What size tab does a 1/4 inch quick disconnect fit?

A 1/4″ quick disconnect is the .250″ tab size. Panduit and ABB Sta-Kon list the .250″ tab only .032″ thick; male and female mate only at the same tab width.

What color is a 16-14 butt connector?

On insulated butt splices, spades and quick disconnects the color is the wire range: red = 22-18 AWG, blue = 16-14 AWG, yellow = 12-10 AWG (Grote and ABB Sta-Kon catalogs).

What tab sizes do 12-10 quick disconnects come in?

On both the Panduit and ABB Sta-Kon charts, 12-10 AWG quick disconnects come in the .250″ tab only.

What size screw does a #10 spade terminal fit?

A #10 spade (fork) slides under a #10 screw, .190″ in diameter; a #8 spade fits a .164″ screw and a 1/4″ spade a .250″ stud.

How do I pick a copper lug?

By the wire size (one AWG size, such as 4 AWG or 2/0) and the stud size of the ring (a 3/8″ lug goes on a .375″ stud). Crimp it with the die its maker names for that size.

Which crimp die do I use for a yellow quick disconnect?

The die nest of the same color: crimp tools mark their insulated-terminal nests red, blue and yellow to match the terminals (Grote, ABB Sta-Kon).

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Wire Connector Sizes

Spades, quick disconnects, butt splices and lugs by wire range and connection size: the red / blue / yellow color code, quick disconnect tab sizes, and the stud each spade or lug fits.

A crimp connector is picked by two numbers: the wire range its barrel takes (in AWG) and the size of what it connects to — the stud a spade or lug goes on, or the tab width a quick disconnect mates with. A butt splice joins two wires, so its wire range is the whole story. On insulated connectors the sleeve color tells you the wire range at a glance. (Ring terminals: see Wire Terminal Sizes.)

Spade, quick disconnects, butt splice and lug. The sleeve color is the wire range; the business end is sized for the stud or tab. Not to scale.

Jump to: Color code · Tab sizes · Stud sizes

Insulated connector color code — by wire range
Wire range	Insulation color
22-18 AWG	Red
16-14 AWG	Blue
12-10 AWG	Yellow

The same code on insulated spades, quick disconnects, bullets and butt splices as on ring terminals. From the Grote and ABB Sta-Kon catalogs; printed where both agree. Other wire ranges and heat-shrink colors aren’t on the chart — only one of the two lists them.

Quick disconnect tab sizes — width, thickness and wire ranges
Tab width	Tab thickness	Wire ranges
.110″	—	22-18, 16-14 AWG
.187″	—	22-18, 16-14 AWG
.250″	.032″	22-18, 16-14, 12-10 AWG

The tab widths both Panduit and ABB Sta-Kon list for their quick disconnects, and the wire ranges both list each one in. A dash in thickness: both makers make that width in more than one thickness — match the female to the tab it goes on. A tab width only one of the two lists isn’t on the chart.

Spade and lug stud sizes — the screw or stud each fits
Stud size	Stud dia
#4	—
#6	.138″
#8	.164″
#10	.190″
1/4″	.250″
5/16″	.312″
3/8″	.375″
1/2″	.500″

The nominal diameter of the screw or stud, from the Grote and Panduit terminal stud charts; printed where both agree. A dash: the two charts differ or only one lists it.

Good to know

Pick by two numbers: the wire’s AWG must fall inside the connector’s wire range (a 14 AWG wire takes a 16-14 connector), and the business end must match: the spade or lug on the same stud size, the quick disconnect on the same tab width.

Crimp die: on insulated spades, quick disconnects and butt splices use the crimp tool’s die nest of the same color as the terminal — tools mark them red, blue and yellow to match (Grote, ABB Sta-Kon).

Quick disconnects come in male (the flat tab) and female (the receptacle that slides over it); they mate only at the same tab width. A flag female has its receptacle turned across the barrel for tight spots. Bullets mate male into female of the same bullet size.

Butt splices join two wires end to end, both in the listed range; a step-down splice takes a different range at each end. Copper lugs are listed by one wire size and the stud the ring fits; crimp them with the die their maker names — lug die markings aren’t on this chart.

Quick answers

What size tab does a 1/4 inch quick disconnect fit?: A 1/4″ quick disconnect is the .250″ tab size. Panduit and ABB Sta-Kon list the .250″ tab only .032″ thick; male and female mate only at the same tab width.
What color is a 16-14 butt connector?: On insulated butt splices, spades and quick disconnects the color is the wire range: red = 22-18 AWG, blue = 16-14 AWG, yellow = 12-10 AWG (Grote and ABB Sta-Kon catalogs).
What tab sizes do 12-10 quick disconnects come in?: On both the Panduit and ABB Sta-Kon charts, 12-10 AWG quick disconnects come in the .250″ tab only.
What size screw does a #10 spade terminal fit?: A #10 spade (fork) slides under a #10 screw, .190″ in diameter; a #8 spade fits a .164″ screw and a 1/4″ spade a .250″ stud.
How do I pick a copper lug?: By the wire size (one AWG size, such as 4 AWG or 2/0) and the stud size of the ring (a 3/8″ lug goes on a .375″ stud). Crimp it with the die its maker names for that size.
Which crimp die do I use for a yellow quick disconnect?: The die nest of the same color: crimp tools mark their insulated-terminal nests red, blue and yellow to match the terminals (Grote, ABB Sta-Kon).

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