3M 7000005878 3M, Scotchlok, Electrical IDC 560-BULK, Light Blue, 18,16 AWG (solid/stranded), 14 AWG (stranded), 500 per carton, 5000/case

The Scotchlok 560 takes 18 and 16 AWG solid or stranded on the run, and up to 14 AWG stranded. Stated minimum conductor size is 18 AWG (1 mm2) and maximum is 14 AWG stranded (1.5 mm2). The controlling limit in practice is insulation diameter: both the run and the tap conductor must be 0.145 in (3.7 mm) outer diameter or less, so oversized-jacket wire will not seat in the channel even if the copper size is in range.

No stripping. The 560 is an insulation displacement connector, so the metal element cuts through the insulation as the cap is pressed home. You lay the run and tap conductors into the body with the insulation intact and crush it closed.

3M calls for the E-9BM crimping tool or a 9 inch lineman's pliers. No special press or die set is needed, which is why these get used on service calls and in overhead fixture work where a crew is already carrying pliers.

That is what it is built for. The 560 is rated for double run or tap connections, so you can drop a tap onto an uncut through conductor, or splice two conductors in parallel. It holds a maximum of two conductors, so it is a two-wire device, not a multi-port splice.

No. The Scotchlok 560-BULK is an insulation displacement connector with its own blue polypropylene insulation, rated to 600 V and up to 105 C / 221 F, and it makes the electrical connection itself on 18 to 14 AWG. The Burndy UCCOVER1BOX25 is a Tapit polyethylene tap connector cover, meaning it is the insulating shell that goes over a separate tap connector rather than a connector that terminates wire. If you are replacing a 560-BULK you need a connector, not a cover.

Rated to 105 degrees C (221 degrees F) maximum operating temperature, which matches typical THHN and fixture wire ratings. The body is polypropylene and is flame retardant.

UL Listed and CSA Certified, and compliant with RoHS 2011/65/EU without exemption. That combination is what most institutional and government MRO specs ask for on a splice. It is made in the United States.

The 560 is a self-contained insulated body, so the connection and the insulation are one part and the job ends when the cap is crimped. Mechanical tap connectors are the other approach: those use a bare metal tap plus a separate insulating cover, for example the Burndy Tapit polyethylene tap connector cover, and they handle larger conductors than the 560's 18 to 14 AWG window. For small branch and fixture wire the IDC is fewer parts and no stripping; for heavy feeder taps the mechanical style is the route.

They serve different jobs even though the wire ranges overlap. The Burndy BDTIBB is a wall mount intersystem bonding connector in stainless steel covering #14 to #2 AWG, intended as a fixed exterior bonding point for grounding electrode and communications bonding conductors. The Scotchlok 560-BULK is a low voltage insulation displacement connector for a double run or tap splice on up to two cores, 18 AWG minimum through 14 AWG stranded maximum, installed inline with an E-9BM crimping tool or 9 in. lineman's pliers. Use the BONDIT where a code-required bonding termination point is called for and the Scotchlok where you are splicing or tapping conductors in a run.

They are unrelated parts that share the word connector. The RACO 4734 is a nylon 1 in. Type B liquidtight multi-position raceway fitting from the SWIVEL-LOK series, used to land flexible liquidtight conduit at a box or enclosure. The Scotchlok 560-BULK is a wire-to-wire insulation displacement connector for 18 and 16 AWG solid or stranded and 14 AWG stranded conductors, with a 0.145 in. maximum insulation outside diameter on both the run and the tap. If your takeoff calls for terminating conduit, the RACO fitting is the part; if it calls for splicing conductors, it is the Scotchlok.

Blue is 3M's color code for this wire-range class of Scotchlok. The 560 has a light blue polypropylene body, so crews on a large job can sort the correct range by sight instead of reading each cap. Keep in mind the color identifies the range, not the function, since the same blue body covers both run and tap use.

They ship bulk rather than on a strip or belt, 500 per carton with 5000 to the case, and the case quantity on record is 1000 units. Bulk packaging suits bench work and service carts; if you are feeding an automatic applicator you want a taped or strip-fed version instead.

For a box-level solution, the RACO 232MSCM is a 4 in. square welded box, 2-1/8 in. deep, with a STAB-IT connector and an M bracket, so the cable entry connector is integral to the box. The Scotchlok 560-BULK is a loose bulk-packaged insulation displacement connector supplied without any enclosure, flame retardant and RoHS 2011/65/EU compliant without exemption, used inside a box or raceway to make the splice. The two are commonly bought together on the same job rather than one in place of the other.