round tubing vs pipe question

[chevyrestoguy]

Tubing should always be called out by it's outer diameter and it's wall thickness. Pipe is measured by Schedule numbers, which is an inside wall thickness. It scares me when I hear guys doing chassis work with pipe. It's designed to move liquids or gasses, and is not for structural applications.

If you're doing small jobs, go to your local steel yard and look through their scrap bin or their cut pile for the tubing you need. They'll make you a great deal on it, and you'll be getting the right material to start with.