“Corrugated hose” and “ducting” get used loosely on purchase orders, and that is where the wrong coil turns up. A customer asking for flexible ducting might mean a clear PU extraction hose for a joinery shop, a silicone duct for hot air, or a black corrugated PVC line for a pond pump. They look related — ribbed outside, flexible, light — but they are built for very different jobs.
For a stockist or a buyer supplying several sites, the useful split is simple: is the hose moving water, or moving air, dust and light material? Answer that first and the rest of the spec falls into place. This guide walks through the types in our ducting range, what each is actually for, the published specs, and how to stock them without tying cash up in the wrong sizes.
Why the Corrugation Matters
The ribbed outer wall is not decoration. Corrugation (or a spiral helix under a thin wall) lets a hose bend tightly without kinking and recover its shape after being stood on, while keeping it light enough to handle in long runs. The trade-off is that these hoses are built for low pressure, suction and air movement — not pressurised delivery. If a job needs real working pressure, you are into braided or wire-reinforced hose instead.
The other thing to check is the bore. The better constructions pair a corrugated outside with a smooth inside, which cuts flow resistance and stops debris settling in the ribs. Both our corrugated PVC and PU ducting are made that way.
The Four Types We Stock
Our PVC ducting collection is the water side of the range; polyurethane ducting is the extraction and conveyance side. Keeping that line clear on your shelves (and on your website) saves a lot of returned coils.
Published Specs at a Glance
These are the figures from the current product listings. Sizes are inside × outside diameter:
| PVC corrugated hose | 19×23mm (30m coil) and 25×30mm to 51×58mm (50m coils); black or clear; –5°C to +65°C; smooth bore; connects with barbed fittings or hose clips |
| PU ducting | 38×48mm to 200×210mm; 10m or 20m coils depending on size; approx. 0.4mm clear PU wall on a copper-coated spring steel helix; –40°C to +90°C (short-term to +125°C) |
| Silicone 2-ply air ducting | 25mm to 152mm ID; 4m lengths; –70°C to +310°C (peak +350°C); 3:1 safety factor; black, red, blue or grey |
| Aluminium air ducting | 76×84mm (2m or 4m), 102×110mm, 125×133mm and 150×158mm (4m); silver |
| PVC wire reinforced (for comparison) | 10×16mm to 51×65mm; 50m & 100m; –10°C to +65°C; vacuum to –0.85 bar; 3:1 safety factor |
Where a water line has to pull hard suction or carry grit, step up from corrugated PVC to PVC wire reinforced hose — the steel helix holds the bore open under vacuum. For hose that gets dragged across rough ground, see our abrasion-resistant site hose guide.
Matching Type to Job
Ordering in Four Steps
Stocking It Without Overstocking
For resellers, the pattern is fairly predictable. Corrugated PVC moves in a handful of pond-pump bores, and demand climbs with the weather — so hold the core sizes in black and the most-asked-for in clear, rather than every size in both colours. PU ducting sells against the extractor spigots your customers run, so ask what kit they are connecting to, start with those bores and let your sales history widen the range. Silicone and aluminium ducting are lower-volume lines worth carrying in the sizes your motorsport and HVAC customers actually ask for.
Stocked lines ship from Mirfield within 1–2 working days of cleared payment, with an Express next-day option and collection available, so you can keep shelf stock lean and top up against a £500 order across the whole catalogue — hose, ducting, clips and joiners together. Every order is paid before dispatch: no credit checks, no application, which is part of how we keep pricing sharp and stock deep.
Not sure which type a customer needs? Call 01924 496111 or use live chat — tell us the media, the temperature and the bore, and we will point you at the right line.
Open a trade account, take £25 off your first order, and stock corrugated hose and ducting at wholesale prices.
