Thomas & Betts RB14-6 Ring Terminal

The RB14-6 is sized for 18-14 AWG stranded copper conductor, and the insulation sleeve will take a conductor with insulation up to 0.162 inches in diameter. The blue sleeve is the standard color code for the 16-14 range, so if you are reaching for a red (22-18) or yellow (12-10) terminal on the same job, this is the middle size.

Yes, the ring tongue is drilled for a #6 stud. The tongue measures 0.25 inches across the C dimension with a 0.71 inch M dimension, and the stock thickness is 0.03 inches, so it seats flat under a #6 screw head or nut without shimming. If your lug landing is a #8 or #10 stud, you need a different ring size, not this one.

ERG4001 is the recommended tool for the RB14-6. Other tools rated for it are the WT2000, WT112M, WT145C, ERG4003, and WT145A. Use one of those rather than a generic plier crimper: the terminal has an inner bronze insulation grip sleeve that has to be compressed properly to support the conductor and stop creep at the barrel.

No. The RB14-6 is built for 18-14 AWG wire with a maximum insulation diameter of 0.162 inch, so 6 AWG conductor will not enter the barrel. For 6 AWG, step up to a heavy-wall copper lug such as the Burndy YAV6CL1BOX Hylug, a 6 AWG one-hole ring terminal sized for a #8-10 stud. Note the stud difference as well: the RB14-6 is a #6 stud terminal.

The RB14-6 is rated 600V and 105 degrees C, which covers low-voltage control circuits, 120/277V lighting, and 480V power wiring inside panels and motor connection boxes. Insulation is nylon with a UL 94 V-2 flammability rating. It is UL and CSA recognized and RoHS compliant.

The barrel and tongue are copper with an electro tin-plated finish, so it is for copper conductor only and the plating gives it reasonable resistance in damp indoor locations. Do not use it on aluminum conductor. The nylon sleeve is self-insulating, so no separate heat shrink or boot is needed for the voltage rating.

A ring tongue has to be slipped over the stud, so the nut or screw comes fully out during install, but it cannot vibrate off the landing once torqued. A fork or spade slides in sideways under a loosened screw, which is faster for service work but can walk out. For motor connection boxes, controls that see vibration, and anything inspected, the closed ring is the one to use. The RB14-6 is the #6 stud, 18-14 AWG version of that.

The Thomas & Betts RB14-6 is a self-insulated terminal: a copper barrel in an electro tin-plated finish with a nylon insulating sleeve rated UL 94 V-2, 600V, 105 degrees C, and color-coded blue for the 18-14 AWG range. The Burndy YAV6CL1BOX belongs to the Hylug series and is an uninsulated 6 AWG one-hole lug for a #8-10 stud, so it is terminated and then insulated separately with heat shrink or tape if the application calls for it. Choose by conductor size and whether you want the insulation built in.

Plan on two tools. The RB14-6 is a light-gauge insulated terminal crimped with hand tools such as the ERG4001, ERG4003, WT2000, WT112M, WT145C or WT145A, with the ERG4001 recommended. The Burndy YAV6CL1BOX is a 6 AWG Hylug, which takes a heavy-duty compression die set rather than an insulated-terminal crimper. If a panel mixes control wiring and 6 AWG feeders, carry both.

RB14-6 terminals come 100 to the inner package and 500 to the outer carton, and they order in multiples of 100. Plan quantities in hundreds if you are stocking a van or a maintenance cage.

Dimensionally the RB14-6 measures A 0.89, M 0.71, B 0.31, and C 0.25 inches, on 0.03 inch stock. That overall length under an inch matters when you are stacking several ring terminals on a crowded terminal block or a tight pull box where a longer lug would bind the wire bend radius.

The RB14-6 runs 2.5 lbs per 1000 pieces, and it is sold each. Handy if you are building prewired panels or kits and need to figure net weight by count.