Blackburn FBC18-1 FLEXIBLE BRAID 48 KCMIL, 18 IN

It is a flexible bonding braid connector, 48 KCMIL, 18 inches long, with a single bolt hole at each end. The flat braided construction lets it absorb movement and vibration, so it is used to bond equipment that shifts or expands: transformer cases, switchgear doors and panels, generator frames, busway, and equipment on vibration isolators. A solid conductor in those spots work-hardens and cracks; a braid does not.

Yes. It carries UL file E3060 and CSA LR29625, so it is accepted on both US and Canadian installations. That is the pair of references an inspector or a submittal reviewer will want to see against a bonding jumper.

It is a 1-hole connector, so one bolt per end, two total for the jumper. One-hole terminations can rotate under torque, so where the braid is carrying fault current or the pad allows it, a 2-hole braid is the better choice for a positive, non-rotating connection. Bolts, washers, and Belleville hardware are not part of the braid and are ordered separately.

The cable length is listed as 18 inches. Order to the span you need plus slack, since a bonding jumper that is pulled taut defeats the point of using a braid. If your gap is much shorter than 18 inches, look at a shorter braid in the same FBC family rather than coiling the excess.

The conductor is tin-plated copper. The tin plating protects the individual strands from oxidation and sulfidation, which matters on a braid because it has far more surface area than a solid conductor. That makes it suitable for damp, industrial, and coastal environments where bare copper braid would corrode and lose conductivity. Bolted terminations should still be made up with the correct anti-oxidant compound when landing on aluminum.

Use stranded cable where the two bonded points are rigid relative to each other. Use a flat braid like the FBC18-1 wherever there is relative motion: hinged doors and covers, sliding or racking gear, anything on spring or pad isolators, and bus that expands with temperature. The flat braided form flexes repeatedly without fatiguing the conductor, and it has the surface area to handle transient and high-frequency current better than a round conductor of the same size.

Blackburn FBC18-1. The FBC prefix is the flexible braid connector family, 18 indicates the 18 inch length, and the -1 is the single-hole termination. Specify that full number on the submittal so you do not get the two-hole version by mistake.

Sold each, so the quantity you order is the number of braids you get. Made in the United States, which is the answer required on federal, GSA, and Buy American funded work.