Which one inch do you have
Only tube that is sold by its real outside diameter measures 25.4 mm: aluminium and steel tube, a closet rod, a broom handle, a wooden dowel. Plumbing pipe is named by a nominal size. Nominal 1 inch copper water tube, with PEX and CPVC in the same tube sizes, is 1.125 inch outside, 28.6 mm, and that is what this page builds. Nominal 1 inch iron pipe and schedule 40 PVC is 1.315 inch, 33.4 mm. Thin-wall electrical conduit of the 1 inch trade size is about 29.5 mm. The four are spread over 8 mm, and a snap clip tolerates a few tenths.
What to measure
Measure the outer diameter in millimetres on a straight section, away from couplings and elbows. Near 28.6, use this page unchanged. Near 33.4, 29.5 or 25.4, follow the link and type your reading as the diameter. For 33.4 mm pipe, also raise the wall to 3 mm so the longer arms keep their grip; for 25.4 mm the values of this page work as they are. Metric 28 mm copper is 0.6 mm smaller than this tube: it sits loosely in this clip, and this tube is too tight for a 28 mm clip, so pick the page that matches your reading.
Clearance, wall and material
The clearance is 0.3 mm, giving a bore of 28.9 mm. The wall is 2.8 mm and the opening 100 degrees, which leaves a gap of about 22.1 mm. A 1 inch water line full of water weighs between about 0.6 and 1.5 kg per metre, depending on whether it is PEX or copper, so the clips carry real weight on a horizontal run: use PETG, print the wall solid, and put the screw tabs above the pipe on a wall so the pipe hangs in the closed part of the C and not on the opening. PLA softens at around 60 degrees C and is unsuitable for a hot line.
Printing and fixing
Stand the clip on a C-shaped face: it covers about 71 by 29 mm and is 18 mm tall, with no supports. Use four perimeters at 0.2 mm layers; the slicer closes what is left of the 2.8 mm wall with gap fill, and the 3.5 mm tabs come out solid. Each tab is 18 mm long with a 4.5 mm hole for a number 8 wood screw or a 4.5 mm screw. The clip is 70.5 mm wide over both tabs, so on a 38 mm stud edge turn it to run along the stud, or switch to one tab in the generator.
Outline drawing
Schematic, not to scale. The clip is 18 mm wide along the pipe and about 28.7 mm high.
Parameters the generator will use
| Setting | Link parameter | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Model | model | pipe_clip |
| Pipe diameter | diameter | 28.6 |
| Fit clearance | fit_clearance | 0.3 |
| Clip wall thickness | wall | 2.8 |
| Clip width along the pipe | width | 18 |
| Opening angle, degrees | opening | 100 |
| Screw tab length | tab_length | 18 |
| Screw tab thickness | tab_thickness | 3.5 |
| Screw hole diameter | screw_diameter | 4.5 |
| Number of screw tabs | tabs | 2 |
All lengths are in millimetres. Outer size from these values: about 70.5 x 18 x 28.74 mm.
Open the generator with these values
This model needs the $7 licence key: one payment, one key, and it opens all five paid models. Get a licence key on Gumroad ($7)
The pipe and cable clip needs a licence key: without one the generator shows the model locked, lists the values from this link and fills them in as soon as you unlock. The fitted drawer organiser bin is the free model and downloads with no key.