Updated 2026-09-04
Two approved drainage materials that do the same job at the same sizes. The choice is decided by what your jurisdiction is used to, what the building already has in it, and how cold it is on the day you are gluing.
Best overall
PVC, in most markets
Stiffer, quieter, stocked everywhere, and the primer step leaves visible evidence of joint preparation.
Best value
Whichever your supplier stocks
Neither carries a price advantage worth a special order. Matching local practice is the saving.
Best for cold work
ABS
One-step cement and better low-temperature toughness — which is exactly why northern markets standardised on it.
| Factor | ABS | PVC |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | ASTM D2661 | ASTM D2665 |
| Colour | Black | White |
| Joining | One-step cement | Primer, then cement |
| Joint time in cold | Sets fast, workable cold | Primer sluggish below ~40 °F |
| Impact resistance in cold | Better | Becomes brittle |
| Rigidity | More flexible | Stiffer, sags less between hangers |
| Sound transmission | Noisier | Slightly quieter |
| UV tolerance | Poor — must be painted if exposed | Poor — must be painted if exposed |
| Regional availability | Common in parts of the west and north | Common nearly everywhere |
Code violation
One-step cement means no primer, which is genuinely faster in a crawlspace and far more forgiving in the cold. It stays tougher at low temperature, which is why it dominates in several northern and western markets.
Against it: more flexible, so it wants closer support; noisier under a bedroom floor; and in markets where nobody stocks it, sourcing a fitting on a Saturday is a problem.
Stiffer, quieter, and stocked everywhere in every fitting configuration. The primer step is a nuisance but it is also visible evidence at inspection that the joint was prepared, which some inspectors specifically look for.
Against it: two-step joining takes longer, and both the primer and the pipe are unhappy in genuine cold — below about 40 °F the primer flashes slowly and the pipe chips rather than cuts.
Both are iron pipe size and both carry the same bore at the same nominal size, so slope, drain size and trap arm limits are identical either way. IPC Table 704.1 sets 1/8" per foot for a 3" line in ABS exactly as it does in PVC.
What does change is the support interval and the expansion allowance, both of which the manufacturer publishes and both of which are stricter for ABS. Read those before you set hangers.
Before the truck is loaded