B-Line B196-18ZN Eaton series strut fittings and accessories, 5.37" Height, 18" Length, 1.62" Width, 4.30lbs, Steel, Clevis bracket, Uniform load capacity 600 lbs, Electro-plated

The B196-18ZN is rated for a 600 lb uniform load. That is a uniform rating, so a single concentrated point load near the middle of the 18 inch span will not get you the same number. Size your hanger rod and the strut it bolts to for the same 600 lb, since the weakest link in the assembly sets the real limit.

It is steel with an electro-plated (zinc) finish, which is a dry indoor-interior coating. Mechanical rooms, ceilings, plenums and covered areas are fine. For exterior runs, roof-mounted equipment, parking structures or wash-down areas, specify a hot-dip galvanized or stainless strut fitting instead, because electro-plated zinc is thin and will rust where it stays wet.

It is a strut fitting that spans between channel or hangs from rod to create a trapeze or drop support. The clevis end takes a hanger rod or a clevis pin so the supported load can pivot slightly rather than binding. Electrical contractors use them to hang conduit racks, cable tray and busway; mechanical trades use the same part for pipe and small duct runs. It is the bracket only, so rod, nuts, strut and clamps are separate.

No. What ships is the bracket itself, 4.3 lb of electro-plated steel. You supply the hanger rod, nuts and washers, the strut channel if you are building a trapeze, and any conduit or pipe clamps that attach to it. Plan those on the same 600 lb uniform rating so nothing in the assembly under-rates the bracket.

Order by the Eaton B-Line manufacturer number B196-18ZN. The B196 is the bracket pattern, the 18 is the 18 inch length and the ZN suffix is the electro-plated zinc finish. If the existing brackets on site are a different length or a galvanized finish, the number on them will differ in those two positions, so match all three parts before you order a second batch.

Take it as a general-purpose steel strut bracket rated to a 600 lb uniform load. If your drawings call for a specific listing, seismic bracing calculation or an engineered restraint assembly, work from the engineer's schedule and specify the fitting family that carries that designation rather than substituting this bracket.