Silicone Rubber Extrusions › Profiles › Tube & Cord
Silicone Rubber Tube & Cord
Advanced Materials manufactures silicone rubber tube and cord extrusions for a wide range of industrial and regulated applications, including food processing, medical equipment, laboratory systems, industrial machinery and fluid handling.
Silicone rubber tubing features a circular outer profile with a continuous hollow bore running through its centre, making it suitable for transferring fluids, gases and other media. Silicone rubber cord, sometimes referred to as solid cord, has the same circular external profile but without the internal bore, making it ideal for sealing, cushioning and fabricated gasket applications. Some European customers also refer to silicone tubing as ‘hollow cord’.
Tubing geometry is normally defined by three dimensions:
- Internal Diameter (ID) – the diameter of the bore through the tube
- Wall Thickness – the thickness of silicone between the bore and the outside surface
- Outer Diameter (OD) – the total diameter measured across the outside of the tube
Where any two dimensions are known, the third can usually be calculated.
Every silicone tube and cord extrusion we manufacture is produced to order at our West Sussex facility. We do not hold stock sizes, allowing each product to be manufactured to the required dimensions, hardness, material grade, colour and production quantity for its intended application.
Drawing on more than 30 years of silicone extrusion experience, we manufacture precision silicone tubing for demanding applications across medical, biotechnology and pharmaceutical equipment, food and drink, automotive, aerospace, rail and mass transport, industrial manufacturing and water treatment. Every tube and cord extrusion is manufactured to order, allowing us to tailor dimensions, silicone grade, colour and hardness to your exact specification rather than supplying off-the-shelf stock products.
Example Silicone Rubber Tube & Cord Drawings
Many customers find it useful to review example tube and cord drawings before finalising their design.
With more than 30 years’ experience manufacturing silicone extrusions, Advanced Materials has built an extensive library of existing tooling. In many cases, an existing die may already produce dimensions close to those required, helping reduce tooling costs and lead times.
If no suitable profile exists, our in-house toolmakers can design and manufacture a new extrusion die specifically for your application.
If you already have a drawing, CAD model or sample, our technical team will review it and advise on manufacturability before quotation.
Whether you require standard dimensions or a completely bespoke design, reviewing existing tooling drawings is often the quickest way to identify a suitable starting point.
Specifying Critical Dimensions for Silicone Rubber Tube & Cord
The tolerance required should reflect how the tubing will be used.
Applications involving push-fit connectors, controlled flow, peristaltic pumps or close-fitting protective sleeves typically require tighter dimensional control than general-purpose transfer tubing.
When requesting a quotation, it is helpful to identify which dimension is functionally most important.
For example:
- Internal diameter may be critical where flow rate must be controlled.
- Outer diameter may need to fit precisely inside a connector or housing.
- Wall thickness may determine strength, flexibility or pressure capability.
Understanding which dimensions are most important allows us to prioritise tolerancing where it matters most to the performance of the finished component.
Typical Silicone Rubber Tube & Cord Applications
Although both products share the same circular profile, silicone tubing and solid cord are typically used for different purposes.
Typical Silicone Rubber Tubing Applications
Silicone tubing is commonly used for:
- Fluid and liquid transfer
- Peristaltic pump tubing
- Dosing and dispensing systems
- Laboratory sampling lines
- Pharmaceutical processing equipment
- Food and beverage transfer
- Waste and drainage lines
- Vacuum and low-pressure systems
- Machinery lubrication lines
- Sensor and instrument connections
- Protective sleeving over wires, rods and components
- Cable insulation
- Thermal protection sleeves
- Appliance and vending machine tubing
- Powder and light material transfer where appropriate
- Joined rings for sealing housings and enclosures
Peristaltic pump tubing is one of the most common applications for silicone tubing due to silicone’s flexibility, resilience and ability to withstand repeated compression cycles.
Typical Silicone Rubber Cord Applications
Solid silicone cord is widely used for:
- Compression seals
- Groove-mounted seals
- Door and enclosure sealing
- Fabricated O-rings
- Joined rings and gaskets
- Expansion gap filling
- Oven and high-temperature seals
- Autoclave and process vessel seals
- Glazing and panel packing
- Vibration damping
- Machinery stops and bumpers
- Temporary masking and plugging
- General-purpose packing and spacing
If one of our existing tooling profiles is suitable, we can manufacture it in your required Shore A hardness, Silicone grade, Colour and Production quantity.
Custom Silicone Rubber Tube & Cord Manufacture
Our silicone rubber tubing can be manufactured across a wide range of sizes to suit everything from miniature medical tubing to larger industrial fluid transfer applications.
Typical manufacturing capabilities include:
- Internal diameters from approximately 0.2 mm
- Minimum wall thickness from approximately 0.2 mm
- Outer diameters up to approximately 94 mm
These figures should be viewed as manufacturing guidelines rather than fixed combinations. Internal diameter, wall thickness and overall section weight all influence how a tube can be successfully extruded.
For example, larger outside diameters generally require proportionally thicker walls to maintain dimensional stability and achieve consistent extrusion quality.
Where heavier wall sections or larger diameters are required, our technical team will assess manufacturability during quotation to ensure reliable production, dimensional consistency and long-term performance. If you are unsure whether your design falls within these parameters, we will be happy to advise.
All silicone rubber tube and cord extrusions are manufactured at our West Sussex production facility, where tooling, extrusion and quality inspection are carried out under one roof.
