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American Petroleum Institute (API) standards

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API standards

API was formed in 1919 as a standards-setting organization and is the global leader in convening subject matter experts across segments to establish, maintain, and distribute consensus standards for the oil and gas industry. In its first 100 years, API has developed more than 700 standards to enhance operational safety, environmental protection and sustainability across the industry, especially through these standards being adopted globally.

API standards are developed under API’s American National Standards Institute accredited process, ensuring that the API standards are recognized not only for their technical rigor but also their third-party accreditation which facilitates acceptance by state, federal, and increasingly international regulators.

API standards committees

Each of API's Standards Committees serve the Oil and Gas Industry through its specific areas of interest. The Committees are:

The API Committee on Standardization of Oilfield Equipment and Materials (CSOEM) provides leadership in the efficient development and maintenance of standards that meet the priority needs of the domestic and global oil and gas exploration and production industry by minimizing needs for individual company standards, promoting broad availability of safe, interchangeable oilfield equipment and materials, and, promoting broad availability of proven engineering and operating practices.

The API Committee on Refinery Equipment (CRE) promotes safe and proven engineering practices in the design, fabrication, installation, inspection, and use of materials and equipment in refineries and related processing facilities.

The API Pipeline Standards Committees are dedicated to developing, revising, and approving consensus standards for the pipeline industry. These committees are comprised of technical experts, operating companies, vendors, consultants, academia, and regulators to create standards that facilitate safe operation and maintenance of pipelines.

The API Safety and Fire Protection Committee (SFPS) provides proactive safety and occupational health leadership and expertise to the industry, API committees and member companies. The SFPS seeks to advance and improve the industry’s overall safety and occupational health performance by combining resources to identify and address important public, employee and company issues.

The API Marketing Committee provides leadership in developing and maintaining standards on the wholesale and retail distribution, including tanker truck transportation, of refined petroleum products such as gasoline and diesel fuel to business, industry, government and public consumers. The Standards committees address commonly asked questions for consumers.

The API Committee On Petroleum Measurement (COPM) provides leadership in developing and maintaining cost effective, state of the art, hydrocarbon measurement standards and programs based on sound technical principles consistent with current measurement technology, recognized business accounting and engineering practices, and industry consensus.This is accomplished through the committee's and API’s leadership role in the national and international standardization community in the development, publication, promotion, and revision of petroleum measurement standards, through its subcommittee structure, and through elimination of duplicative efforts.

API upstream standards committees

In SPE's PetroWiki will focus on the Upstream committees only.

API Committee on Standardization of Oilfield Equipment and Materials (CSOEM).

The Committee on Standardization of Oilfield Equipment and Materials (CSOEM) consists of several subcommittees. Each subcommittee works with a specific area of exploration and production of oilfield equipment. Below is a list of the subcommittees and the areas they work with. You can access these subcommittee pages using the links at the top of the page.

  • SC2- Subcommittee on Offshore​ Structures                         
  • SC5- Subcommittee on Tubular Goods                  
  • SC6- Subcommittee on Valves & Wellhead Equipment                    
  • SC8- Subcommittee on Drilling Structures & Equipment                
  • SC10- Subcommittee on Well Cements                 
  • SC11- Subcommittee on Field Operating Equipment                        
  • SC13- Subcommittee on Drilling, Completion, & Fracturing Fluids                              
  • SC15- Subcommittee on Fiberglass & Plastic Tubulars
  • SC16- Subcommittee on Drilling Well Control Equipment
  • SC17- Subcommittee on Subsea Production Equipment
  • SC18- Subcommittee on Quality
  • SC19- Subcommittee on Completion Equipment
  • SC20- Subcommittee on Supply Chain Management
  • SC21- Subcommittee on Materials

API Drilling and Production Operations Subcommittee (DPOS)

The Drilling and Production Operations Subcommittee (DPOS) conducts advocacy and promotes sound practices on drilling and production operational matters.  In this role, the DPOS acts on existing and emerging issues, and develops recommended practices and guidelines. Also, it serves as a forum for coordination with government agencies and other domestic and international industry groups to facilitate communications on operational, safety, and training issues that may impact exploration and production activities.

API Upstream Standards

API SC 2 develops and maintains approximately 30 standards on the planning, design and construction of:

  • offshore structures -- RP 2A-WSD, RP 2FB, RP 2FPS, RP 2EQ, RP 2GEO, Bull 2HINS, RP 2MET, RP 2MOP, RP 2L, RP 2N, RP 2RD, RP 2SIM, RP 2T, RP 2U, RP 2V;
  • offshore construction materials -- Spec 2B, Spec 2H, Spec 2MT1, Spec 2MT2, Spec 2SC, Spec 2SF, Spec 2W, Spec 2Y, RP 2Z;
  • offshore cranes -- Spec 2C;
  • stationkeeping and mooring -- Spec 2F, RP 2I, Bull 2S, RP 2SK, RP 2SM, Bull 2TD;
  • non-destructive examination -- RP 2X.

