Definition
Hardbanding — Hardbanding is a wear-resistant weld overlay applied to the outside of a tool joint (and sometimes the tube center) that protects the drill pipe from abrasion and, with casing-friendly formulations, limits wear on the casing it rotates against.
Also known as: hardbanding, hard banding, hardfacing
What hardbanding is
Hardbanding is a band of hard, wear-resistant weld metal deposited onto the outside diameter of a tool joint — usually on the box, and often the pin — to protect it from abrasion against the open hole and casing. Because the tool joint is the largest-OD part of a drill pipe joint, it takes the brunt of contact wear as the string rotates and slides.
Modern hardbanding materials are formulated to be casing-friendly: they resist wear on the tool joint while minimizing the wear they impart to the internal wall of casing, which is critical in long cased directional sections.
Key points
- Chemistry — early tungsten-carbide bands were hard on casing; modern crack-free and casing-friendly alloys reduce casing wear.
- Application and reapplication — hardbanding is applied at manufacture and can be re-applied when worn during pipe refurbishment.
- Standoff — a proud hardbanding band also keeps the tube body off the wall, reducing tube wear.
Why it matters for rentals
Rental pipe hardbanding is inspected and re-applied as part of refurbishment so it stays proud and casing-friendly. We rent drill pipe and heavy-weight drill pipe with maintained, casing-friendly hardbanding — contact us to specify your requirement.