WIKA: what the brand is and where it sits in measurement technology
WIKA Alexander Wiegand SE & Co. KG. A German company headquartered in Klingenberg am Main, Bavaria, founded in 1946 by Alexander Wiegand. The name WIKA comes from "Wiegand Klingenberg": the founder's surname plus the town. The company is still family-owned, now in its third generation, with around 11,000 employees and offices and plants in more than 40 countries. In pressure and temperature measurement WIKA is the global volume leader. It is the brand a designer writes into a specification "by default" when the project is serious and instrument accuracy actually matters.
WIKA's range is broader than that of most sensor suppliers in Ukraine. It is not one or two product lines but the whole measurement stack under one brand: mechanical gauges (Bourdon tube, diaphragm, capsule), electronic pressure transmitters, pressure switches, diaphragm seals, thermometers (bimetal, gas-actuated, capillary), RTDs and thermocouples with thermowells, temperature transmitters, level instruments, calibration equipment. People come to us for WIKA in two cases. First: the project documentation states "WIKA or equivalent" and the equivalent will not pass design review. Second: the engineer deliberately wants an instrument with a rated accuracy, a calibration certificate and predictable behaviour in an aggressive medium, not "a sensor off a marketplace for a quarter of the price". What sets WIKA apart in practice: clean stainless steel in the wetted parts, honest accuracy classes (0.5% and better on the S-11), proper glycerine-filled cases for vibration damping, full documentation for every variant, an available calibration certificate. Paying the WIKA premium makes sense where the instrument protects a pump, a process or safety. Not where you just need to "see that there is pressure".
What WIKA we carry — a map of the lines
The catalog holds over 300 WIKA items, mostly in pressure measurement plus a block of temperature instruments. Below is a map with links to the relevant sections; each line is described in more detail further down the page. Our general measuring-instruments catalog is in the sensors section, and pressure sensors specifically in the pressure sensors section.
Pressure transmitters (4-20 mA)
The main block: the S-11 series (precision, stainless steel, 0.5% accuracy, for pumps, hydraulic power units, process lines), S-20 (industrial standard, many connection and output options), A-10 (economical, up to 600 bar, for hydraulics and pneumatics), O-10 (compact with an M12 connector). Section: pressure sensors. Standard S-11 and A-10 variants for the common ranges (0-6, 0-10, 0-16, 0-25, 0-250, 0-400 bar) are mostly in stock.
Gauges
Our most popular line: glycerine-filled 213.53.063 gauges, 63 mm case, radial G1/4 connection. The workhorse for hydraulics and compressors where the pointer needs protection from vibration and pulsation. The 100 and 160 mm cases for panel mounting more often go to order. The general mechanical-instruments section: measuring instruments.
Pressure switches
Mechanical PSM02 and PSM-520 switches with an SPDT contact go on signalling and interlocking by pressure in hydraulic and pneumatic systems, pump groups, compressors. Electronic switches with a display (the PSD series) go to order. They sit in the sensors section next to the pressure transmitters.
Thermometers, RTDs, temperature transmitters
Bimetal thermometers (the TG series, e.g. TG54), Pt100 RTDs with a 4-20 mA output (the TR series, e.g. TR33), thermowells, temperature transmitters. They are taken alongside gauges and pressure transmitters on the same sites: heat substations, boiler rooms, process pipelines. Section: sensors and measuring instruments.
Calibration equipment, SF6 solutions, flowmeters and diaphragm seals exist in WIKA's global portfolio but are not in our stock range. If your project needs a portable pressure calibrator, a diaphragm seal for a viscous or crystallising medium, or a certified reference, write to the manager: to-order options are possible.
WIKA pressure transmitters: which series for which task
A short breakdown by series; more detail with prices and filters on the pressure sensors page:
| Series | For | What sets it apart | Range guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| S-11 / S-10 | Pumps, hydraulic power units, process lines where accuracy and stainless steel in contact with the medium are needed | 0.5% accuracy class, stainless-steel case and wetted parts, 4-20 mA output (2-wire), wide medium temperature range | 0-0.1 bar … 0-600 bar, vacuum and compound versions available |
| S-20 | Industrial standard: machine building, hydraulics, general process applications | Large range of connections and output signals, sturdy case, well-documented configuration | typical machine ranges, 4-20 mA / 0-10 V |
| A-10 | Hydraulics and pneumatics where price matters and accuracy requirements are moderate: hydraulic units, oil stations, pneumatic lines | Economical series, accuracy class around 1%, compact case, 4-20 mA output, medium temperature up to +80 °C | 0-0.1 bar … 0-600 bar |
| O-10 | OEM integration where space is tight and quick mounting is needed | Compact case, M12 connector, 4-20 mA output | typical machine ranges |
The selection rule we go through with the customer: the working pressure should sit roughly within 1/3-2/3 of the sensor's scale. At the ends of the scale the error is larger, and constant operation near the upper limit shortens service life. If the system has water hammer or pulsation from a piston pump, always add a snubber or pulsation damper ahead of the sensor, otherwise even a good diaphragm will fatigue prematurely. Before ordering we ask: working and maximum pressure, medium temperature, connection type and thread, the output signal you need, whether the medium is aggressive (then we look at wetted-part material or a diaphragm seal), and whether you need a calibration certificate. Nearby useful materials: an overview of sensors and measuring instruments in the catalog.