This integrated approach provides close control over dimensional accuracy, repeatability and production lead times while allowing us to manufacture both prototype quantities and long-term production volumes.
Custom Silicone Rubber Tube & Cord Extrusions to Your Specification
Advanced Materials manufactures custom silicone rubber tubing and solid silicone cord to your exact requirements.
Rather than supplying stock products, every order is produced to the dimensions, material grade, colour and quantity specified for the application.
Drawing on more than 30 years of silicone extrusion experience, we manufacture products for demanding applications involving fluid transfer, sealing, insulation, protection and component assembly.
Our technical team can assist with:
- Tube dimensions
- Cord diameters
- Material selection
- Hardness recommendations
- Tolerancing
- Manufacturing feasibility
Whether you require a small prototype batch or ongoing production, we can recommend the most practical and cost-effective manufacturing solution.
Material Grades and Performance Options
Tube and cord extrusions can be manufactured in a wide range of silicone compounds to suit the operating environment and any regulatory requirements.
Available options include:
- General purpose silicone
- FDA-compliant food grade silicone
- Medical and healthcare grades
- Flame-retardant UL94 V-0 materials
- Drinking water approved compounds
- Rail-compliant EN45545 grades
- High-temperature silicone
- Translucent and coloured compounds
Our technical team will recommend the most appropriate material based on temperature, media compatibility, flexibility and compliance requirements.
Depending on the application, we can manufacture tube and cord extrusions using compounds developed for:
- FDA-compliant food contact
- USP Class VI materials (where required)
- WRAS-approved applications
- EN 45545 rail applications
- Low smoke, zero halogen requirements
- Self-extinguishing and flame-retardant grades
- High-temperature service
- Chemical resistance
If your project has specific certification or regulatory requirements, let us know during the enquiry stage so we can recommend the most appropriate silicone compound and provide the necessary supporting documentation.
How to Specify Tube & Cord
To provide an accurate quotation as quickly as possible, it helps if you can tell us:
- Internal diameter (ID)
- Wall thickness, or preferred outer diameter (OD)
- Cord diameter (for solid cord)
- Silicone grade or intended application
- Quantity required
- Cut lengths, if applicable
- Any dimensional tolerances
- Regulatory or certification requirements
Silicone tubing is specified using three related dimensions: internal diameter (ID), wall thickness and outer diameter (OD). Knowing any two dimensions allows the third to be calculated, helping ensure the tubing is correctly matched to connectors, flow requirements and installation constraints.
If you only know some of this information, that’s not a problem. Our technical team can help determine the remaining dimensions and recommend the most suitable silicone grade for your application.
From Tooling to Production
With full in-house toolmaking capabilities, we can manufacture new extrusion dies quickly and efficiently when a suitable existing profile is unavailable.
Our experienced toolmakers work closely with the extrusion team to ensure each design can be manufactured consistently and economically.
Following tooling manufacture, profiles are extruded, cured, inspected and produced under our ISO 9001 quality management system.
Throughout production we maintain strict control over:
- Dimensional consistency
- Material traceability
- Batch repeatability
- Visual inspection
- Production records
Where required, we can also provide laser marking, joined rings, cut lengths and post-curing as part of the manufacturing process.
Every extrusion is manufactured under our ISO 9001 quality management system using controlled extrusion and post-curing processes to deliver consistent mechanical properties and dimensional accuracy.
We offer:
- ISO 3302-1 Class E1 cross-sectional tolerances as standard
- Material traceability
- Certificates of Conformity
- Batch inspection and quality records
- Supporting compliance documentation where required
Where applications demand tighter dimensional tolerances, these can often be achieved by agreement following technical review.
Explore All Silicone Rubber Extrusion Profiles
Tube and cord are just two of the many silicone rubber extrusion profiles we manufacture.
Explore our complete range of profile shapes to compare cross-sections, applications and available tooling.
Why Choose Advanced Materials for Silicone Rubber Tube & Cord?
Choosing Advanced Materials means working with a UK manufacturer focused on technical accuracy, consistent quality and responsive service.
Whether you require precision tubing for fluid transfer or solid cord for sealing applications, we work closely with engineers, buyers and production teams to deliver silicone extrusions that perform reliably in service.
Customers choose us because we offer:
- Over 30 years of silicone extrusion experience
- UK manufacturing in West Sussex
- Extensive existing tooling library
- In-house toolmaking and extrusion
- ISO 9001-certified quality management
- Full material traceability
- Technical support during design and specification
- Same-day quotations where possible
- Prototype through to production quantities
- Custom manufacturing rather than off-the-shelf stock
- Controlled extrusion and post-curing processes for consistent material performance
- Capability to manufacture everything from miniature tubing to large-diameter industrial sections
Get in Touch for Silicone Rubber Tube & Cord Enquiries
If you have a drawing ready, send it to our team for review.
If you are still at the concept stage, we can help refine the geometry for manufacture.
You can:
Request a custom Tube & Cord quote
Speak to our Technical Team
Request a Free Sample
Arrange a meeting to discuss your project
All silicone rubber Tube & Cord extrusions are manufactured at our West Sussex facility, where quality, traceability and technical accuracy are maintained throughout production.
If you cannot find the exact silicone rubber Tube & Cord you require, contact us and we will design and manufacture one to suit your application.