Who This Checklist Is For

If you’re ordering pneumatic tubing for industrial automation — and you don’t want to repeat the mistakes I made — this checklist is for you. I’ve been handling Festo orders for 7 years. In that time I personally made (and documented) 12 significant errors, totaling roughly $4,700 in wasted budget. Now I maintain our team’s pre-order checklist to prevent others from repeating my blunders.

This checklist covers the most common gotchas: material selection, pressure ratings, fitting compatibility, and how to leverage Festo support and the Festo store to save time and money. I’ll also touch on a few weird ones like plastic sword misunderstandings and jackhammer air hose requirements.

Step 1: Nail Down the Material — Nylon vs. Polyurethane vs. TPU

This is where I burned the first $2,100. In my first year (2018), I ordered 300 meters of Festo nylon tubing for an application that actually needed polyurethane. The line froze in a cold workshop (literally cracked).

Here’s the quick cheat sheet:

  • Nylon (PA) — Stiff, high pressure rating (up to 15 bar per Festo catalog), good for fixed installations. Not great in continuous flex or below 0°C.
  • Polyurethane (PU) — Flexible, abrasion resistant, excellent for moving parts and jackhammer-like applications. Lower max pressure (~10 bar).
  • TPU — A middle ground with better chemical resistance.

A question I get all the time: “Is nylon polyethylene?” No — nylon is a polyamide, not polyethylene. They behave totally differently under pressure and temperature. If you see someone selling “polyethylene pneumatic tubing,” run. Really. I learned that the hard way after a $890 reorder.

Pro tip: Use the Festo support portal (festo.com/catalog) to cross-check material specs before you buy. Their selection wizard saved me twice last year alone (finally!).

Step 2: Match Pressure & Diameter for High-Impact Uses

Ever tried to use standard Festo air hose on a jackhammer? I did. Once. The hose burst three minutes in. (Thankfully nobody got hurt, just a loud bang and a lot of embarrassment.)

For high-pressure or high-shock applications — think jackhammer air hose, impact wrenches, or any tool that sees rapid pressure spikes — you need:

  • Minimum OD of 12 mm (1/2”) or larger
  • Working pressure > 15 bar (check the Festo manual for each tube type)
  • Reinforced construction (braided or spiral)

I dodged a bullet in 2022 when I double-checked a rush order’s pressure spec — was one click away from sending 6 mm PU tubing to a demolition contractor.

Step 3: Beware the “Plastic Sword” Trap

Sounds ridiculous, but plastic sword is a real source of confusion. A client once emailed: “Need plastic sword tubing for my jackhammer.” I spent an hour searching the Festo catalog before calling them. Turns out they meant polyurethane with a specific abrasion rating — the term “plastic sword” came from a misheard technical description on the factory floor.

Lesson: Always clarify ambiguous terminology before ordering. Whether it’s “plastic sword,” “air hose assembly,” or “nylon poly something” — if it’s not a standard Festo part number, call the support line. Festo’s technical support team (festo.com/support) is actually pretty good at translating shop-floor slang into proper specs. I’ve used them at least 20 times.

Step 4: Verify Fittings & Couplers Before You Click “Buy”

Standard Festo fittings (push-in, threaded, etc.) work with specific tubing ODs and wall thicknesses. I once ordered a bunch of PUN-H-6x1 tubing but the fittings were for PUN-6x1,25 — the 0.25 mm wall difference meant a leak on every joint. Ugh. That mistake cost $450 in redo plus a 1-week project delay.

Now I always check the Festo store (festo.com/shop) for compatibility notes. Most tubing product pages list compatible fittings right below the specs. Copy the part number into the store search and the site will flag mismatches — it’s super helpful.

Step 5: Use the Festo Support Portal for Verification (Seriously)

The Festo support portal (festo.com/support) is probably the most underused resource on the site. It’s not just a FAQ — you can enter your application parameters (pressure, temperature, media, bend radius) and get a curated list of tubing + fittings + cylinders. Honest to god, it cut our order rejection rate from 8% to 0.5% after we started using it.

When I’m unsure, I submit a ticket with the job number and get a written confirmation within 4 hours. This has saved us from at least three expensive orders where the salesman’s recommendation was wrong.

Step 6: Inspect on Delivery — Don’t Assume

Three years ago I received a pallet of Festo ISO cylinder (CRDSNU-32-400-PPS-A) that looked right from the outside. Opened the box: wrong stroke length. The label was correct but the content was swapped. That error cost a day of production and a rush shipping charge.

Now we do a quick in/out check on every order:

  • Match part number on box vs. packing slip vs. PO
  • Measure a random sample of tubing for OD and wall thickness
  • Pressure test a short piece if it’s a new material

There’s something satisfying about catching a warehouse error before it hits the line. After years of stress, finally having a reliable check — that’s the payoff.

Common Mistakes to Watch For

  • Assuming “all nylon is the same” — Festo offers PA12, PA6, and blends. Each has different tensile strength and UV resistance.
  • Ignoring temperature range — Polyurethane degrades above +60°C. For hot environments, stick to nylon or PTFE.
  • Mixing metric and imperial tubes — Festo tubes are metric; using an imperial tube with a metric fitting will leak. (I learned this in 2020 with a $320 order of PUN-H-8x1.25 — wrong stuff, straight to trash.)
  • Forgetting to check the real price, not list price — The Festo store often shows list price; your negotiated discount may vary. Always log into your account.

A Final Reality Check

This checklist was accurate as of February 2025. The pneumatic market evolves — materials improve, pricing shifts, product numbers change. Verify current specs on the Festo support portal before committing to a large order.

My experience is based on roughly 250 orders (medium to high quantity, mostly in machine-building and automotive sub-assembly). If you’re working with food-grade or clean-room applications, your requirements might differ significantly. I can’t speak to those sectors.

Honestly, a well-designed checklist doesn’t just save money — it makes you look competent. And after my first year of costly errors, that’s something I’m glad to have.