Gauge or pressure transmitter: when each makes sense
This is the question we get most often about WIKA. In short.
A mechanical gauge (the same 213.53.063 series with a glycerine fill) gives local indication: the operator walks up and sees the pressure is fine. Cheap, no power needed, no fear of voltage dropouts. The glycerine fill is mandatory where there is vibration or pulsation (a compressor, a piston pump, a hydraulic unit): without it the pointer "shakes" and the spring fails quickly. The 63 mm case is taken for mounting right on the unit, the 100-160 mm for a panel where the instrument has to be visible from a distance.
An electronic pressure transmitter (S-11, S-20, A-10) is needed when the pressure has to be sent into a system: to a PLC, a frequency converter (pressure boosting in a pump group), a recorder, SCADA. A 4-20 mA output, the instrument working in a control loop. If you have a pump with pressure boosting on a VFD, you need a transmitter, a gauge will not help here. For a typical pump the economical A-10 is enough; for a process line where the error matters, or an aggressive medium, the more accurate stainless-steel S-11 is taken.
A pressure switch (PSM02, PSM-520) is needed when you do not have to show or control anything, just "trip" when a setpoint is reached: start a backup pump, stop a compressor, raise an alarm. Cheaper than a transmitter, but without an analogue signal. No spin: the choice is driven not by "I want electronic" but by the actual task (show it, send it into a system, or trip on a threshold). With that information the manager picks the right class and series.
Notes from practice: where WIKA really earns its price, and where it is overpaying
From our experience WIKA gives a predictable instrument with its rated accuracy, not "the most accurate sensor in the world at any price". S-11 and A-10 transmitters, 213.53.063 gauges have been in our turnover for years; failures stay at the level expected for the class, and almost always come down not to "a defect" but to two things: the medium and the installation.
The medium decides service life. A pressure instrument lives a long time as long as the diaphragm does not contact what it is not meant for: an abrasive slurry, a crystallising liquid, an aggressive chemical. Here you need either a sensor with the right wetted-part material or a diaphragm seal. On clean water, oil, air, a plain S-11 or A-10 runs for years.
Water hammer and pulsation. The most common cause of premature failure of both a gauge and a transmitter: pressure spikes from a piston pump, a compressor or a valve slamming shut. A snubber, a pulsation damper, a glycerine-filled gauge case. These are not "just-in-case options" but a mandatory part of the scheme on such sites.
Range to suit the task, not "with a margin". A common mistake: take a 0-600 bar sensor for a system where the working pressure is 30 bar, "to be sure it is enough". As a result the whole working range sits in the bottom 5% of the scale, where the relative error is largest. Pick the range so the working point is closer to the middle of the scale.
Where WIKA fits: pump stations with pressure boosting, hydraulic units and oil stations, compressor sets, heat substations and boiler rooms, process pipelines, projects under corporate standards with mandatory design review, applications that require a calibration certificate. Where the premium is not justified: a one-off non-critical reading where a ±2-3% error bothers no one and downtime costs nothing. A simpler instrument is enough there. We say this plainly to the customer: WIKA costs more than no-name, but for concrete things (accuracy, materials, documentation, calibration), not for "a German label".
What to check before buying WIKA in Ukraine
The checklist we go through with the customer:
1. Instrument type to suit the task. First we work out what is actually needed: local indication (a gauge), a signal into a system (a 4-20 mA pressure transmitter), tripping on a setpoint (a pressure switch), temperature (a thermometer, an RTD). A mistake at this step means either overpaying or missing a function.
2. Range and accuracy. The working pressure should sit roughly within 1/3-2/3 of the scale. For process applications where the error matters, the S-11 series is taken (0.5%); for hydraulics with moderate requirements the A-10 fits (around 1%).
3. Medium and wetted-part material. Clean water, oil, air: the standard stainless-steel version. Abrasive, crystallisation, a chemically aggressive medium: a diaphragm seal or a special material is needed. Clarify before ordering.
4. Connection and output signal. Thread type and size (G1/4, G1/2, etc.), electrical connector (DIN, M12), output (4-20 mA 2-wire, 0-10 V). For a transmitter we ask how many wires, because it affects the PLC wiring scheme.
5. Vibration and pulsation. On compressors, piston pumps, hydraulic units a glycerine-filled gauge case and a snubber or damper ahead of the electronic sensor are mandatory. Put this in the specification from the start.
6. Calibration certificate. If the instrument goes into a process with measurement-traceability requirements, order it with a calibration report from the start; ordering one separately later takes longer.
7. Stock availability. Standard S-11 and A-10 variants for the common ranges, 213.53.063 gauges, PSM switches are mostly in stock; sanitary versions, large 100/160 mm cases, specific setpoint ranges, electronic switches with a display and to-order items need a few days for delivery.
Not sure which instrument suits your site: write to the manager with the working pressure (or temperature), the medium type, the connection and what exactly you need (show it, send it into a system, trip on a setpoint). We will suggest the specific WIKA series and what of it is in stock. Nearby useful materials: the catalog of sensors and measuring instruments, pressure sensors.
