Hose types: from 1SN to R15 — reading the hose construction
1SN, 2SN, 4SP, 4SH, R13, R15 are not grades of rubber but reinforcement designs. We look at how braid differs from spiral, what pressures each type holds, where it is used — and what equipment it is cut, skived and crimped with.
The layline on a hose — "EN 853 2SN DN12" or "SAE 100R15 DN50" — answers the main question: how its reinforcement is built. Everything else follows from the reinforcement: working pressure, flexibility, behaviour under pulsation — and the equipment a shop needs to work with the hose. We go through the types from light to heavy and finish with a "type → machines" table.
What any hydraulic hose is made of
The rubber here is a sealant and protection; all the pressure is carried by the steel wire. The wire is laid in two ways, and this is the main dividing line between types:
Braid — the wire is woven criss-cross like a stocking. Such a reinforcement is flexible and holds medium pressures well; there are one or two layers. Spiral — the wire is laid helically in four or six layers, in pairs in opposite directions. A spiral reinforcement is stiffer but holds high pressures and, more importantly, survives millions of pulsation cycles — the regime in which braid fatigues.
Braided hoses: 1SN and 2SN
1SN (EN 853, the SAE 100R1AT counterpart) — one braid. The working pressure depends on the diameter: roughly from 225 bar at DN6 to 88 bar at DN25. These are control lines, return lines, auxiliary hydraulics — wherever the pressure is moderate and flexibility matters.
2SN (EN 853, the SAE 100R2AT counterpart) — two braids, the most widespread hydraulic hose: about 275 bar at DN12 and 165 bar at DN25. The working lines of tractors, loaders, municipal machinery and machine tools are its typical territory.
Equipment. Braided hoses are the service range: cutting with a smooth blade on the LT-C250CS or LT-C300, assembly with no-skive fittings without skiving, crimping on any press from the LT-P16HP to the LT-P32 — by diameter, as covered in the machine selection guide.
Spiral hoses: 4SP and 4SH
4SP (EN 856) — four spiral layers: about 445 bar at DN12, decreasing towards large diameters. 4SH (EN 856) — also four layers but of heavier wire, made from DN19 up: around 420 bar at DN19 and 290 bar at DN38. This is the power hydraulics of excavators, cranes and presses — circuits with high pressure and constant pulsation.
Equipment. Cutting — with a toothed blade: a smooth blade cuts dense spiral reluctantly; the machines are the LT-C300/LT-C400F. Assembly — with interlock fittings, which means external and internal skiving on the LT-S50 is mandatory. Crimping — presses from the LT-P32 up: four layers of heavy wire need a force reserve.
Ultra-high pressure: R13 and R15
The American SAE 100R line is built differently: for R13 and R15 the working pressure is constant across all diameters — 345 bar (5000 psi) for R13 and 420 bar (6000 psi) for R15. This is achieved with four to six spiral layers: the R15 is a six-spiral hose. Their place is the heaviest machinery: mining excavators, drilling rigs, hydraulic breakers, where large diameters must hold full pressure.
Equipment. The requirements here are the strictest, and we covered them in the article on cutting: the six-spiral R15 is cut with a toothed high-speed steel blade on a machine with pneumatic feed — the LT-C400A — at a low feed speed. Skiving, external and internal — the LT-S50 (internal from 3/4"). Crimping — presses from the LT-P120 up, with interlock dies; the diameter for the specific hose and fitting pair is confirmed by testing, as described in the article on crimp charts.
Summary table: type → equipment
| Type | Reinforcement | Pressure (guide) | Cutting | Skiving | Crimping |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1SN | 1 braid | 88–225 bar by diameter | smooth blade, C250/C300 | not needed (no-skive) | P16–P20 |
| 2SN | 2 braids | 165–415 bar by diameter | smooth blade, C250/C300 | not needed (no-skive) | P16–P32 |
| 4SP | 4 spirals | ~445 bar at DN12 | toothed blade, C300/C400F | external + internal, S50 | from P32 |
| 4SH | 4 spirals | ~420 bar at DN19 | toothed blade, C300/C400F | external + internal, S50 | from P32 |
| R13 | 4–6 spirals | 345 bar, all diameters | toothed blade, C400F/C400A | external + internal, S50 | from P120 |
| R15 | 6 spirals | 420 bar, all diameters | toothed HSS blade, C400A, low feed | external + internal, S50 | from P120 |
How to read the layline
The line on the hose is assembled from the same blocks: standard and type (EN 853 2SN or SAE 100R15), diameter (DN12 is the millimetre series, "-08" the imperial sixteenths: 8/16 = 1/2"), working pressure, production date and manufacturer. Carrying this information over to the finished assembly is the job of marking: on interlock assemblies part of the printed cover is removed by skiving, and the stamp on the ferrule remains the product's only passport.