EMT conduit vs. rigid metal conduit is a major choice for a lot of businesses. American Conduit carries a nearly limitless supply of both, and we have team of experts who know the differences between the two. We can recommend exactly which kind of conduit is best for your specific application. When you have any kinds of questions, we’ll be here with answers.
A Comparison of EMT vs. RMC
EMT, or electrical metallic tubing, is made with thin walls. As a result, it can be used in a wide range of environments – both industrial and commercial. You can very easily cut EMT using the tools you already have on hand, and it’s also simple to bend EMT around walls. EMT typically comes in two varieties, aluminum and steel. As you’ll learn later, there are a lot of reasons why you should consider purchasing aluminum for all your conduit needs.
EMT is best suited for indoor use. It can, however, be used outside in certain instances, as long as all of the fittings, fasteners and supports are made of non-corrosive materials. The way you connect different portions of EMT is to use clamps. You then use screws to make sure the clamps are secure.
The walls of rigid electrical conduit, or RMC, are a great deal thicker. As you might expect, RMC is a lot more rugged than EMT. If you’re in an extremely cold climate, or in some other type of harsh environment, RMC will do a fantastic job of protecting wiring. RMC also does a great job of blocking electromagnetic interference. Wires or cables located near sensitive electronics can sometimes produce this type of interference, potentially damaging equipment as a result.
As rugged and strong as RMC is, however, it’s a lot heavier when compared to EMT. It will usually take more workers to install RMC than it would to install EMT.
The Many Benefits of Aluminum for Both EMT and RMC
No matter what works better for you – EMT, RMC or something else – your best bet will always be choosing aluminum instead of steel conduit. These are just a few of the many reasons why.
- You might think that aluminum is a very weak, fragile material, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. American Conduit treats our aluminum with alloys that give our products an incredible amount of strength.
- Aluminum is much better than steel at resisting corrosion. If you’re in an environment surrounded by water and chemicals, such as a food processing plant, aluminum conduit will stand up to both.
- Aluminum is also a lot less expensive, thanks to the fact that it’s about 30 percent lighter than steel. You’ll not only save money on material, you’ll save on labor costs as well. It takes many more workers to carry and install metal conduit than aluminum.
- Aluminum will always remain safe to the touch. Whether it’s 110 degrees or 10 below, your workers will be able to handle aluminum with no problems.
- All of our aluminum conduit is built to conform to NEC, UL and many other industry codes.
Contact American Conduit to Learn More
If you have any questions at all regarding EMT conduit vs. rigid conduit, we’ll have the answers. Just get in touch with American Conduit by giving us a call at 1-800-334-6825 or contacting us online.