney warehouse.