Pipes in factories, plants, and buildings carry different things like water, steam, air, oil, or chemicals. To avoid confusion and accidents, each type of pipe is painted with a fixed color. This system is called piping color coding. Why Color Coding is Important? • Helps workers quickly know what is inside the pipe. • Prevents accidents and mistakes. • Saves time during repair or emergency. • Same rules everywhere, so everyone understands. Common Colours (as per IS 2379 – India) • 🟢 Water pipes → Green • ⚪ Steam pipes → Silver Grey • 🔵 Compressed air → Sky Blue • 🟤 Oil pipes → Brown • 🔴 Firefighting pipes → Red • 🟣 Acids/alkalis → Violet • 🟡⚫ Toxic or dangerous gases → Yellow with black bands How is it Shown? • Main color → Painted on the pipe body. • Bands/stripes → Extra warning for special hazards. • Text labels → Name of fluid written for clarity. If Ignored: • Wrong valve may be opened. • Delay in firefighting. • Risk of injury or property damage. In short: Color coding is a safety language for pipelines. Once you know the colors, you can instantly understand what flows inside.