Flanges for data center projects in Dallas-Fort Worth
Dallas-Fort Worth is one of the three largest data center markets in North America. Long, hot summers and the occasional hard freeze shape its cooling piping. Here is what that means for the flanges, and how they get from our works in India to North Texas.
For Dallas-Fort Worth data centers we supply A105 carbon steel flanges to ASME B16.5 Class 150 for chilled water, condenser water and dry cooler loops, ASME B16.47 and AWWA C207 flanges for large mains, and 316L flanges, pickled and passivated, for CDUs and technology cooling loops. Shipments come in through Port Houston or a West Coast port, then by truck or rail to the Metroplex.
The Dallas-Fort Worth data center market
Dallas-Fort Worth had 1,432.8 MW of colocation inventory in the first half of 2026, third among North American primary markets after Northern Virginia and Atlanta, with 39.6 MW available (CBRE). Campuses range from the Richardson and Plano telecom corridor north of Dallas to hyperscale sites south of the city and around Fort Worth.
Texas runs its own power grid, ERCOT, and the February 2021 winter storm, when DFW Airport fell to -2 °F on February 16, showed what a hard freeze does to outdoor water piping that was not designed for it. That is why freeze protection deserves a line in every North Texas mechanical specification.
Climate and what it means for the piping
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Hottest day in a typical year | 105.5 °F (41 °C) |
| Coldest night in a typical year | 19.1 °F (-7 °C) |
| Average July high | 96.9 °F (36 °C) |
| Average January low | 37.9 °F (3 °C) |
| Record high and low | 112 °F (44 °C) and -3 °F (-19 °C) |
Heat dominates. In a typical year the hottest day at Love Field reaches about 106 °F, and July and August afternoons average 97 °F. Chillers, cooling towers and dry coolers are sized for those days, and outdoor piping in the sun runs hotter than the air. That does not change the flange class: ASME B16.5 still rates an A105 Class 150 flange at 260 psi at 200 °F. It does mean gaskets need a temperature rating to match.
Freezes are short but real: Dallas averages 26 nights a year at or below 32 °F, and its record low is -3 °F. Outdoor loops either run glycol or rely on heat tracing and drain-down, and both need drain and vent connections. A105 is rated down to -20 °F in ASME B16.5, well below anything Dallas has recorded.
Flange specification for Dallas-Fort Worth projects
| System | Flange | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Cooling towers and condenser water | A105, Class 150, weld neck or slip-on; flat face at cast iron pumps | AWWA C207 for large tower mains |
| Chilled water and facility water | A105, Class 150 RF; ASME B16.47 above NPS 24 | Blinds on header ends for later phases |
| Outdoor dry cooler and air-cooled chiller loops | A105, Class 150, with gaskets rated for glycol and summer surface temperatures | Drain and vent connections for freeze protection |
| CDUs and technology cooling system | 316L, Class 150, weld neck or lap joint with stub end, pickled and passivated, 100% PMI | Same grade as the pipe; no slip-ons on the TCS |
Every flange is stamped with its grade, size, class and lot number and ships with a mill test report. Send us your line list and we quote each line as specified.
Getting flanges to Dallas-Fort Worth
Port Houston, the largest container port on the US Gulf Coast, is the natural entry for Dallas-Fort Worth; containers continue north by truck on I-45 or by rail. Cargo routed through Los Angeles and Long Beach can also reach the Metroplex by rail to an intermodal terminal around Dallas or Fort Worth.
We have no US office or warehouse: every order ships by sea from our works in Gujarat, India. Documents, origin marking, packing and US customs are covered in ordering flanges from India for a US project.
Frequently asked questions
Do Dallas-Fort Worth projects need low-temperature flanges after the 2021 freeze?
Usually not. ASME B16.5 rates A105 down to -20 °F, and the Dallas record low is -3 °F. The lesson of 2021 is freeze protection for the water, by glycol, heat tracing or drain-down, rather than a different flange grade.
Does Texas heat affect the flange rating?
Not in practice. An A105 Class 150 flange is rated 285 psi up to 100 °F and 260 psi at 200 °F, well above typical chilled and condenser water pressures. Check the gasket temperature rating for sun-exposed piping.
Can you ship to a contractor yard instead of the site?
Yes. Tell us the delivery point and the terms you want, and we confirm them in the quotation.
Sources
- CBRE, North America Data Center Trends H1 2026 (27 August 2026)
- NOAA 1991 to 2020 climate normals for Dallas Love Field, as tabulated in Wikipedia's climate table
- ASME B16.5, Pipe Flanges and Flanged Fittings: pressure-temperature ratings