From Air to Oil to Water: Understanding the Different Hoses We Carry

Welcome to Royal Brass Incorporated—your trusted, third-generation, family-owned hose supplier proudly serving Northern California since 1952. With locations in San Jose and Pacheco, our business is built on a foundation of quality, service, and selection. Whether you’re in need of a simple air hose or a specialized hydraulic line, our inventory and experience have made us the go-to destination for all types of industrial hoses. In this blog, we’ll take you on a deep dive into the different hose materials we carry and the applications they serve. From air to oil to water, understanding your options helps ensure safety, reliability, and longevity in your operations.

The Wide World of Industrial Hoses

At Royal Brass Inc., we specialize in providing all types of industrial hoses designed for diverse applications. Our hose inventory spans diameters from ½ inch to 5 inches and materials engineered to withstand everything from high-pressure hydraulic systems to food-safe environments. When customers walk into our San Jose or Pacheco locations, they’re not just shopping—they’re consulting with experts trained in factory sales and applications. Every hose we stock has been selected based on its performance, material quality, and reliability in industrial environments.

We offer hoses designed to handle a wide range of media, including air, oil, water, fuel, chemicals, steam, abrasives, and even medical or pharmaceutical fluids. This expansive catalog means you’ll find the right fit whether you’re a contractor looking for a durable pneumatic hose or a food processor requiring FDA-compliant tubing. Our same-day service and extensive in-stock inventory ensure you can walk away with a solution immediately, minimizing costly downtime.

Material Matters: Choosing the Right Hose for the Media

When it comes to selecting the right hose, understanding the different hose materials is critical. Each material is engineered to handle specific conditions—temperature ranges, pressure loads, chemical resistance, and media compatibility. For example, rubber hoses are ideal for high-pressure air or water applications due to their flexibility and resilience, while PTFE (Teflon) hoses are perfect for chemical resistance and high temperatures.

If you’re transferring oil or fuel, you’ll likely need a hose made of nitrile rubber or a similar oil-resistant material. Hydraulic systems often require hoses with a reinforced synthetic rubber core and steel wire braiding for pressure resistance. Meanwhile, food-grade applications might demand thermoplastic or silicone hoses that meet FDA or NSF standards. This is where our expert staff can make all the difference. Simply bring us your specifications—temperature, pressure, media type—and we’ll match you to the correct hose for your application.

We carry hoses suited for a wide variety of industries, including agriculture, construction, chemical processing, food and beverage, oil and gas, medical, and transportation. Each industry has its own safety and durability standards, and our job is to make sure the hoses we supply exceed those requirements.

Air Hoses, Oil Hoses, and Water Hoses: Key Differences and Uses

Let’s break down three of the most common media types: air, oil, and water—and the hoses designed to handle each.

Air hoses are essential in both industrial and residential environments, used in everything from pneumatic tools to inflation equipment. Our air hoses are designed to handle constant working pressures and are flexible, durable, and resistant to cracking. Whether you need a lightweight option for portability or a reinforced hose for heavy-duty shop work, we have multiple grades and diameters available.

Oil hoses must be able to resist degradation caused by petroleum-based products. This makes them more robust in terms of chemical resistance and temperature tolerance. Our oil hoses are commonly used in automotive shops, factories, and construction sites. Whether you’re pumping diesel fuel, transferring hydraulic oil, or connecting to a lube system, these hoses offer high performance under demanding conditions.

Water hoses, on the other hand, vary widely in application. From garden and irrigation hoses to high-pressure water blast hoses used in industrial cleaning, we carry them all. Some water hoses are designed purely for discharge, while others can handle suction and delivery. Depending on your need—portable water transfer, cooling systems, or even water-based food processing—we’ll help you choose a hose with the right pressure rating, flexibility, and material.

Each hose category is tailored to specific media requirements, and using the wrong type can lead to failures, safety issues, or contamination. That’s why it’s crucial to work with a supplier like Royal Brass Inc. that understands both your needs and the different hose materials on the market.

Custom Hose Assembly and Same-Day Service

Royal Brass Inc. goes beyond simply supplying hoses—we also offer custom hose assembly services that are second to none. Our experienced technicians can cut, crimp, and assemble hoses on-site in San Jose or Pacheco, often the same day you walk in. Whether you’re working with hydraulic lines, pneumatic tubes, or specialty applications, we have the tooling and fittings to create a hose tailored to your needs.

This ability to customize hoses on demand is made possible by our expansive inventory. With thousands of fittings, valves, adapters, and gauges in stock, we can build a hose solution that precisely matches your requirements. We also carry a full line of regulators, flanges, and quick-connect couplings to ensure seamless integration with your system.

This service is especially valuable to contractors, mechanics, facility managers, and OEMs who can’t afford to wait for a replacement part. Downtime is expensive, and we’re proud to be a partner that helps minimize it with fast, accurate service. Our warehouse staff is trained not only in hose assembly but also in technical sales, meaning they can guide you through the selection process, explain performance specifications, and offer alternatives if needed.

Serving Northern California Since 1952

At Royal Brass Inc., we’ve spent over 70 years building trust with our customers across Northern California. What began as a small, family-run business has evolved into the region’s most extensive hose, fitting, and component supplier—still family-owned, still local, and still focused on exceptional customer service.

We understand the industries we serve because we’ve been part of their growth. From the agricultural valleys to the tech corridors, our hoses are part of countless machines, systems, and processes that power California’s economy. And while we’ve grown, our values remain the same: honesty, knowledge, quality, and speed.

Whether you’re stopping by our San Jose or Pacheco locations, you’ll be greeted by knowledgeable staff who understand your needs and are committed to solving your problems. Our goal is to earn your business not just today, but for generations to come—just as we have for decades.

Conclusion

Understanding the types of industrial hoses and the different hose materials is key to choosing the right product for your application. From air to oil to water, Royal Brass Inc. is your one-stop-shop for high-quality hose solutions backed by generations of experience, unmatched inventory, and same-day service. Experience the Royal Brass difference today.

Royal Brass Incorporated

Welcome Royal Brass Incorporated! We are your 3rd generation, family-owned, local hose supplier! Our family has dedicated our services to supplying northern California with all types of hoses, fittings, flanges, regulators, valves, adapters, and gauges. We pride ourselves on having the most extensive inventory in northern California. Our inventory ensures that we can fix most products on site, the same day. Here at Royal Brass Incorporated, we only hire qualified individuals who are trained in factory sales. Our fully stocked warehouses ensure that we can fill your hydraulic and pneumatic hose, tubing, and fitting needs on time, every time. High-quality customer service is our goal and has been since 1952. Stop by or contact us today!

Categorised in: Hose Parts