What is the Difference Between a Drill Pipe and a Drill Collar?

Those in the oil drilling industry need industrial drill pipes and collars they can rely on. These key players in a drill string make drilling possible. What are drill pipes and collars, and how do they work in tandem to drill oil?

How Oil Drilling Works

Drilling oil is a labor-intensive process, requiring hundreds of feet of heavy-duty pipe to break through the earth and extract the precious resource. 

“In rotary drilling, a crew rotates a bit that drills a hole through the earth in search of oil or gas. The crew attaches the bit to a hollow length of pipe that serves two purposes: it provides the weight to make the bit dig into the earth’s formations, and it provides a passageway to circulate a fluid—drilling mud—to the bit as it rotates,” explains The University of Texas at Austin Petroleum Extension (PETEX)

At the end of the drill that bores into the earth is a drill bit. Attached to the drill bit are two different types of piping; drill pipes and drill collars.

What is a Drill Pipe?

Drill pipe is the main component in what’s known as the ‘drill string’, or string of piping that probes into the soil. These drill strings can be thousands of feet long to go deep enough into the earth to reach oil reserves. Typically, about ninety percent of the drill string is made up of drill pipe. Drill pipes are made from either aluminum or steel.

What is a Drill Collar?

A drill collar is an ultra-thick piece of piping that attaches directly to the drill bit at the end of the drill string. This heavy piece of pipe is either slick or spiral grooved in design and adds the necessary weight to the drill bit so it can bore into the ground. Adding this weight helps drill a straight hole and maintain tension.

Tulsa, Oklahoma Steel Pipe Distributor

Reddy Pipe & Supply, Inc. sells top-quality industrial tubular. We’ve been serving the oil and gas industry since 1985. From small orders to truckloads of industrial pipe, we work with our customers’ needs and even deliver. Get in touch to order pipe and supplies. We are Reddy to serve you!

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