Steel City CDOW Gangable Switch Box, 12.5 CU IN, 1/2" KO

Ear style is the only difference. The CDOW-25 comes with flush ears for mounting the device flush to a finished surface, and the CDOW-CN is supplied with no ear. Both are the same 12.5 cu in gangable steel box.

It measures 3 inches high by 2 inches wide by 2-1/2 inches deep. A 2x4 stud is 3-1/2 inches deep, so a 2-1/2 inch deep box sets inside the cavity with room behind it for the cable. Depth is what to watch in a furred-out or 2x3 wall.

The CDOW is a new-work box - it is supplied with flush ears or with no ears at all, both of which assume a stud or bracket to fasten to. For retrofit into an existing wall, the RACO 517 TIGER GRIP is the gangable steel switch box built for old work, holding itself to the drywall rather than to framing.

The Steel City CDOW holds 12.5 cubic inches, which is tight once you have several conductors, a device, and grounds. The Allied Moulded P-181 FlexBox is a 1-gang residential switch/receptacle box rated 18 cu. in., giving more fill allowance. It is thermoplastic rather than steel, so if a metal box is required for the raceway or bonding method, it is not an interchange.

The RACO 518S is the nearest match. Both are gangable steel switch boxes with a 2-1/2 inch depth - the Steel City CDOW measures 3 inches high by 2 inches wide by 2-1/2 inches deep in steel, and the RACO 518S is a gangable switch box at 2-1/2 in. deep. The difference is the wiring connection: the RACO carries a STAB-IT series connector built in, while the CDOW is ordered as a plain box with 1/2 inch knockouts and either flush ears or no ears.

Gangable means the side plates come off so two or more boxes can be joined to make a multi-gang assembly. Two CDOW boxes ganged give you 25 cubic inches of total volume for two devices. If you would rather not gang, a molded two-gang box such as the Allied Moulded 2302-NKV is a one-piece alternative.

Steel City's CDOW carries UL listing E2969. It is a drawn steel box, which is what most commercial and institutional specs call for where metal raceway or MC cable is used and the box has to serve as part of the grounding path. Non-metallic boxes like the Cantex EZ20SB are residential and steel-stud oriented and are not a substitute where a metal box is specified.

Yes - the CDOW is a gangable steel switch box, so sides come off and two boxes join to make a two-device opening, each half contributing 12.5 cubic inches. If you would rather set a one-piece two-gang box, the Allied Moulded 2302-NKV is a fiberglass reinforced 2-gang switch box; being non-metallic and non-gangable, it is a different install, not a drop-in for ganged steel.

The CDOW switch box is sold each, so you can order the exact count for the job rather than a full carton.

Country of origin is Canada. That matters on public work carrying domestic or trade-agreement sourcing requirements, so confirm it against your project's procurement language.