Metallics SWA3830 Anchors 3/8 X 3" Cracked Concrete Wedg (Jar 50)

The SWA3830 is a 3/8 inch diameter wedge anchor, so it drills with a 3/8 inch carbide bit. Wedge anchors are matched one-to-one: anchor diameter equals bit diameter, and the hole is drilled deeper than the embedment so dust and cuttings have somewhere to go.

Yes, the Metallics SWA3830 is a cracked concrete wedge anchor. That matters because structural and seismic anchorage work is commonly specified to cracked concrete values, and an anchor qualified only for uncracked concrete will not satisfy that spec. If the drawing or the engineer calls out cracked concrete anchorage, a 3/8 x 3 inch cracked concrete wedge anchor is the category being asked for.

The SWA3830 is 3 inches overall, and on a wedge anchor that total length has to cover the thickness of what you are fastening, the washer and nut, plus the embedment into the concrete. Thin steel plate, strut channel, or equipment bases work fine at 3 inches. If your fixture is thick, or you need deeper embedment to hit a load value, step up to a longer 3/8 inch anchor instead of shortening embedment.

No. The SWA3830 is a concrete wedge anchor, and wedge anchors need solid poured concrete to develop their hold. In hollow block the expansion clip has nothing to bear against and can blow out the cell wall. Use a sleeve anchor, a toggle, or a block-rated screw anchor for masonry instead.

A wedge anchor like the 3/8 x 3 inch SWA3830 is a one-shot mechanical expansion anchor for solid concrete: it sets permanently as you torque the nut and is not meant to be backed out and reused. Sleeve anchors spread load over a wider area and are the choice for block or brick, where a wedge anchor should not be used. Concrete screw anchors are removable and faster to install, but they are generally for lighter duty. For fixed structural attachment into poured concrete, the wedge anchor is the standard pick.

Each jar holds 50 of the 3/8 x 3 inch cracked concrete wedge anchors, packed in a jar rather than loose or bulk boxed. That quantity suits a single run of strut, a row of equipment pads, or stocking a service van.

Wedge anchors in this style ship as a complete assembly, nut and washer already on the threaded stud, so there is nothing additional to specify to install one. What you do need on hand is a 3/8 inch carbide drill bit, a hammer drill, and a torque wrench to set the nut.

That is the common use for a 3/8 x 3 inch wedge anchor, and Metallics catalogs the SWA3830 on the electrical side of the house. A 3/8 inch anchor is the usual size for trapeze and strut hangers, equipment mounting, and overhead supports in poured concrete. For overhead anchorage, follow the engineer's embedment and spacing requirements for the load.

Order it as Metallics SWA3830. That one part number covers the 3/8 x 3 inch cracked concrete wedge anchor in the 50 count jar, so there is no finish or length option to pick alongside it.