IDEAL Industries Terminal Strip, 22-14 AWG

The IDEAL 89-300 series barrier terminal strips take 14 through 22 AWG copper conductors. Connections are made under #6-32 Philslot zinc-plated steel screws, so ring or spade terminals sized for a #6 stud are the cleanest way to land stranded wire. Torque the screws to 9 in.-lb.

Four pole counts: 2-pole (89-302), 4-pole (89-304), 6-pole (89-306) and 8-pole (89-308). Pick by how many separate circuits you need to land; there is no need to gang two smaller strips if one larger count covers the job.

Terminals are on .375 inch (9.52mm) centers. That spacing sets the overall length as pole count goes up, so an 8-pole 89-308 spans roughly four times the terminal run of the 2-pole 89-302. If you are replacing a strip in an existing enclosure, measure center to center on the old one first: anything built on a different pitch will not line up with drilled holes or pre-cut barriers.

9 in.-lb. on the #6-32 terminal screws. Use a torque screwdriver rather than feel: these are small zinc-plated steel screws in a thermoplastic base, and overtightening strips the thread or cracks the barrier, while undertightening leaves a hot joint on a low-current signal or control circuit.

Yes, 22 AWG is the smallest conductor the 89-300 series is rated for, so low-voltage control, thermostat and signal wire is within range. Solid 22 AWG can be looped clockwise under the #6-32 screw; stranded is more reliable with a crimped #6 ring terminal so no strands escape the surface plate.

The screws, surface plates and optional hardware are heavy-duty and corrosion resistant, and the base is polyester thermoplastic, so the strip itself holds up in humid or washdown-adjacent locations. It is an open barrier strip though, not a sealed device, so it still needs to sit inside a rated enclosure appropriate to the location.