IDEAL Industries BMSE Carbon Steel Service Entrance Staples

Two sizes: a 1-5/16 inch staple (BMSE150-1) and a 1-1/2 inch staple (BMSE175-1). Pick the one that straddles your cable without crushing the jacket, since the staple crown has to clear the full width of the SE cable or conduit you are fastening.

The IDEAL BMSE staples are carbon steel staples sized for service entrance cable and conduit, offered in 1-5/16 inch and 1-1/2 inch staple sizes with sharp-point legs that drive straight without splitting wood. The Briscon SN Series staples are zinc-plated steel and cover widths from 1/2 inch up to 1-11/32 inch, so the SN range extends down into the narrow sizes used for smaller NM cable runs while the BMSE sizes sit at the wide end for bundled service entrance cable.

The BMSE staples are made from high-grade carbon steel that resists rust and corrosion, which is what you want on a meter-to-panel riser or any exterior SE cable run exposed to weather.

The IDEAL BMSE is a carbon steel service entrance staple offered in 1-5/16 and 1-1/2 inch sizes, sized for SE cable and conduit. The Briscon SN Series is a zinc-plated steel cable staple spanning 1/2 inch up to 1-11/32 inch wide, so it reaches down into the smaller widths used for romex and low-voltage runs. For a full-size service entrance cable, the BMSE sizes are the ones that span it.

Measure the cable across its widest dimension and go to the next staple size up. The BMSE150-1 covers up to 1-5/16 inches and the BMSE175-1 covers up to 1-1/2 inches. Undersizing is the usual mistake here: a crown that pinches the jacket on a flat SE cable damages it, while the larger crown lets the cable sit flat against the framing.

Not at that size. BMSE175-1 is the 1-1/2 inch staple size, and the Briscon SN Series tops out at 1-11/32 inch wide, so the SN range does not reach the 1-1/2 inch width. For a 1-1/2 inch service entrance run, stay with the BMSE175-1; the SN Series is the closer match only where the cable falls within its 1/2 inch to 1-11/32 inch span.

Both are steel staples with corrosion protection described in their own terms: the IDEAL BMSE uses high-grade carbon steel construction stated to resist rust and corrosion, while the Briscon SN Series is zinc-plated steel. If a job specification calls out plating by name, the SN Series states zinc plating; if the call-out is for a service entrance staple, the BMSE is the one built for service entrance cable and conduit.

They ship 100 per box, so a single box typically covers several service entrance drops for a contractor or an MRO stockroom shelf.