What is a cable cleat and why use them?

Cable cleats reduce cable strain by reducing the load of the cables’ weight. They’re designed to restrain and support cables, while ensuring their retention. Put it another way – cables must be able to withstand the force they generate, including the force that occurs during a short circuit.

The importance of cable cleats is often underestimated, yet they’re a vital part of electrical cable management installation. Companies looking to cut costs sometimes lump cable cleats into a category of products deemed unnecessary – and that’s a mistake.

Without cable cleats, you’re looking at the risk of damage to cables and cable management systems. It’s not just the cost of new cables you have to worry about, but downtime and labour to replace the cables and repair the damage.

That’s just the economics of the problem. More importantly, if you forego cable cleats, you’re exposing people to real dangers. Poorly restrained cables pose a threat to human life. To operate responsibly, you must use cable cleats.

Which cable cleat should you use?

Cable cleats should be specified for your project and cable management system, so you can’t use just any product. Different cable cleats are designed to withstand different forces. Use an underspecified cleat, and you’re not only wasting your money, you’re creating a potentially deadly situation if a short circuit occurs. You’ve got to consider the cable construction and type, ratings, diameter, system design, environment and support structure.

What should your buyer know about Cable Cleats?

Buyers are naturally focussed on price. But if you specify a cable cleat that’s particular to your project in terms of strength and spacing along the cable, your buyer needs to know that. It’s easy to go looking for a less expensive cable cleats, but a different strength and type of cable cleat could alter the amount you need. That in turn, affects your price. Let your buyer know to look at overall costs, not price per unit.

Download free CADs and try before you buy

Free CADs are available for most solutions, which you can download for free. You can also request free samples to ensure the solutions you’ve chosen are exactly what you need. If you’re not quite sure which product will work best for your application, our experts are always happy to advise you.

Request your free samples or download free CADs now.

Questions?

Email us at sales@essentracomponents.co.uk or speak to one of our experts for further information on the ideal solution for your application 0345 528 0474.