PVC PIPE GASKETED JOINTS
                     PVC PIPE ASSOCIATIONTECHNICAL BRIEF
PVC PIPE GASKETED JOINTS — PART 1: HISTORY
In the early days of the PVC pipe industry, pipes and fittings were connected by solvent-cemented joints. The first ASTM standards 
for this joining system were published in the mid-1960s. As pipe sizes increased, however, solvent-cementing became a less attractive 
option.
Over the next decade, push-on gasketed joints were widely adopted as an alternative to cementing. Several ASTM standards for 
gasketed joints were published by the mid-1970s:
• ASTM D3139 for pressure pipe (1973)
• ASTM D3212 for non-pressure pipe (1973)
• ASTM F477 for gaskets (1976)
These standards are still in effect today, but are not the same as they were forty years ago. ASTM reviews all standards on a regular 
schedule, either reaffirming without change or revising as necessary.
For PVC pipe, the popularity of bell-and-spigot gasketed joints can be attributed to the following:
• Leak-free piping systems
• Ease of installation
• Dependability
• Long service-life
• Ability to accommodate both positive and negative (vacuum) internal pressures
• Ability to accommodate ground movements caused by seasonal changes and seismic events
• Ability to resist chemical attacks
• Ability to prevent axial stresses by allowing longitudinal movement
IMPROVEMENTS IN GASKETS
The first gasketed-joint PVC pipes were sealed by a rubber o-ring that was manually inserted into a pipe or a fitting. Over time, this 
simple ring was modified and improved many times. Newer designs incorporate multiple sealing methods including self-restraint 
systems, locked in place, integrated gaskets, and dual durometers.
The impetus for the improvements included:
• To reduce insertion forces during pipe assembly, resulting in increased worker productivity at relatively low cost
• To lessen the chance of a gasket being dislodged during pipe assembly, reducing jobsite problems
• To better accommodate variations in joint geometry, permitting proper sealing over a wide range of conditions
• To better accommodate extreme conditions like ground movement and joint deflection, allowing the pipe system to function in 
adverse situations
THE BOTTOM LINE: LEAK-FREE WATER AND SEWER PIPELINES
Elastomeric gaskets have been used for sealing PVC bell-and-spigot push-on joints for about fifty years. During that time, more than 
two million miles of leak-free water and sewer pipelines have been installed across North America.
References: ASTM D3139 “Standard Specification for Joints for Plastic Pressure Pipes Using Flexible Elastomeric Seals”; ASTM D3212 “Standard Specification 
for Joints for Drain and Sewer Plastic Pipes Using Flexible Elastomeric Seals”; ASTM F477 “Standard Specification for Elastomeric Seals (Gaskets) for Joining 
Plastic Pipe”; Rahman, S. “Sealing Our Buried Lifelines” AWWA Opflow, (April 2007).
Uni-Bell PVC Pipe Association  |  201 E. John Carpenter Freeway, Suite 750  |  Irving, TX 75062
Phone:  (972) 243-3902  |  Fax:  (972) 243-3907  |  [email protected]  5.16.2019