Telescopic Square Tubing

Telescopic Square Tubing (for seat adjustment mechanisms, etc.)

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All telescopic tubes have a wall thickness of .105" (12 Gauge)

If you don't need a whole truckload of telescopic tubing for your project, then you've come to the right place. You can order as little as 24 ft of tubing from us - which is our minimum order. Typically, OEMs and other large manufacturers purchase these products in large quantities so that is how they are sold - which discriminates against the "little guy" - who needs a smaller quantity of the product when there isn't a substitute. Ordering 2000+ ft of a single size is simply out of the question for a small shop or individual working on a one-of-a-kind project. So we are very happy to fill this void!

Telescopic tubing is much more expensive because there are very few mills making such a product. Adding to production costs is the use of ONLY prime material of a consistent quality. The raw material is very clean and completely free of mill slag. At first glance one could easily mistake the raw material for cold rolled steel. The quality control process to make telescopic tubing is much more complicated and restricted as compared to rolling standard tubing. The final product must be STRAIGHT, and NOT twisted. It must be VERY square and rolled within tight dimensional tolerances. Standard tubing of the same size can be produced such that the final product is bent, twisted, out of square, as well as other anomalies and still pass inspection. After all, the expectation of inserting a freely telescoping inner tube isn't there to worry about.

What makes telescopic tubing work the way it does is a result of setting up the tube rolling process so that the welded seam flash is in the CORNER of the tubing rather than located somewhere along the flat side - as with standard tubing. In the latter case, the seam weld flash will interfere in the telescoping action of an inner tube. Since telescopic tubing has the welded seam flash in the corner, the inner tube has a corner radius that results in a clearance to allow telescoping with a reasonably tight tolerance between all four tube walls which is approximately .020".

Only the outer tube needs to be telescopic. The inner tube can be plain tubing you buy from any steel supplier. It is a waste of money to use telescopic tubing where it isn't necessary because it is much more expensive.

Generally, the inner tube dimensions need to 1/4" less than the outer telescopic tube. For example, if you wanted to make a telescoping mechanism with the outer tube being 2" x 2". You would use 1.75" x 1.75" square tubing for the inner tube material. Here are more examples of a single stage configuration:

A 2.5" tube will accept a 2.25" tube telescopically

A 2.25" tube will accept a 2" tube telescopically

A 2" tube will accept a 1.75" tube telescopically

A 1.75" tube will accept a 1.5" tube telescopically

A 1.5" tube will accept a 1.25" tube telescopically

A 1.25" tube will accept a 1" tube telescopically

Here are some examples of a multi-stage configuration:

A 2.5" tube will accept a 2.25" tube telescopically, with the 2.25" tube accepting a 2" tube telescopically (2 stage configuration)

A 2" tube will accept a 1.75" tube telescopically, with the 1.75" tube will accepting a 1.5" tube telescopically (3 stage configuration)

There are cases where you may want three or more telescoping stages. For example, you may want the first stage outer tube made from 2" x 2" telescopic tubing, the second stage inner tube yet again telescopic tubing but of the 1.75" x 1.75" variety, and the final third stage inner tube made from standard 1.5" x 1.5" tubing. You can design a telescopic system with up to 6 stages using the this telescopic system.

You may finish the product via powder coating or paint. It can even be chrome plated. As a manufacturer employing this product for decades, we typically have the inner tubes chrome plated because paint or powder coating will scratch too easily to hold up over time. In some cases, 304 (weldable) stainless steel tubing is using for the inner tube so that there isn't anything to "scratch off". In any case, we don't recommend powder coating the inner tube of the telescopic tube since tolerances are too tight to allow for the added thickness of powder coating. However, most 2-coat painting is not thick enough to cause interference. If you have any questions specific to your application, don't hesitate to call.

Our minimum order is one length (24 ft) of a given variety. We can't "mix and match" sizes and types to meet the minimum order. Your order must be at least 24 ft of a given type.

Orders will ship via UPS Ground as 3 pieces that are 8 ft long (96" long).

Sizes are available from 1.25" x 1.25" to 2.5" x 2.5" , in 1/4" increments (see chart below for more info and specifications)

Tubing is available in plain mill finish or galvanized. Or, with no holes or holes drilled every 1 inch on center. (see the below specs for more information).

Please scroll down to add items to cart and see various accessories available for telescopic tubing.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are buying more than one (1) 24 ft piece (cut into 3 x 8 ft pieces), we suggest placing only one online order per 24 ft piece to save on shipping and to avoid exceeding the UPS 150 lb maximum package size.

(There is no advantage to combining multiple items on a single order since all 24 ft quantities ship separately anyway)

You can place as many separate orders as needed, and you will receive an immediate order confirmation via email for each one.

If you need quantities of more than 240 ft of a given size of telescopic tubing, please contact us for a discounted price and truck shipping quote.

Please click on any item below to see more detailed information for that item.

NOTE: Each product photo below shows a single stage example of telescopic tubing. This is for display purposes only. The tubes are sold individually and do not come with either the inner or outer tube. Two or more tubes are required to make a telescopic configuration.