IDEAL Industries 89-50x Terminal Strip, 6-Pole, 22-6 AWG

The IDEAL 89-50x 6-pole terminal strip takes copper conductors from 6 AWG down to 22 AWG, so one block handles both small control wiring and heavier feeders. Terminals are #10-32 Philslot screws in nickel-plated brass, so ring or spade lugs sized for a #10 stud land cleanly.

Both are 6-pole strips on the same body. The 89-506 is the standard version, where each pole is isolated from the next. The 89-507 is the shorting block version, which bonds the poles together as a common point, the usual choice for a neutral or ground bus or any place several conductors need to land on one node. Pick by whether you need six separate circuits or one common tie point.

Tighten the #10-32 terminal screws to 20 in.-lb. Use a torque screwdriver rather than feel, since these are brass screws and over-torquing strips threads while under-torquing leaves a high-resistance joint that heats up.

That is what the shorting block configuration is built for. All six poles are commoned, so every conductor landed on it sits at the same potential, which is how a neutral or equipment ground collection point works. It accepts 22 through 6 AWG copper, so a heavier bonding conductor and several small branch grounds can share the same block.

The screws, surface plates, and optional hardware on the 89-50x strips are heavy-duty corrosion-resistant, with nickel plating on the brass terminal screws, and the base is polyester thermoplastic rather than phenolic. That suits humid plant rooms and weather-protected enclosures. The strip itself is an open component, so the enclosure has to provide the environmental rating.

Terminations are #10-32 screw type with surface plates, so bare stranded wire can be captured under the plate, but a ring or spade lug sized for a #10 stud gives a more repeatable joint and is what most panel shops use on the larger 6 and 8 AWG conductors. Whichever you use, torque to 20 in.-lb.