A Parker Catalog 4400-style hose mark is short and dense: a 3-digit series, an optional cover letter, and a dash size. The key practical traps are: the dash is a hose-ID prompt in 1/16 inch, and size-varying legacy rows cannot be treated as one pressure for every dash.
This guide explains the prompts the Parker Hydraulic Hose Decoder resolves: how to read the series, cover, and dash; why constant-pressure GlobalCore context differs from size-varying legacy rows; what the TC and ST covers signal; and why fitting, crimp, fluid, routing, OEM, and qualified-review gaps remain outside the decoder.
How to Read a 4400 Part Number
Take 387TC-8 apart:
- 387 is the hose series, which sets the family, the spec, and the pressure class.
- TC is the cover style (ToughCover). It is optional on most series and changes the cover, not the pressure, but a few series (471, 472, 482) are sold only in TC or ST, so on those the cover is a required part of the number.
- -8 is the dash size, the hose inside diameter in 1/16 inch. So -8 is 8/16 = 1/2 inch.
A second dash, as in 471TC-6-6, marks a bonded twin line (two hoses joined side by side). The dash is the hose ID; the fittings and threads on the finished assembly have their own size boxes in the full part number, so the hose dash is not automatically the fitting dash.
GlobalCore vs Legacy: Why Pressure Changes With Size
This is the review trap. On cached legacy SAE-style rows (302, 422, 471, 482), the working-pressure prompt drops as the inside diameter grows. That means a small-size row cannot be carried to a larger hose:
| 422 size | ID | Working pressure |
|---|---|---|
| 422-4 | 1/4" | 3250 psi |
| 422-8 | 1/2" | 2325 psi |
| 422-16 | 1" | 1275 psi |
| 422-32 | 2" | 575 psi |
That is a 5.6x spread in the cached example rows. GlobalCore context is the opposite: those rows are treated as constant-pressure prompts across their supported sizes. The decoder labels which behavior you are looking at, but current Parker data, hose markings, fluid, temperature, impulse, bend, routing, and qualified review still control real use.
Parker Hydraulic Hose Decoder
Decode a Parker Catalog 4400 hose part number (387-8, 471TC-6, 302-16, 797-16) into hose ID, OD, the working pressure for that exact size, minimum bend radius, construction, cover, and the matching fitting series. Legacy hose pressure drops with size, so the lookup is per (series, dash).
The Cover Suffixes: TC and ST
The optional cover letter is an abrasion and temperature prompt, not a pressure change:
- TC (ToughCover): a more abrasion-resistant cover, about 80 times the abrasion life of standard rubber (ISO 6945), for harsher routing.
- ST (SuperTough): the most abrasion-resistant cover, about 450 times standard, for severe rub.
A 387, a 387TC, and a 387ST are cached with the same pressure prompt: the cover differs. That does not approve the cover for an abrasion path, temperature, clamps, guards, routing, or environment. One important exception to a simple "strip it" habit is the 722 number, where cached rows preserve dash-size context because 722 and 722TC/722ST can point at different product contexts. Verify the current catalog and the marked hose before substitution.
Fittings and Crimp: Size-Dependent
The cached fitting-series prompt is not one final value for every hose family. On many Parker hoses the fitting-series context can shift between small and large sizes. Confirm the exact hose, dash, coupling, adapter, thread/seal form, and current supplier row before treating the prompt as actionable.
The crimp itself, including crimp diameter, die, insert, inspection, proof test, and assembly acceptance, is set by current Parker tooling/CrimpSource data for the specific hose and fitting combination. It is not calculated by this guide or app.
Suction and Push-Lok: Low-Pressure, Different Rules
Not every cached 4400-style row is an ordinary crimped pressure-line prompt:
- Suction and return (811, 881): SAE 100R4 low-pressure hose with a wire helix and a published vacuum rating. It moves fluid back to tank or feeds a pump inlet; it is not a pressure hydraulic hose.
- Push-Lok (801, 836, 821): multipurpose push-on hose that assembles onto 82-series push-on fittings with no crimping. It is low-pressure and must not be substituted for a crimped high-pressure hydraulic hose.
The decoder flags both so low-pressure, vacuum, push-on, fitting, and assembly source gaps stay visible. Verify current product data, hose condition, fluid, routing, and OEM requirements before substitution or service.