August 16, 2024

Ensuring Quality and Compliance: How to Identify Genuine Uponor ProPEX® F1960 Fittings 

By Caroline Oberle

Uponor ProPEX® F1960 fittings are the top-of-the-line choice for cold-expansion fittings. However, with more generic brands developing their own line of fittings, it is becoming increasingly more important to ensure that the fittings you are receiving for your project are genuine Uponor.  

The cold expansion F1960 connection was pioneered by Uponor for ProPEX, and the expertise that the Uponor team and our partners have is unmatched.  

Uponor has done extensive evaluation of other fitting manufacturers and suppliers. During these evaluations, manufacturing design and quality inconsistencies were identified. Most of the generic fittings tested could not pass the intense requirements Uponor set forth for ProPEX fittings, and some did not even pass F1960 requirements. These failures by generics pose a large risk for system failure.  

It can be hard to look at a fitting and see the difference between an Uponor ProPEX Engineered Polymer (EP) fitting and a generic. However, there are key differences to look for that will help you identify what is Uponor and what isn’t.  

Here are a few key differences to help you identify Uponor ProPEX fittings.

Starting with what is stamped on the fitting, an Uponor ProPEX EP fitting will have the following: 

• Uponor Name or U logo  
• Material designation  
• Supplier ID  
• Country of origin 

You may also encounter an older Uponor fitting. While this is rare, it is important to know how to identify these fittings compared to a generic brand.  

Older Uponor fittings feature:  

• A “W” for Warnock Hersey or Wirsbo  
• An Older ID string  

When you are looking at the profile of the fittings, you will also notice differences on the tube stops and sealing barbs.  

Uponor ProPEX EP fittings will have these features on the profile:  

• Wider sealing barbs  
• Thicker tube stops located on the front of the fittings  

These features ensure the fitting inserts to the right depth and that the pipe is sealed properly. 
 
Competitor fittings may have the following identifiers:  

• Supplier name  
• Specific resin callout (PPSU) 

Competitor fittings will also have these characteristics:  

• Thinner sealing barbs 
• Thin, square tube stops on the bottom 

This design increases the risk of leaks because pipe can extend over the thinner sealing barb and the smaller tube stops. 

Protect your reputation by choosing Uponor  

It’s important to remember that mixing Uponor PEX pipe with generic fittings will limit the 25-year Uponor warranty and can create non-compliance with developers. Ask yourself if you are willing to put the entire building — and your reputation — at risk by using generic, low-quality fittings.  

It is also important to know that some distributors have combined Uponor ProPEX fittings in bins with other generic F1960 fittings. So, it’s essential to always ask for Uponor and know how to identify the product. 

Build the right way with a full system solution from Uponor with PEX-a pipe, ProPEX fittings, and ProPEX rings to ensure a high-quality system.