Sta-Kon RB734 EXP INS NYL RING TERM, No18-14, 3/8

The RB734 is built for 18 to 14 AWG stranded or solid copper conductors. The blue nylon insulation is the standard color code for that range, so if you are terminating 16 AWG control wire or 14 AWG branch wire, this is the right barrel. For 22-16 AWG you need a red terminal, and for 12-10 AWG a yellow one.

Rated 600 V, so it is usable on standard commercial and industrial branch circuits, motor connections and control panel wiring up to that limit. It is UL recognized under file E9809.

A ring terminal like the RB734 is the one to use on anything that carries vibration or that you do not want backing out, because the ring is captive once the 3/8 inch nut is torqued down. A fork or spade slides off sideways if the screw loosens, which is why it is restricted to accessible, low-vibration terminal strips. On motor studs, generator connections and ground bars, go with the ring.

The barrel is copper, so it is for copper conductors only. Aluminum wire needs an AL9CU rated connector with the proper inhibitor compound; crimping aluminum into a copper barrel sets up galvanic corrosion at the joint.

Use an insulated-terminal crimper matched to the 18-14 AWG blue color code nest. The barrel is crimped through the nylon insulation, so a nest sized for the blue range compresses both the copper barrel and the sleeve without cutting it. A bare-terminal or open-barrel die will crush the insulation and leave an unreliable joint.

Order Sta-Kon part number RB734. That designation covers the expanded-barrel nylon insulated ring terminal for 18-14 AWG wire with a 3/8 inch ring.

Nylon is the tougher of the two insulation materials used on crimp terminals. It resists abrasion and cut-through when wires are pulled through a raceway or bundled tightly in a panel, and it flexes without cracking in cold. Vinyl insulated terminals are fine for benign indoor terminal strips but split more easily under mechanical abuse.

Country of origin is the United States, which matters if you are filling a government, federal facility or Buy American spec where domestic sourcing has to be documented on the submittal.