API SC 5 develops and maintains approximately 40 standards on:

  • casing, tubing, and drill pipe,
  • pipe threads,
  • coiled line pipe,
  • coiled tubing,
  • line pipe,
  • CRA lined or lined steel pipe, and
  • drill stem elements.

API SC 6 develops and maintains approximately 20 standards on:

  • Wellhead & Christmas Tree Equipment, and
  • Pipeline, Valves & Connectors.

API SC 8 develops and maintains approximately 11 standards on:

  • drilling structures - Spec 4F and RP 4G;
  • drilling equipment - Spec 7K and RP 7L;
  • hoisting equipment - RP 8B and Spec 8C;
  • wire rope and roller chain - Spec 9A, RP 9B, and Spec 7F;
  • hammer unions - RP 7HU1 and Spec 7HU2.

API SC 10 develops and maintains approximately 13 standards on:

  • well cements,
  • casing centralizers, and
  • cement float equipment.

SC 11 develops and maintains approximately 22 standards on pump and pumping units, submersible pumps, and sucker rods.

SC 13 develops and maintains 14 standards on:

  • Drilling Fluids,
  • Drilling Fluid Processing Systems,
  • Testing of Heavy Brines,
  • Completion and Fracturing Fluids and
  • Proppants.

SC 15 develops and maintains approximately 6 standards on:

  • fiberglass line pipe, and
  • polyethylene line pipe.

SC 16 develops and maintains standards covering:

  •   drill-through equipment (TG 1), Spec 16A, Spec 16AR, 16AS, RP 16SP;
  •   coiled tubing well control, (TG 2), RP 16ST, 16WL, 16B;
  •   choke and kill systems (TG 3), Spec 16C;
  •   control systems and drilling well control equipment (TG 4), Spec 16D;
  •   (TG 5), Std 53, Std 64, RP 59, 16CBM;
  •   marine drilling riser systems (TG 6), Spec 16F, RP 16Q, Spec 16FR;
  •   underbalanced drilling (TG 7), Spec 16RCD;
  •   completions frac iron (TG 8), Std 16FI (under development).

SC 17 develops and maintains approximately 42 p​ublications within the following subsea production system topics:

  •   subsea system,
  •   wellhead and christmas tree equipment,
  •   flowlines, jumpers and umbilicals,
  •   flexible pipe,
  •   subsea production control systems,
  •   reliability, technical risk, and integrity management,
  •   subsea capping stacks/response
  •   completion/workover riser systems, and
  •   remotely operated vehicles/tools.

SC 18 currently develops and maintains two standards:

  • Spec Q1, Specification for Quality Programs for the Petroleum and Natural Gas Industries
  • Spec Q2, Specification for Quality Management System Requirements for Service Supply Organizations for the Petroleum and Natural Gas Industries

SC 19 develops and maintains standards on:

  • Packers and Bridge Plugs - Spec 11D1
  • Electric Submersible Pumps - RP 11S1
  • Subsurface Flow Control Equipment - Spec 14A, RP 14B, Spec 14L
  • Completion Accessories - Spec 19AC
  • Perforator Evaluation - RP 19B
  • Chemical Injection Valves - Spec 19CI
  • Downhole Electronic Components - Spec 19E
  • Gas Lift Equipment - Spec 19G1, Spec 19G2, Spec 19G3, RP 19G4, RP 19G5, RP 19G6, RP 19G9, RP 19G10, RP 19G11, 19G15, 19GLHB
  • Inflow Control Devices - Spec 19ICD
  • Interval Control Valves - Spec 19ICV
  • Liner Hangers - Spec 19LH
  • Openhole Isolation Equipment - Spec 19OH
  • Sand Screen Equipment - Spec 19SS
  • Downhole Well Test Tools - Spec 19TT
  • Subsurface Completion Isolation (Barrier) Valves and Related Equipment- Spec 19V
  • Explosives Safety - RP 67

SC 20 develops and maintains standards on supply chain management for critical materials and processes used in oil and natural gas exploration and production.  These standards include:

  •   castings, Spec 20A;
  •   open die forgings, Spec 20B;
  •   closed die forgings, Spec 20C;
  •   non-destructive examination, Std 20D;
  •   alloy and carbon steel bolting, Spec 20E;
  •   corrosion-resistant bolting, Spec 20F;
  •   welding services, Std 20G;
  •   heat treating services, Std 20H;
  •   distributors, Std 20J;
  •   non-metallic seals, Std 20L;
  •   machining services, Std 20M;
  •   continuous furnace heat treating services, Std 20N;
  •   plating and coating, Std 20P;
  •   subsurface electronics, Std 20R;
  •   additive manufacturing, Std 20S.

SC 21 will be responsible for:

  •   Provide resources as needed for materials related standards actions in each CSOEM Subcommittee
  •   Identify, recommend and resource materials related special projects
  •   Identify and assess topics and trends on industry materials related needs
  •   Publish technical reports related to materials issues of interest to the upstream standards community
  •   Report to the CSOEM on materials related upstream standards activities equipment and materials.