Threaded fitting JIC adapter with one 3/8 inch female JIC to one 1/4 inch male NPT nipple.

Joint Industry Council (JIC) Fittings

JIC fittings are widely used in fluid applications such as the delivery of fuel or hydraulics, expecially when a higher PSI is involved. The JIC fitting uses its 37-degree chamfer seating surface to seal rather than an o-ring that could corrode. This allows them to be connected and disconnected repeatedly, such as hydraulic applications, without concern for deformation.

Advantages of JIC fittings

JIC fittings are very similar to Army-Navy fittings but with a lower tolerance and therefore are produced at a lower cost. Commonly made out of stainless steel, the braided hoses makes connecting and disconnecting quick and easy, and the NPT to JIC adapters allow most connections to be easily converted to a JIC system. Maintenance, particularly with stainless steel fittings is very low, and costs are usually isolated to a replacing a damaged component instead of the entire system.

National Pipe Taper (NPT)

NPT is a standardized fitting that is commonly used for joining pipe. Due to the tapered threads (wider diameter at the base of the threads, similar to a trapezoid) the male fitting will tighten the further it is threaded into the female. NPT follows the technical standards provided by the American National Standard Pipe Thread standards, often called national pipe thread, which is often where the confusions with NPT arises, as NPT is specifically an acronym that refers to tapered pipe.