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Storm Pipe Full-Flow Capacity

Manning's Equation · Circular Pipe Flowing Full

When to use: Size a storm drain by computing the discharge a circular pipe carries when flowing just full. Using Manning's equation Q = (1.49/n)·A·R^⅔·S^½, with the hydraulic radius of a full circular pipe equal to D/4, gives the full-flow velocity and capacity. Storm pipes should also reach a minimum self-cleaning velocity of about 3 ft/s to prevent sediment deposition; the calculator flags whether the current slope achieves this and reports the minimum slope required.

Pipe Material
Pipe Geometry
inside dia.
in
pipe invert
ft/ft
Full-Flow Capacity
10.53
cubic feet per second (cfs)
4727 gpm
✓ Self-cleaning (V ≥ 3 ft/s)
Results
Full-Flow Capacity Q10.53 cfs
Full-Flow Velocity V5.96 ft/s
Flow Area A1.767 ft²
Hydraulic Radius R0.375 ft
Manning's n0.013
Min Slope for 3 ft/s0.0025 ft/ft
References
Manning's full-pipe: Q=(1.49/n)A·R^⅔·S^½
R = D/4 for full circular pipe
Min self-cleaning velocity 3 ft/s (storm)
n: RCP 0.013, HDPE 0.012, CMP 0.024