Industrial Cleaning Brushes

Industrial cleaning brushes do a job no cloth, jet or chemical can do: they make direct mechanical contact with the inside of a bore, tube or vessel and carry the residue out with them.
Getting one that actually works comes down to three things: the diameter of what you are cleaning, how aggressive the filament needs to be, and whether the wire core will survive the environment it works in.

At the Speedy Brush Company, we have been making brushes in Maidstone, Kent since 1951. We hold a range of stock sizes for next working day dispatch and manufacture to specification when our standard range does not cover it. Everything is made, tested and dispatched by us.

Choosing the right industrial cleaning brush

Start with the bore not the brush

The single most important measurement is the internal diameter of what you are cleaning. Measure the bore and order a brush slightly oversized, so that the filaments compress against the wall to give firm contact all the way round. A brush that slides through freely will polish the surface without lifting anything off it.

Our range starts at 8mm diameter and runs upwards. If you know the bore and the depth you need to reach, that is enough for us to recommend a specification.

Match the filament grade to the surface

Filament comes in five grades, from very soft to very coarse.

Very soft and soft are ideal for sensitive surfaces where scratching is a risk.Medium is a good default for most commercial cleaning on steel or rigid plastic. Coarse and very coarse are for heavy-duty cleaning of baked-on deposits and production-line build-up.Nylon filament (yellow) is more resilient and recovers its shape better after repeated use. Polypropylene (blue or white) resists chemicals and moisture, making it a good choice for wet processes and areas with solvents present.

Choose the wire core for the environment

The wire core determines how long the brush will survive, not how well it cleans. Stainless steel is our standard and handles wet, corrosive and food-contact conditions. Galvanised steel is a lower-cost option for dry work. Nylon-coated wire is used where the core itself must never touch the surface. In soft bores, coated pipework and finished components, it is used to prevent damage.

Wire gauges run from 14 swg to 18 swg. A heavier gauge gives a stiffer brush that holds its shape under load; a lighter gauge will flex around bends and into awkward geometry.

Industrial cleaning brushes by application

• Pipe Cleaning Brushes for bores, conduit, heat exchanger tubes and drainage runs.
• Boiler Cleaning and Flue Brushes for flue runs, boiler tubes and heat exchangers.
• Bottle Brushes for filling equipment, sample containers and fermentation vessels.
• Food Production Brushes in food-safe polypropylene for pipework, nozzles and filling lines.
• Test Tube Brushes for glassware, sample tubes and narrow-bore apparatus.
• Automotive Brushes for deburring, bore cleaning and surface preparation.
• Steam Engine Brushes for locomotive boiler tubes and fireboxes.
• Twisted Wire Brushes across the full diameter range.

Stock, delivery and trade quantities

We hold a wide range of over 400 brush sizes in stock, which are dispatched the next working day when your order is placed before 12pm. We also offer trade and wholesale quantities across our full range. For large orders, please call 01622 747299 to discuss volume pricing and arrange an ongoing supply.

When a stock brush won't fit

Some applications fall outside any standard range: non-standard bore sizes, extended reach, unusual end types, or a filament and core combination we don't hold. We manufacture to order from £100 + VAT, with quotes typically returned within one working day. See our bespoke brush service.