B-Line Eaton series strut fittings and accessories, 5.37" Height, 5.37" Length, 1.62" Width, 1.00lbs, Steel, Flat five hole cross plate | Pre assemble

The B132HDG is hot-dipped galvanized steel, which is the finish used for outdoor, damp, and corrosive-environment strut runs such as rooftops, parking structures, and wash-down areas. For dry indoor work an electro-galvanized fitting is the usual choice, but there is no penalty to using the hot-dipped version indoors.

It is 1/4 inch thick steel, which is the heavy gauge in the flat-fitting range rather than the lighter stamped plate used for light trapeze and conduit support. At 1/4 inch it is the plate you use where the joint carries real load, like a four-way strut intersection on a pipe rack.

A cross plate has four arms and a hole at the center, so it ties four strut members meeting at one point, plus it gives you a fifth fastening point in the middle. A tee only handles three legs and a straight splice only joins two in line. If your strut layout is a true four-way intersection, the cross is the fitting; if one leg is missing, a tee saves you a bolt hole you would leave empty.

The plate itself is what ships. Hardware to fasten it to the strut, meaning the bolts and spring nuts or channel nuts sized to your strut series, is a separate line item. Order five sets if you intend to use all five holes.

Order it as B-Line (Eaton) B132HDG. The HDG suffix is the hot-dipped galvanized finish; the base B132 designation is the same flat five hole cross plate in other finishes, so drop the suffix off your PO and you may receive the wrong coating for an exterior job.

Yes, it is a flat plate, so it lays on the face of the channel and bolts through, rather than wrapping the channel like a clamp-style fitting. That means the strut arms it joins need to be in the same plane and face-to-face with the plate; for connections turning a corner out of plane you want an angle fitting instead.