Thomas & Betts DS-48 Device Boxes, Covers & Accessories

The DS-48 is a die cast aluminum box that becomes rain tight only when it is closed up with the appropriate Red Dot cover. The box alone does not make the installation weather resistant, so the cover is part of the order, not an accessory you can skip on an exterior wall or exposed conduit run. The box itself carries a UL listing, with the UL and cubic content markings cast right into it so an inspector can read them without a cut sheet.

The DS-48 holds 17 cubic inches, and that figure is marked on the box along with the UL marking, so box fill can be verified on site without paperwork. Seventeen cubic inches is what you work your conductor, device and grounding allowances against when sizing the splice or device count for the opening.

For a classified hazardous area you want an explosionproof box rather than the DS-48. The Appleton GRJ series and the GRJS universal series are explosionproof malleable iron conduit outlet boxes built for that duty. The DS-48 is a UL listed die-cast aluminum outlet box that is rain tight when used with the appropriate Red Dot covers, which suits wet and outdoor general-purpose work.

The Mulberry Royal Mountie weatherproof outlet box is also die-cast aluminum, built as a 1-gang weatherproof box for device mounting. The DS-48 is a die-cast aluminum round outlet box 4-1/8 inches in diameter with a 17 cubic inch wiring chamber, finished in aluminum lacquer, and it is rain tight when paired with the appropriate Red Dot covers. Choose the Royal Mountie when the opening calls for a rectangular 1-gang device box and the DS-48 when a round box on conduit hubs is wanted.

It is a 4-1/8 inch diameter round box, so the cover or device plate you pair with it has to be built for that 4-1/8 inch round pattern. Cover edges on the box are machined clean so a gasketed cover seats properly, which is what gets you the rain tight assembly on an exposed location.

The body is die cast aluminum finished in aluminum lacquer, silver in color, and the cover screws are stainless steel with deep slots. That combination holds up on exposed exterior conduit work far better than a painted steel box, and the deep slotted screws keep coming apart cleanly years later when someone needs back into the chamber.

That is one of its intended uses. Thomas & Betts builds the DS-48 as a junction box for branch conduits, with an accessible wiring chamber for pulling conductors and making splices, and the cast surfaces are machined so conductor insulation does not get shredded on the way through. It also leaves you a place to get back in later to re-pull or re-splice without opening the wall.

If you want a rectangular single gang weatherproof box rather than a 4-1/8 inch round one, the Mulberry Royal Mountie die-cast aluminum 1-gang weatherproof outlet box is the comparable cast option. For interior residential rough-in where a cast box is overkill, the Cantex EZ Series PVC multi-gang box is the cheaper route, though PVC is not a substitute where you need cast aluminum on exposed conduit.

Not a good fit. At 17 cubic inches the DS-48 does not give you the room a range or dryer circuit needs. For that, the Pass & Seymour P242RRD range and dryer box is the purpose-built thermoplastic option.

The Appleton GRT75 is a malleable iron round conduit outlet box and serves the same round-box role as the DS-48, which is die-cast aluminum with a 4-1/8 inch diameter and 17 cubic inches of volume. Malleable iron is the choice where impact or corrosive conditions argue against cast aluminum; the DS-48's cast aluminum body comes in an aluminum lacquer finish and weighs about 60 lbs per 100 pieces.

They serve different jobs. The Cantex EZ Box is a PVC multi-gang residential outlet box, intended for interior residential device work in nonmetallic systems. The DS-48 is a die-cast aluminum round outlet box, 4-1/8 inches in diameter with a 17 cubic inch wiring chamber, used as a junction box for branch conduits and rain tight with the appropriate Red Dot covers. For conduit-fed or exposed work, the DS-48 is the one that fits; for stud-mounted residential multi-gang device boxes, the EZ Box is.

For a range or dryer receptacle outlet, the Pass & Seymour P242RRD range and dryer box in thermoplastic is the purpose-built item. The Thomas & Betts DS-48 is a 4-1/8 inch die-cast aluminum round outlet box with a 17 cubic inch wiring chamber, designed as a junction box for branch conduits and for splices and conductor pulls, not as an appliance outlet box.

The DS-48 is sold each. Thomas & Betts packs it eight to an outer carton, which is the number to quote on if you are stocking a truck or an MRO shelf rather than buying for a single opening.

Order Thomas & Betts DS-48. That is the manufacturer part number for the 4-1/8 inch diameter die cast aluminum device box, and it is the number to put on a submittal or a counter order.

The Thomas & Betts DS-48 carries clear UL and cubic content markings to speed inspector approval, is rated at 17 cubic inches, and is sold each, which makes it straightforward to spec in quantity for branch conduit junctions. If the facility has classified areas in the same scope of work, pair it with an explosionproof box such as the Appleton GRJS universal conduit outlet box for those locations.