There are several types of copper tube available. Some are soft and some are hard. Depending on the purpose of the tube, soft copper is soldered, drawn, or annealed. When buying this material, it is important to consider the temper and the dimensions. Tubes may be soldered in a variety of forms, such as round, square, or elliptical. Copper tubes may be soldered to a variety of specifications, including the thickness of the wall, the distance between adjacent surfaces, the length, and the number of pieces.

In the manufacturing process, the molten metal is forced through a dummy block and a mandrel. This results in a long hollow tube of copper alloy. The finished tube is about 2 3/ 4 inches in diameter and 87 feet long. The length will vary depending on the capabilities of the mill. The process is often called semi-continuous. The process is usually interrupted when the log reaches a certain depth in the pit. After that, the mold is filled with molten copper and the mold is withdrawn upward.

The raw material for copper plumbing tube is a mixture of newly refined copper scrap. The former is known as cathode copper while the latter is called anode. The choice of raw material depends on economic and technical factors, including the type of melting furnaces used. Copper scrap for tube-making is often recycled copper wire stripped of insulation or baled copper tube from a demolished building. Copper scrap is runaround scrap, generated within the tube mill.