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Steel conduit weighs more, provides more protection, and costs more than plastic conduit. Plastic conduit weighs less, is easier to work with, and costs less than steel conduit.
steel and plastic conduits
PVC is cheaper but is used differently. PVC is usually baried in ground and emt usually runs exposed. You can use PVC exposed if it is schedule 80 gray PVC electrical conduit. Schedule 40 is for under ground
In electrical terms it represents Rigid Steel Conduit. It is also known as Rigid Metal Conduit (RMC).This is not to be confused with Electrical Metallic Tubing (EMT) also known in the trade as thin wall conduit.
It depends upon the construction of the building as to what type of electrical system is used. If the building is of a wood frame then ordinary home wiring system can be used. If the use of steel studs is involved then BX has to be used for the internal wiring. Where the cables come out of the walls to equipment, they have to be mechanically protected with conduit or flexible conduit. If the building is block or brick and the wiring system has to be installed on the surface, the system has to be conduit. If the installation is not engineered and no stipulation as to what type of conduit system has to be used, then go with EMT. EMT systems are labour and material wise cheaper than a threaded rigid system. To make the job look professional you need to hire someone that is good at bending EMT conduit. Ask to see other jobs that the contractor has done before letting out the contract.