Thomas & Betts CDOW 3x2x2.5 In Gangable Switch Box, Steel, 12.5 in³

The CDOW is a single-gang box, 3 x 2 x 2.5 inches, with 12.5 cubic inches of volume. That holds one switch or one receptacle. Because it is gangable, you remove a side plate and bolt on another box to build a two-gang, three-gang, or wider assembly on the same stud. Box fill still has to be worked per gang, so count conductors, devices, and grounds against 12.5 cubic inches each.

It is a new-work box. The CDOW has mounting ears, which bear on the face of the stud so the box sets to the finished wall line before drywall goes up. For a cut-in into existing finished drywall you want an old-work box with retaining clamps instead, like the RACO 517 TIGER GRIP gangable steel switch box.

The CDOW holds 12.5 cubic inches. The Allied Moulded P-181 FlexBox is a 1-gang residential switch/receptacle box rated at 18 cubic inches, so it gives you more fill room in the same single-gang footprint; for a two-device opening, the Allied Moulded 2302-NKV is a 2-gang box.

Steel, finished silver. A metal box means the box itself is part of the equipment grounding path once properly bonded, and it is what you need when you are landing metal raceway or armored cable. If the job calls for non-metallic, the Allied Moulded P-181 FlexBox thermoplastic box or the Cantex EZ20SB non-metallic box are the other route.

Yes. The CDOW carries UL listing E2969, which is what an inspector or a spec on an institutional job will be looking for on a metal device box.

Stay with gangable steel boxes of the same 3 x 2 nominal size and the same 2-1/2 inch depth so the side walls and screw bosses line up. ZenSupply also stocks the RACO 518S gangable switch box at 2-1/2 inches deep and the Steel City Adjust-A-Box LXWOWC-25 gangable box. Mixing depths leaves a step in the assembly and a gap behind the plate.

The CDOW's ears are made to screw or nail to the face of a stud, which is a wood-stud detail. For light-gauge steel studs the Cantex EZ20SB EZ Box is built as a steel stud box, and the Steel City Adjust-A-Box LXWOWC-25 is the other direction to look if you need depth adjustment after the wall is closed.

The CDOW is a single-gang steel box you build out by ganging as many as the opening needs, which keeps one part number on the truck for every switch count. A fixed 2-gang box like the Allied Moulded 2302-NKV fiberglass box comes as one piece for two devices, so there are no side plates to remove and nothing to misalign, but you cannot change the gang count on site.

Both are Thomas & Betts gangable steel switch boxes, but they are not interchangeable. The CDOW is a fixed 3 x 2 x 2.5 inch steel box with ears. The LXWOWC-25 is a Steel City Adjust-A-Box, a 1-gang gangable box in pre-galvanized steel whose bracket adjusts the box position relative to the stud for setting depth to varying wall finishes.

The CDOW is steel, so it will not satisfy a non-metallic callout. The Allied Moulded 2302-NKV is a fiberglass reinforced 2-gang switch box, the Allied Moulded P-181 FlexBox is thermoplastic for residential switch and receptacle use, and the Cantex EZ20SB EZ Box is a 1-gang non-metallic box for steel stud framing.

The CDOW is gangable, so its sides come off to join boxes into wider assemblies, and it is UL listed under E2969. The RACO 518S and the RACO 517 TIGER GRIP are also gangable steel switch boxes, and the Steel City LXWOWC-25 Adjust-A-Box is a gangable 1-gang box. The Allied Moulded 2302-NKV is a fixed 2-gang box rather than a gangable one.

The CDOW sells by the each, so you can order a single box for a one-off repair or take as many as the rough-in needs.