Most workshop hose jobs fall into two camps: something that carries coolant, or something that carries fuel or oil. Get the shelf right for both and a technician can finish the bulk of radiator, heater, breather and fuel-return repairs without waiting on a delivery. Get it wrong and you end up with the expensive version of the problem — a car on the ramp, the right bore on order, and the wrong hose fitted because it was the only thing to hand.
This guide is the stocking list we would give a garage, fleet workshop or motor factor setting up a hose shelf from our automotive hose range. It covers what to hold on each side, the coil sizes you are committing to, and the one rule that matters more than any other: coolant hose and fuel hose are not interchangeable.
The Rule Before the List
That single rule prevents most of the comebacks we hear about. Silicone coolant hose looks the part on a breather or a fuel return, and it will fit, but plain silicone is not built to carry hydrocarbons over time. Where a job calls for the heat tolerance and finish of silicone on a fuel or oil line, the answer is our fluorosilicone-lined fuel & oil hose and elbows, which pair a fuel-resistant fluorosilicone liner with a silicone outer.
The Coolant Side of the Shelf
Coolant hose has to cope with heat, pressure cycling, vibration and coolant additives. You need two materials here: EPDM rubber for like-for-like replacement and value work, and reinforced silicone for higher-temperature, upgrade and long-life jobs. Our silicone hose buyer’s guide for workshops goes deeper on the silicone side; this is the core range:
The Fuel and Oil Side of the Shelf
Fuel hose is about chemical resistance first and pressure second. Everything on our fuel hose and wider rubber hose ranges below is for low-pressure feed, return, breather, vent and transfer duty. We do not stock high-pressure fuel injection hose; on modern injection systems, pressurised lines should be replaced with the part the vehicle maker specifies. For the rest of the fuel and oil work a workshop sees every week, this is the list:
| Rubber Unreinforced Fuel & Oil Hose | Nitrile rubber, 100 metre coils, 3mm x 7mm to 10mm x 15mm. −20°C to +100°C. For gravity-fed and non-pressurised petrol, diesel and oil lines. |
| Rubber Multi Purpose Hose | NBR/SBR tube with textile braid. 100 metre coils from 5mm to 13mm bore, 50 metre coils from 16mm to 25mm. −20°C to +120°C. The all-rounder for fuel, oil, air and water. |
| Rubber Cotton Overbraid Hose | Fuel- and oil-resistant tube with a traditional cotton braid, 50 metre coils from 3.2mm to 12mm bore. Up to 16 bar, −20°C to +85°C. Classic, marine and restoration work. |
| Rubber Stainless Steel Overbraid Hose | Oil-resistant rubber core under a stainless braid, 30 metre coils from 6mm x 12.5mm to 13mm x 19mm. Up to 15 bar depending on size, −40°C to +93°C. |
| Silicone Fuel & Oil Hose | Fluorosilicone-lined, 1 metre lengths from 6mm x 15mm, with matching 45 and 90 degree elbows. −50°C to +180°C. Breathers, catch cans and hot-side oil lines. |
Always check the rating on the individual product page against the job — pressure ratings in particular vary by bore. If you need a refresher on what each figure means, see our guide to reading a hose spec sheet.
Building the Shelf in Five Steps
Clips Are Part of the Hose Order
A hose shelf without the right clips stalls jobs just as surely as a missing bore. Our hose clips and clamps come in packs of 10 per size: Mini Hose Clips from 7mm–9mm for small-bore fuel and breather lines, Worm Drive Hose Clips from 9mm–12mm for general coolant and fuel work, and T Bolt Hose Clamps from 17mm–19mm upward for larger silicone coolant joints where an even clamping load matters. Order the clip sizes alongside the bores, not as a generic assortment.
Who This Shelf Suits
Buying It at Trade Prices
Hoses UK is a trade-only wholesaler with the range held in stock at Mirfield. The £500 minimum order (ex VAT) applies to the whole basket, so a coolant and fuel restock with clips usually gets there in one go. Every order is settled before dispatch by pro-forma — no credit checks, no application — which keeps our costs down and goes back into sharper pricing and deeper stock. Stocked lines are dispatched within 1–2 working days of cleared payment, with free standard delivery to mainland UK on orders over £500, an Express next-day option, and collection from Mirfield by arrangement.
Open a trade account, take £25 off your first order, and set up a coolant and fuel shelf that keeps the ramps moving.
