The first high-pressure polyethylene pipe material has been developed by Samsung General Chemicals (SGC) of Korea which can find applications in ultra large diameters. SGC is the first company in the world to obtain the official 'PE112' class for the new material, which can be used for high pressure water and gas pipe production. SGC is confident of taking the lead in the US$50 billion world pipe market with this material, which will acclerate the replacement of steel and ductile iron pipe. Based on a pipe dimension of SDR11, and at 20 degrees centigrade under high pressure (22.4 atm), the new resin PE112 can withstand more than 50 years of usage. PE112 prevents water leakage and is ideal for high-pressure locations prone to corrosion and the earthquakes because of it's durability. As compared to 1,200 mm with conventional polyethylene, diameters of up to 1,600 mm can be achieved with PE112. The reduced thickness and weight will result in cost savings in transportation and installation by over 30 per cent.The introduction of PE112 is the first leap forward since Solvay developed PE100 in 1991 and marks the fourth generation of polyethylene pipe material.