How to select a pressure gauge

By the Pioneer engineering team, Pirangut, Pune. Updated 31 October 2026.

Choose the range so normal pressure sits near mid-scale (about twice the working pressure, maximum below 75%), a dial size readable from where people stand, SS 316 wetted parts unless the service is clean and dry, liquid filling for pulsation, a siphon for steam and a diaphragm seal for corrosive or viscous media.

Start with the duty

Write down the medium, normal and maximum pressure, temperature at the gauge, whether the pressure pulsates, and where the gauge will be read from. Every other choice follows from these five facts.

Range

A Bourdon tube lasts longest and reads best in the middle of its scale. Order a full scale about twice the normal working pressure; keep the maximum below 75% of full scale, or two thirds on pulsating service. Pioneer's standard ranges run 0–1, 1.6, 2.5, 4, 6, 10, 16, 25, 40, 60, 100, 160, 250, 400 and 600 kg/cm². The range selector applies the rule for you.

Dial size

63 mm for panels and equipment, 100 mm for pipelines and plant rooms, 150 mm where the gauge is read from a few metres, 200–250 mm for test gauges and gauges read from a distance.

Materials

SS 316 Bourdon tube and socket with an SS 304 case is the safe default and costs little more than brass. Brass internals in an MS case suit clean, dry, indoor service. For acids, slurries and polymers, use a diaphragm seal.

Filling and accessories

Pumps, compressors and vibrating pipework need a glycerine filled gauge, plus a snubber on reciprocating pumps. Steam needs a siphon. Every gauge should have an isolation valve. See accessories.

Accuracy and standards

Working gauges: ±1% FSD as per IS 3624 (or class 1.0 to EN 837-1 on export jobs). Test gauges: ±0.25% FSD. Specify a calibration certificate from an NABL-accredited laboratory when the quality plan needs it.

Checklist for the BOQ line

1. Type and wetted material
2. Dial size
3. Range and unit (single or dual scale)
4. Accuracy and standard
5. Connection thread and position
6. Dry or liquid filled
7. Accessories: valve, siphon, snubber
8. Certificates

Quick answers