Technical Blog

Welcome to John’s Blog. Answers to frequently asked questions are periodically posted here. The objective is to share information about PVC pipe with readers as well as with utilities, design engineers and pipe installers. The blog provides the latest information on PVC pipe design, installation, and application for water and wastewater infrastructure projects.

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John Houle: Senior Technical Consultant, PVC Pipe Industry

John Houle holds a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Missouri and an MBA from the University of Oregon. He has more than 25 years of experience in the plastic pipe industry in applications engineering, market development, forensic analysis, technical writing, and standards development.

PVC Pipe Materials: Cell-Class Explained

Posted By John Houle on Apr 30, 2014

Product standards for PVC water and sewer pipes typically require PVC materials to meet ASTM cell-class requirements. The cell class consists of five cells that designate different aspects of the material.


This tech brief discusses cell class and what all those numbers mean. It also takes issue with two industry misconceptions:

  • The 12364 cell class is “new” – the truth is that this class has been in ASTM standards for about 35 years – this is not new!
  • PVC cell class is 5 numbers plus one letter – this was correct in the past, but ASTM eliminated the letter more than 15 years ago – this is not new either!

To find out more, click here to read the Tech Brief.