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The cable gland - universally and flexibly usable
What is a cable gland and what is it used for and why? You can find the answers to these and other questions in our guide to cable glands.
What is a cable gland?
A cable gland is a gland through which a cable is fed. The cable gland consists of several parts that make it easier to insert the cable. The cable gland is used wherever cables need to be fixed, inserted and sealed.
The cable gland seals the cables and connects them to the control cabinet or an enclosure, for example. This protects them from external or mechanical influences. The strain relief ensures that the cables cannot come loose or pull out of the cable gland. The cable gland must be reliable and safe, as the protection of people and property from radiation or explosion, for example, should always be the main priority.
What types of cable glands are there?
A distinction is made between metric cable glands, i.e. with a metric thread (M), and PG cable glands, i.e. with a steel armoured conduit thread. The cable glands are available in various high-quality materials such as plastic, stainless steel and brass. Depending on requirements, the cable glands are provided with kink protection and are available in straight or angled versions.
Metric cable glands:
For cable glands, metric threads according to DIN EN 60423 are required. This guarantees that globally standardised threads are used for metric cable glands. They have an M before the numbers as the rated size, e.g. M20 x 1.5 or M25 x 1.5. M10, M20, M25, SKINTOP cable glands, SKINDICHT cable glands are examples of standard sizes and brands, the number after the M stands for the outer diameter of the thread.
Summary of the metric threads for cable glands:
| Rated size metric | Clamping range (approx. details) | Outer Ø of the thread in mm | Gradient |
| Cable gland M12 | 3 - 7 mm | 12.0 | 1.5 |
| Cable gland M16 | 4.5 - 10 mm | 16.0 | 1.5 |
| Cable gland M20 | 7 - 13 mm | 20.0 | 1.5 |
| Cable gland M25 | 9 - 17 mm | 25.0 | 1.5 |
| Cable gland M32 | 11 - 21 mm | 32.0 | 1.5 |
| Cable gland M40 | 19 - 28 mm | 40.0 | 1.5 |
| Cable gland M50 | 27 - 35 mm | 50.0 | 1.5 |
| Cable gland M63 | 34 - 45 mm | 63.0 | 1.5 |
M thread according to EN 60423 or IEC 423 or BS 6053 ISO 68/DIN13
PG cable glands:
In addition, there are also PG cable glands and cable glands with an NPT thread. PG stands for Stahlpanzerrohrgewinde (armoured conduit thread), the size of the cable gland is labelled with PG before the numbers, e.g. PG 36. PG cable glands have been replaced by metric cable glands and are only used in special cases.
Overview of PG threads for cable glands:
| Nominal size PG | Clamping range (approx. data) | Outer diameter of thread in mm | Pitch |
| Cable gland PG7 | 2 - 6.5 mm | 12.5 | 1.27 |
| Cable gland PG9 | 4 - 8 mm | 15.2 | 1.41 |
| Cable gland PG11 | 4 - 10 mm | 18.6 | 1.41 |
| Cable gland PG 13.5 | 5 - 12 mm | 20.4 | 1.41 |
| Cable gland PG16 | 8 - 14 mm | 22.5 | 1.41 |
| Cable gland PG21 | 11 - 18 mm | 28.3 | 1.588 |
| Cable gland PG29 | 16 - 25 mm | 37.0 | 1.588 |
| Cable gland PG36 | 19 - 32 mm | 47.0 | 1.588 |
| Cable gland PG42 | 28 - 38 mm | 54.0 | 1.588 |
| Cable gland PG48 | 34 - 44 mm | 59.3 | 1.588 |
PG thread according to DIN 40430
NPT cable glands:
Standard sizes of cable glands with NpT threads are, e.g. NpT 1/4"", NpT 3/8"" etc. NPT here stands for National Pipe Thread and is a pipe thread. Cable glands with NpT threads are overwhelmingly used in the United States.
Manufacturers of cable glands
In our shop, you will find Lapp and Wiska cable glands. The most common brand names from the company Lapp are Skintop and Skindicht. Both brands can be found in the Lapp cable glands category.
Splittable cable glands:
Splittable cable glands are suitable for wires prefabricated with connectors. Mostly, they comprise two housing parts made from plastic and a slotted elastomer insert, into which the wire is placed. The housing parts are closed around the insert by lock or screw. Depending on the model, these splittable cable glands can also achieve high certified protection classes up to IP66 / IP68.
" Features and selection criteria of cable glands "
- Metric thread (M) or armoured conduit thread (PG)
- Different materials (plastic, brass, stainless steel)
- with bend protection or without bend protection
- straight or as angled connector
- EMC
- protection class IP54 to Ip68with
- with ATEX approval
The right connector for every application
EMC cable glands are suitable specifically for connecting shielded wires thanks to their design. This is used, for example, in areas where an unlimited shield effect is needed. In areas where explosion protection is essential, ATEX cable glands are used. As verification, you will find the corresponding safety symbols directly on the connectors. These are available in plastic or metal versions. Most products are also ideal for outdoor use because of the high protection class from IP54 to IP68 and with corresponding materials.
Important functions of a cable gland
Depending on the application, a cable gland should perform important basic functions:
- when feeding cables into switch cabinets, devices, connectors, etc., cable glands should protect cables from mechanical damage
- depending on the specifications, compliance with the protection class and tension relief of the cables are significant points
- chemical, thermic and mechanical influences play an important role in the selection of the right cable gland
Frequently asked questions about cable glands:
What is tension relief?
Tension relief permanently protects the cables and ensures that they cannot be lossened or puled out of connector
Which cable gland for which cable?
It depends on the cable diameter (outer diameter). Did you know, you can read the cable diameter from the clamping range of the connector that your cable fits. If your cable has an outer diameter of 11mm, for example, you can use an M20 cable gland with a clamping range of 7-13mm or a PG13.5 cable gland with a clamping range of 5-12mm.
If you have 2 cables, for example, which you would like to pass through the connector, you need to add up the two outer diameters of the cable and then take the corresponding diameter from the table. For example, you have one cable with an outer diameter of 11.0mm and another with an outer diameter of 10.0mm. As a result, you need an M40 cable gland, as the total diameter of the cables is 21mm.
For 3 cables, you must add the outer diameter of the two thickest cables in order to find out which connector size you need.
Which cable gland for 3x1.5?
Again, this depends on the outer diameter of your cable. If, for example, you have an ÖLFLEX Classic 110 3X1.5mm² with an outer diameter of 6.7mm, you can use an M16 or PG9 cable gland. They have a clamping range of 4.5-10mm or 4-8mm respectively. As a result, you can insert and secure your cable without any problems.
What is a cable gland?
A cable gland is a connector through which a cable is passed. For this, the cable gland comprises multiple parts that make inserting the cable easier. Cable glands are used wherever cables need to be fixed, inserted and sealed.
The cable gland closes the cables and thus connects them, for example, with the switch cabinet or housing. They are then protected from external and mechanical influences. The tension relief ensures that the cables cannot be loosened or pulled out. The connector must be reliable and safe because protection of people and objects against radiation or explosion, for example, should be the priority.
What type of cable glands are there?
Apart from securing the cables, the products have other features that are important for a perfect connector. A distinction is made between the metric cable glands, i.e. with a metric thread (M), and the PG cable glands, i.e. the steel conduit thread. The cable glands are available in various high-quality materials such as plastic, stainless steel and brass. Depending on the specifications, the connectors have bend protection and are available in straight or angled versions.
How is a cable gland made?
The animation from the company Lapp shows how the water-tight SKINTOP ST-M cable gland is made and how it is used.
