Rubber steel flange gasket
GUME manufactures rubber-steel flange gaskets according to customer drawings. We combine a load-bearing body made of steel or stainless steel with vulcanised rubber coating and supply the finished flange gasket from batch size 1 to large-scale production. Toolmaking and metalworking are carried out in-house.
- Customised production
- Batch sizes 1 to 1 million units.
- Express production from 2 weeks
- 100% Reliability & proactivity
Rubber-steel flange gasket made to your requirements
A flange gasket designed as a metal-bonded component seals two metal connections against each other. In a bolted flange joint, the metal carrier absorbs the bolt load and distributes it across the flange face. The rubber coating generates the required contact pressure along the sealing lines and compensates for irregularities in the two flange faces. This ensures consistent contact pressure along the entire sealing line, even where bolt tightening torques vary or the joint is exposed to thermal movement. At our facility in Bavaria, we manufacture every flange gasket to your drawing and specific requirements.
rubber-steel ring gasket with a flat steel ring as a metal core and rubber coating
GST flange gasket
Ring seal with vulcanised sealing bead for an additional sealing edge
GSTD with sealing bead
Internal sealing bead with external steel support ring
GSTD with internal sealing lip
Standardised or custom-made bore, to match your flange
GSTD with hole profile
Customised special designs of your rubber-steel flange connection in various sizes
Custom-made GSTD
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More InformationBenefits of rubber-steel flange gaskets
The combination of a steel carrier and an elastomer provides high mechanical stability and reliable sealing performance. This offers several benefits for demanding flange connections.
- Defined compression: The steel beam limits the compression of the elastomer to a specified dimension. This prevents over-compression of the sealing surface.
- Compensation for flange unevenness: the rubber coating adapts to the roughness and waviness of the mating surfaces. This creates a reliable seal along the sealing line.
- High load-bearing capacity: The metallic carrier securely absorbs high bolt loads. As a result, the gasket is also suitable for higher pressures and larger nominal sizes.
- Reliability during temperature changes: The steel core ensures the dimensional stability of the seal, while the elastomer simultaneously compensates for movements within the joint.
- Application-specific design: Carriers, sealing profiles and elastomers can be adapted to operating conditions. This allows the seal to be tailored to the medium, temperature and pressure.
Structure and function of Rubber-steel flange gasket
The rubber-steel flange gasket divides two tasks between two materials: the steel carrier takes on the mechanical guidance of the joint, while the elastomer provides the sealing. This separation offers an advantage over a flat gasket made of pure rubber.
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Steel girder
The carrier made of steel or stainless steel gives the flange gasket its dimensional stability and absorbs the bolt preload. It acts as a compression limiter that sets the compression of the elastomer to the intended level, thereby preventing over-compression of the sealing line. Under internal pressure, the rigid carrier supports the gasket and reduces the risk of it being extruded from the gap. Compared to an aluminium carrier, steel supports higher bolt forces and is suitable for flange connections with high pressures and large nominal diameters.
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Rubber sealing surface
The vulcanised sealing beads sit on the carrier. The elastomer adapts to the roughness and waviness of the mating surfaces and builds up the contact pressure required for the seal. Via the geometry of the sealing bead, we control at which point on the flange face the pressure acts and how it is distributed over the circumference. Sealing beads on the carrier increase the line pressure with a limited tightening torque.
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Hole pattern and centring
The hole pattern of the flange gasket follows the bolt pattern of the flange, either according to standard or to your drawing. The drill holes position the gasket in the correct location between the flanges and ensure that the bolt force is introduced evenly into the carrier. A defined centring keeps the sealing line concentric with the lead-through and ensures uniform surface pressure over the entire circumference.
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Sealing bead
For high line pressure, we provide the steel beam with a vulcanised sealing bead, i.e. narrow rubber webs projecting by a defined height. This protrusion height determines the compression dimension: during bolting, the bead is compressed until the flange surface sits on the steel beam. The beam acts as a stop and limits the compression to the structurally defined value. Since the bolt force acts on the narrow strip surface, a high surface pressure is created even with a limited tightening torque. Several parallel sealing strips form additional sealing lines for redundancy or to separate adjacent media spaces.
Rubber-steel flange gaskets -
individually made by GUME
- In-house toolmaking: moulds are created internally, with no external waiting times
- Express production possible: first samples already available in 2–3 weeks
- Flexible sizes and quantities
- Custom production from single items to large-scale series
The right rubber
for your rubber-steel flange gasket
We select the base material and elastomer depending on the medium, temperature, pressure and installation situation. The following combinations cover the vast majority of flange applications. We process other compounds on request.
Steel support ring
Structural, quenching and tempering, or stainless steel brackets for high bolt loads and pressures, economical in medium and large batches, optionally coated for additional corrosion protection.
Seals water, hot water, steam and weathering and withstands -50 °C to +130 °C, but is not resistant to oil; compounds available in accordance with DIN EN 681-1.
Resists oil, grease and fuel from -30 °C to +110 °C, covering most hydraulic and machinery applications.
Extends the oil resistance of NBR to -30 °C to +150 °C with higher mechanical load capacity. Even higher resistance to chemicals, fuels and heat than NBR.
Handles aggressive process media and temperatures from -30 °C to +220 °C and is frequently used in chemical and process engineering.
You have questions about
Rubber-steel flange gaskets
We have answers!
When is a rubber-steel flange gasket more sensible than a flat gasket made of 100% rubber?
A rubber-steel flange gasket is worthwhile when high bolt loads, high pressures or thermal cycles act on the joint. The steel core limits the compression, prevents settling of the gasket and supports the elastomer against internal pressure. Pure elastomer flat gaskets can lose their surface pressure under these conditions, whereas the composite solution maintains the preload over long operating periods and allows for reproducible installation.
Which flange standards and hole patterns can be manufactured?
We manufacture annular flange gaskets for pipe flanges in DN grids according to DIN EN 1092-1 as well as full-face flange gaskets with individual hole patterns for customer-specific flange faces. Carriers and tooling are produced according to your drawing, meaning that non-standardised geometries, special diameters and multi-part lead-throughs can also be implemented.
From what quantity does a custom rubber-steel flange gasket become worthwhile?
We manufacture from batch size 1 as a custom-made product for special projects and replacement requirements. Replacing a catalogue solution with an adapted flange gasket is often economically worthwhile from around 500 units upwards, for example when the installation space, hole pattern or medium deviate from the standard.
Do rubber-steel flange gaskets comply with standards for drinking water, FDA, etc.?
We select the compounds in such a way that the required standards are met, and supply the associated certificates. For drinking water and utility applications, we source EPDM in accordance with DIN EN 681-1, for gas applications materials in accordance with DIN EN 682, and for food contact compounds in accordance with FDA and EC 1935/2004.
Can a rubber-steel flange gasket be reused after the connection has been loosened?
Reuse is possible, but depends on the condition of the seal after removal. Following prolonged compression, elastomer sealing lines exhibit compression set, meaning they can no longer build up the original restoring force and surface pressure when re-bolted. We recommend checking the removed seal for permanent deformation, cracks, swelling and damage to the sealing line, and replacing it in safety- or pressure-related joints.
