Aluminium power fittings, made from the same billet as our sheet
Cable lugs, bolted terminal connectors and parallel groove clamps — cast, extruded and machined in the works that rolls our sheet, then quoted against the conductor and the terminal you are actually connecting to.
Three fittings cover nearly every aluminium joint in a distribution network: a cable lug crimps a conductor into an equipment terminal, a terminal connector bolts the same joint without a crimping tool, and a parallel groove clamp joins two conductors without cutting either. All three are made here, from the aluminium we already roll and extrude — and all three are quoted against your conductor and interface drawing, because the palm and groove dimensions decide whether the part fits, not the catalogue number.
Three joints, three jobs
The difference between these products is the tool in the lineman's hand and the metal at the other end — not the name on the box.
Buyers mix them up constantly, and the mix-up is expensive: a crimp lug cannot be installed where there is no press, and a bolted connector will not pass a specification that calls for a compression joint. This table is the shortest way to tell them apart.
| Fitting | Joins | Installed with | The dimension that decides fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminium cable lug | Conductor to equipment terminal | Compression tool and the matching die | Palm hole spacing, palm width, barrel length |
| Aluminium terminal connector | Conductor to equipment terminal | Spanner only — bolted pressure plate | Palm hole spacing, stud size, conductor groove |
| Parallel groove clamp | Conductor to conductor, mid-span or jumper | Spanner, or a hot stick from a bucket | Groove diameter on each side, bolt torque |
A lug and a bolted connector do the same electrical job by different mechanical means. If your specification names a compression joint, use the lug; if the crew has no press or the joint must be re-openable, use the bolted connector.
Why aluminium, not copper
The conductor is aluminium, so the fitting should be aluminium. Join an aluminium conductor to a copper lug and you have built a galvanic cell: two dissimilar metals, an electrolyte called humidity, and a potential difference of about two volts sitting across the joint. The aluminium becomes the anode and corrodes. Contact resistance climbs, the joint runs hot, and a thermographic survey finds it two years later — usually after the outage.
An aluminium lug on an aluminium conductor removes the couple entirely. Where a transition to copper is unavoidable, the joint needs a bimetallic plate or a tin-plated fitting, and the plating thickness becomes a specification item rather than a detail.
Tin plating does a second job: it breaks down the tenacious oxide that re-forms on aluminium within minutes of being cleaned. That oxide is the real reason aluminium joints fail. Wire brushing removes it, and it is back before the crimp is closed — which is why the dies, the brushing and the inhibitor all matter more than the brand of the lug.
What is made here
These are our parts, not traded ones. Bodies are cast or extruded in the same works that roll the sheet on the material pages, then machined, drilled and — where the specification asks for it — tin-plated. That is the reason the range sits on this site at all: the billet, the press and the die shop are already here.
Lug and connector bodies are produced in-house from wrought aluminium; clamp bodies are extruded or cast in the same plant. Bolts, washers and springs are bought to specification. Type-test reports for the tooled range are held and are sent with the quotation — we do not publish a test claim we cannot put a report behind.
- Materials
- Wrought aluminium for lug and connector bodies — 1050/1060 and 1350 families; 6xxx for extruded clamp bodies; exact grade stated on the mill certificate
- Finish
- Mill finish as standard; electro-tin on request, thickness agreed per order
- Fasteners
- Hot-dip galvanised steel or stainless, quoted to the corrosion class you specify
- Tooling
- Existing die list covers the common conductor sizes; new dies quoted separately
- Standards
- GB/T 14315 for compression lugs and sleeves, GB/T 2314 for fittings generally, IEC 61238-1 and ANSI C119.4 as the heat-cycle test basis
- Documents
- Mill certificate, dimensional report, test reports on request
- HS codes
- 8536.90 connectors · 7616.99 aluminium articles
How the range is quoted
There is no generic size table on this page, on purpose. A lug is bought against the palm hole pattern of the terminal it bolts to, and a clamp is bought against the outside diameter of the conductor it grips — publish a table and half the orders that follow it will not fit.
So the quoting route is the specification route. Send three things and the answer comes back with a part number instead of a question:
The die list and the report list are PDFs — ask for both and you will get them the same day, without a form.
Buyer questions
Which of the three fittings do I need?
Cable lug if the crew has a compression tool and the specification calls for a crimped joint. Terminal connector if there is no press on site, or the joint has to be re-openable. Parallel groove clamp if you are tapping or jumping two conductors without cutting the main run.
Are these made in your factory or bought in?
Made here. Lug and connector bodies are produced in-house from wrought aluminium, and clamp bodies are extruded or cast in the same plant that rolls our sheet. Fasteners are bought to specification.
Do you have type-test reports?
Yes, for the tooled range. They go out with the quotation for the sizes you ask about — send the conductor class and the standard your utility applies, and we will send the pages that cover it rather than a folder of everything.
Why aluminium rather than copper fittings?
Because the conductor is aluminium. An aluminium lug on an aluminium conductor removes the galvanic couple that corrodes a copper-to-aluminium joint and makes it run hot. Copper only enters the picture at a deliberate transition, where the joint needs a bimetallic plate or tin plating.
Can you tin-plate the fittings?
Yes, electro-tin on request, with the thickness agreed per order. It is what coastal and substation work usually specifies, and it also deals with the surface oxide that causes most aluminium joint failures.
What is the minimum order and lead time?
Both depend on whether the size is on the existing die list. Small quantities come out of stock tooling; a new die is quoted separately and stays with the project. We confirm the date in writing on the quotation.
Related
Send the conductor and the terminal.
Cross-section, palm hole spacing, and whether the joint is indoor, outdoor or coastal — that is enough for a part number and a price.