Steel City 132-W-1/2 Gang Boxes

The Steel City 132-W-1/2 is a 4 x 4 inch square steel box, 2-1/8 inches deep, with two outlets for devices. Interior capacity is 30.3 cubic inches, which is what you work from when counting conductors, clamps, and devices for box fill.

No. The 132-W-1/2 is not weatherproof, so keep it to dry indoor locations. For an exterior wall, a damp basement wall, or anywhere exposed to weather, you need a listed weatherproof box and cover instead.

It is welded, one piece. You cannot remove a side and gang it with another box the way you can with a gangable switch box. If you need to build a two- or three-device opening by ganging, look at a gangable steel box such as the RACO 517 TIGER GRIP or the RACO 518S instead.

There are non-metallic alternatives, but they are a different animal. The Steel City 132-W-1/2 is a steel box, silver in color, with a welded body and two outlets, carrying UL E2969. If your wiring method does not require a metal enclosure, the Allied Moulded P-181 FlexBox is a thermoplastic 1-gang switch and receptacle box rated 18 cubic inches for residential work, and the Allied Moulded 2302-NKV is a fiberglass-reinforced 2-gang switch box. Keep in mind a non-metallic box gives up the bonding path that a steel box provides, so metal conduit or armored cable systems will generally still want the steel 132-W-1/2.

Both are steel switch boxes, but they differ in how they are built and where they are meant to go in. The Steel City 132-W-1/2 is a welded steel box with 30.3 cubic inches of capacity, measuring 4 inches long by 4 inches wide by 2-1/8 inches deep, with knockouts and wall or ceiling mounting. The RACO 517 is a gangable steel switch box from the TIGER GRIP series intended for old work, meaning its sides can be removed to join boxes together and it is designed to be set into an existing finished wall. If you need a sealed one-piece body, the welded 132-W-1/2 is the one; if you need to gang two devices side by side or retrofit into drywall that is already up, the 517 is built for that.

The Steel City 132-W-1/2 is a welded steel switch box 2-1/8 inches deep with 30.3 cubic inches of capacity. For more depth in a steel box, the RACO 518S is a gangable switch box 2-1/2 inches deep and comes with a STAB-IT series connector, so the cable termination is built into the box. Note the trade-off: the 518S is gangable rather than welded, so the body is not a one-piece shell the way the 132-W-1/2 is.

Yes, it carries UL file E2969. That is the listing an inspector looks for on a steel outlet box, and it is the number to put on a submittal if the spec calls for a UL listed metallic box.

Knockouts are provided, so you punch out only the openings you need for your conduit or cable entries. No drilling of the steel shell is required for standard entries.

The Steel City 132-W-1/2 is a welded steel switch box with wall or ceiling mounting and knockouts, 4 by 4 by 2-1/8 inches, so it mounts by the method your bracket or strap arrangement provides rather than by a stud-specific clip. If you want a box designed specifically for metal framing, the Cantex EZ20SB EZ Box is a 1-gang non-metallic box made for steel stud installation. Choose by the wiring method as well as the framing: the EZ20SB is non-metallic and 1-gang, while the 132-W-1/2 is steel and carries two outlets.

No. The Steel City 132-W-1/2 is a welded steel box for dry interior use and is not weatherproof, so it should stay inside the building envelope. None of the comparable switch boxes in this class is a wet-location substitute either - the RACO 517 and 518S are interior gangable steel boxes, and the Allied Moulded P-181 is a residential thermoplastic switch and receptacle box. For exterior or damp locations you want a box specifically listed for that service with a gasketed weatherproof cover.

The Steel City 132-W-1/2 holds 30.3 cubic inches in a 4 by 4 by 2-1/8 inch steel body with two outlets. The Allied Moulded P-181 FlexBox is a 1-gang thermoplastic switch and receptacle box rated 18 cubic inches. If your conductor count, device count, and clamp fill are pushing your box fill calculation, the larger volume of the 132-W-1/2 gives you more room to work with; the P-181 is sized for a single residential device.

It is set up for wall or ceiling mounting, so it works for a switch or receptacle location in a wall as well as an overhead device or junction point on a ceiling.

They ship 25 to a carton, and the carton runs 21 x 9 x 7.5 inches. Box weight works out to 87.5 lbs per 100 pieces, which is the figure to use if you are estimating freight on a multi-carton order.

Order Steel City model 132-W-1/2. That is the manufacturer part number for the welded 4 x 4 x 2-1/8 inch square steel box with two device outlets.