Steel City LXWLE-25 3x2x2-1/2 Switch Box, Steel, 12.5C, Gangable

The LXWLE-25 is a 12.5 cubic inch steel switch box measuring 3 x 2 x 2-1/2 inches. Box fill is calculated from that 12.5 cubic inch volume, so with 14 AWG conductors (2 cubic inches each under NEC box fill) you are limited to six conductor allowances total, including the device allowance of two. For a single switch or receptacle that works out to roughly two 14 AWG cables in and out plus grounds. On 12 AWG the per-conductor allowance is larger and the box gets tight fast, so plan a deeper or larger box if you are feeding through with 12 AWG and adding a device.

Yes. The LXWLE-25 is a gangable steel switch box, so the side plates come off and two or more boxes join to make a two-gang or larger opening. Each box you add contributes its own 12.5 cubic inches to the usable volume for box fill.

Bracket orientation is the only difference. LXWLE-25 is the standard bracket version and LXWLE-25R is the right-hand bracket version. Both are the same 3 x 2 x 2-1/2 inch, 12.5 cubic inch steel box. Pick the orientation that puts the bracket on the side of the stud you are nailing to, so the box face lands flush with your finished drywall.

If the fill calculation pushes past 12.5 cubic inches, step up to a larger single-gang box. The Allied Moulded P-181 FlexBox 1-gang switch/receptacle box carries 18 cubic inches, which gives you meaningful extra room for a feed-through with a device. It is a thermoplastic residential box rather than steel, so it is not a substitute where metal raceway or a metallic grounding path is required.

Use the RACO 517 TIGER GRIP gangable steel switch box, which is an old-work box designed to mount into existing finished drywall. The Steel City LXWLE-25 is a bracketed new-work box, supplied with either a standard or right-hand bracket for fastening to framing before the wall is closed.

The RACO 518S is the nearest match: it is a gangable switch box 2-1/2 inches deep, the same depth as the Steel City LXWLE-25, and like the LXWLE-25 it is a steel gangable single-gang box. The 518S comes with a STAB-IT series connector, while the Steel City box is offered in a standard bracket version (LXWLE-25) and a right-hand bracket version (LXWLE-25R).

Yes. At 2-1/2 inches deep the LXWLE box sits inside the 3-1/2 inch actual depth of a nominal 2x4 stud with room to spare, which is the standard application for this box. The 3 x 2 inch face matches a standard single-gang device opening.

A steel box like the LXWLE-25 is required where you are terminating metal raceway or armored cable, and it gives you a mechanically grounded enclosure plus the ability to gang additional boxes. Non-metallic boxes are the usual choice for NM cable in residential work where no grounding path through the box is needed and you want more interior volume for the same footprint. If you are on steel studs, a box made for that application such as the Cantex EZ20SB EZ Box 1-gang non-metallic steel stud box is the easier mount.

If you want a factory two-gang enclosure rather than joining two singles, the Allied Moulded 2302-NKV is a fiberglass reinforced 2-gang switch box. That route gives you one piece to mount, but it is non-metallic, so stay with the gangable steel LXWLE boxes where the install requires a metal enclosure.

The Allied Moulded 2302-NKV is a 2-gang electrical switch box in fiberglass reinforced construction. The Steel City LXWLE-25 is a 3 x 2 x 2-1/2 inch single-gang steel box that is gangable, so a second LXWLE-25 can be ganged to it to form a two-device opening; the 2302-NKV arrives as a one-piece 2-gang enclosure.

They serve the same steel-stud application but are not interchangeable. The Cantex EZ20SB EZ Box is a 1-gang non-metallic steel stud box, so it is used with non-metallic cable and requires a separate equipment grounding path. The Steel City LXWLE-25 is a steel switch box, which is gangable and can be bonded through the box itself.

It is sold each, so you can order the exact count the job needs rather than a full carton. The standard bracket LXWLE-25 and the right bracket LXWLE-25R are ordered as separate part numbers.