Thomas & Betts X-Type Conduit Body, Aluminum

A Type X body is the four-opening (cross) form of conduit body: it has hubs on all four sides so you can branch a run in two directions and still pull and splice through the removable cover. Use it where an LB, LL or T only gives you two or three openings. The Thomas & Betts X-Type bodies are sand cast aluminum.

Six trade sizes, 1/2 inch through 2 inch: X17SA (1/2), X27SA (3/4), X37SA (1), X47SA (1-1/4), X57SA (1-1/2) and X67SA (2). Order by the conduit trade size you are running, not by the OD of the pipe.

The X-Type bodies are sand cast aluminum, which threads onto standard rigid or IMC threads. Where dissimilar-metal contact is a concern (wet locations, coastal or corrosive exposure), a lot of specs call for matching the body material to the raceway, so a steel run in that environment is usually paired with a steel or malleable-iron body instead. On dry interior steel runs aluminum bodies are common practice.

Order the cover separately. Threaded conduit bodies like the 1-1/4 inch X47SA are sold as the casting with the hubs; the cover, and a gasket if the location needs one, are matched to the body size and are separate line items. Size the cover to the same trade size as the body.

For a straight four-way branch on threaded conduit, the X body is the quicker install: the hubs are already threaded on all four sides, so there is no hole cutting or connector to add, and the cover comes off for pulling. Go to a box instead when you need conductor splices with wire count beyond what the body's volume allows, more than four raceway entries, or device mounting. The X-Type bodies run 1/2 inch to 2 inch.

X27SA is the 3/4 inch aluminum X-Type body. The numbering runs by size: 1 in the second position is 1/2 inch, 2 is 3/4 inch, 3 is 1 inch, 4 is 1-1/4 inch, 5 is 1-1/2 inch and 6 is 2 inch.