Copper Tube Terminals FAQ - Usage, Benefits, and Selection
What are copper tube terminals?
Copper tube terminals are electrical connectors used to connect cables or wires to electrical devices or equipment. Made from high-conductivity copper, they ensure reliable electrical connections and are commonly used in power distribution, control panels, and various industrial applications.
What is the difference between a terminal and a lug?
A terminal is a general term for an electrical connection point, allowing wires to connect to devices or circuits. A lug specifically refers to a type of terminal, often a metal connector used to securely attach cables to electrical devices, ensuring a secure connection.
What are the different sizes of lugs?
The most common copper electrical terminal sizes in our range vary from 2.5mm² to 500mm², accommodating a wide range of electrical applications. Larger and smaller sizes might be available as well, ensuring optimal conductivity and secure connections in power distribution and industrial systems.
Should I Crimp or Solder Copper Terminals?
Both methods can achieve a long-lasting connection when applied correctly, but they have very different advantages and disadvantages.
Soldering joins two or more metallic objects together using a heated metal made of lead, tin, brass or silver. Soldering can be a more cost effective alternative as you will not have to purchase an associated crimp tool. However, it can become a very time-consuming process and you must ensure the solder is RoHS compliant. Additionally, there can be a greater risk of corrosion and wire fatigue.
Crimping involves using a tool to apply pressure on the terminal and form a solid connection. Crimping copper terminals is recommended to use in applications that require high reliability in harsh environments. It’s faster to complete, provides greater resistance to corrosion, vibrations and other environmental factors, whilst also providing a more consistent result in your application.
How can I crimp lugs properly?
To crimp copper tube lugs properly, select the correct lug and matching crimping tool for the cable size. Strip the cable end, insert it into the lug, and use the crimping tool to compress the lug evenly. Ensure a secure connection by inspecting for firm attachment and no exposed wires.
Important! The crimping die and cable lug have to match up and be compatible with one another.
A video showing the correct way to crimp cable lugs from Klauke
What tool should I use for copper tube terminals?
We strongly advise that you always use the correct tool as recommended by the copper tube crimp manufacturer. When crimping copper tube terminals you require a tool that is specially designed for heavy-duty applications. It is also important to consider the volume of crimping you require, wire gauge size and the manufacturers’ specifications.
The most important fact to remember is that terminals and tooling are two parts of a “system” and using the wrong tooling or mixing your tooling manufacturer and terminal manufacturer breaks this system and will give unreliable results.
🔎 Looking for something not on our website?
Our most popular items are listed on the website. We are able to order additional products from the Cembre, Klauke and expressTERM Catalogues.
Contact our sales team at sales@expresselectrical.co.uk with quantities and part numbers for a quote!