Plastic and Plumbing Testing and R&D Lab Services

NSF provides testing and R&D lab services for global plastics, pipes, and materials used in the water, gas, plumbing, and other industries. We help manufacturers develop more robust and safer products while also reducing their time-to-market.

If you have questions related to the safety or performance of a product, NSF can help you design the proper test to find the answer. We provide made-to-order independent and reliable testing and R&D services to help your company go beyond routine certification testing to demonstrate other aspects of a product’s safety and performance. Our staff of professional engineers, Ph.D. scientists and dedicated account managers supports your research and development projects.

NSF expertise and professional R&D services help you expedite market entry for plastic piping products, separate from certification testing. Our tailor-made research and development capabilities include advanced chemical and structural testing on plastic pipes, fittings and valves, metal fittings and components, manifolds, solvent cements, thread sealants, PVC ingredients and plastic materials for your global applications.

We’ve conducted R&D-related testing for oxidation under applied stress, varying flow rates, temperature and pressure, and chemical exposures. Using our expertise in the areas below, we also provide testing to ASTM, CSA or other product standards.

Our 20,000-square-foot plastic testing laboratory in Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA, is part of a global network of ISO/IEC 17025-accredited facilities spanning North and South America, Europe, and Asia.

Partner with NSF for plastic piping compliance

Are you a manufacturer of plastic pipes, fittings, or materials used in piping systems? NSF is here to support your compliance journey. Our extensive testing and certification capabilities cover plastic piping systems and components used in:

Potable water
Non-potable water: Drain, waste, and vent (DWV); Sewer; Reclaimed water
Heating and cooling: Radiant heating, Gas distribution, Geothermal
Power and communications conduit
Fire safety: Fire main, Fire sprinkler
Oil and gas gathering.

We offer customised solutions through our advanced laboratory capabilities, including chemical and structural testing on plastic pipes, fittings, and valves, as well as metal fittings and components, manifolds, solvent cements, thread sealants, PVC ingredients, and plastic materials for your global applications. This enables you to meet unique performance and regulatory requirements with precision and efficiency. We’ve conducted R&D-related testing for oxidation under applied stress, varying flow rates, temperatures, and pressures, as well as chemical exposures.

By combining our expertise in these testing and product standards, as well as the areas listed below, we partner with our clients to create a tailored research and product development programme.

Oxidative resistance testing

We test the long-term impact of disinfectants on plastic material performance in multiple forms, including pipe, plumbing components, fittings and test coupons with a fast turnaround.

Pressure testing

We have 1,900 stations in our pressure testing facility and can establish the pipe’s long-term pressure/stress capabilities per procedures such as PPI-TR3, ASTM D2837 and ISO 9080. We can also conduct testing of other pressure performance requirements, as well as short-term burst testing on the pipe and other plumbing system components.

Non-pressure testing

We offer testing of plastic piping systems and components used in non-pressure applications such as storm and sanitary sewer, wastewater, land drainage, and conduits.

Testing for large-diameter plastic pipe

We can test large-diameter plastic piping with tubing diameters up to 36” Nominal Pipe Size. Materials we can test include PVC, PE and other materials.

Slow crack growth validation/rapid crack propagation testing

These tests are critical to understanding the performance of piping, particularly in gas applications. They characterise the material’s long-term and short-term performance, respectively.