Plain Lateral or Inline Drip? When Punched Pipe Is the Better Choice

What plain lateral is for

Plain lateral is the blank canvas of a drip system: a 16 mm polyethylene pipe with no built-in emitters, punched where you want an outlet. Ours is manufactured to IS 12786 in Class 2 with a 1.1 to 1.3 mm wall.

That is the same wall thickness as our 16 mm inline laterals, which matters more than it sounds: it means the whole block runs on one consistent pressure regime rather than two different ones.

When punched pipe beats inline drip

Specify plain lateral when plant spacing changes between seasons, when you are laying for an orchard with irregular trees, or when you want the option to move emitters later without replacing the line. A factory-fixed emitter cannot be re-spaced; a punched outlet can be plugged and re-punched elsewhere.

It is also the standard choice for carrying water to a manifold or feeding a further line, and it works with micro-sprinklers, jets and foggers as well as drippers — which is useful when one pipe has to serve more than one job.

What to watch when you punch your own

The trade-off is labour and consistency. Inline drip arrives with the emitter spacing already correct, so there is no on-site clipping, splicing or emitter-loss risk during laying; with plain lateral, every outlet is a decision someone makes in the field.

That makes it the right choice when the spacing genuinely needs to be bespoke, and the wrong one when it does not. If your crop is evenly spaced and you know the pattern, an inline lateral will be faster and more consistent for the same money.

Specifications at a glance

Common questions

Can plain lateral be used as a sub-main?

It is routinely used to carry water to a manifold or feed a further line. Whether it should be the sub-main depends on the flow it has to carry and the length of the run, so size it against the block rather than by habit.

What size dripper fits plain 16 mm lateral?

On-line drippers and emitters with a 16 mm barb, which is the standard fit. Our PC online emitter and our plain lateral are both 16 mm barb, so they pair directly without an adaptor.

How far apart should I punch the holes?

Match the plant spacing, and keep it consistent within a block so every plant receives the same. Inconsistent hand punching is the main way a punched system ends up irrigating unevenly.