| EMT also stands for electrical metallic tubing. EMT is used in commercial buildings, industrial installations (factories, mills, etc), and some residential structures for the purpose of routing (and protecting) electrical wire from one location to another. One would use EMT to run wire from a circuit breaker panel to light fixtures, or feed lines from a transformer to a set of switch gear.
EMT comes in several flavors. There is basic EMT, thin, galvanized steel pipe, which is relatively light and easily bent. It is used in residences and business type structures where it is unlikely to come under physical stress or attack. Then there is rigid EMT, which is thick, hardened pipe suitable for industrial applications. Rigid conduit is used where the wires inside must have the greatest level of protection (usually explosion proof). Rigid is heavy, bulky, and can be challenging for the electrician to bend properly with a number of manual or electric pipe benders.
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