Bootlace ferrules buying guide
Updated: 23 October 2026
You have stranded flex, a screw terminal, and a row of boxes that shout 800, 1,100 or 2,200 pieces. A bootlace ferrules buying guide has to start somewhere else: the mm² printed on the cable, then the pin length the terminal will actually take, then whether a plastic collar will enter that terminal. Colour and piece count are the last things to read, not the first. None of the five amazon.co.uk kits in our [ferrule comparison](/hub/diy-supplies/ferrule) includes a crimping tool, and none names a DIN, French or German colour sequence. This page is the order of those decisions. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
You have stranded flex, a screw terminal, and a row of boxes that shout 800, 1,100 or 2,200 pieces.
You have stranded flex, a screw terminal, and a row of boxes that shout 800, 1,100 or 2,200 pieces. A bootlace ferrules buying guide has to start somewhere else: the mm² printed on the cable, then the pin length the terminal will actually take, then whether a plastic collar will enter that terminal. Colour and piece count are the last things to read, not the first. None of the five amazon.co.uk kits in our ferrule comparison includes a crimping tool, and none names a DIN, French or German colour sequence. This page is the order of those decisions. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Conductor range | Insulation | Colour sequence | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  WeqeYent WeqeYent 1000-piece non-insulated wire ferrules | 0.5–16 mm² | Non-insulated | No collar | 8.2 | about £10.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  Newoutset Newoutset 800-piece non-insulated wire ferrules | 10–22 AWG | Non-insulated | No collar | 8.8 | about £5.88 | View offer |
 flintronic flintronic 1500-piece insulated wire ferrules | 0.5–10 mm² | Insulated PVC collar | Not named | 8.9 | about £8.99 | View offer |
On this page
Start with the conductor, not the box
The ferrule has to match the conductor's cross-section. One size up crimps loose, because the barrel never closes onto the strands. One size down will not take them. For 1.5 mm² flex you buy a 1.5 mm² ferrule, not the red one and not the compartment that happens to be full. AWG on a lid is only a cross-check. The Newoutset title says 10–22 AWG while the codes run from ENO508 to EN6012. Treat the sheath marking as the size.
Pin length is not the same number as the mm². EN1508 means 1.5 mm² and an 8 mm metal pin. The terminal's depth chooses that pin. None of these five kits gives one pin length for every compartment. WeqeYent prints both EN1508 and EN1512, an 8 mm pin and a 12 mm pin, in the same box. How to strip to that pin, and why the screw is not the crimper, is on how to crimp a bootlace ferrule.
Collar or bare tube
An insulated ferrule, DIN 46228-4 in Weidmuller UK's description, is a metal tube plus a plastic collar. The collar funnels the strands and can carry a colour, and it is the usual choice for a screw terminal that has room for it. A non-insulated ferrule, DIN 46228-1, is the tube only. UK reviews of the WeqeYent kit say buyers chose the bare tube because a coloured collar would not enter or was too bulky. That is a fit decision, not a quality ranking.
flintronic states insulated ferrules from 0.5–10 mm². Newoutset and WeqeYent are non-insulated throughout their titles. shengbowi says non-insulated in the title and insulated butt joints in another bullet, so that listing does not answer the question. If the entry is narrow, start with a bare ferrule of the same mm². The full versus is on insulated or uninsulated bootlace ferrules.
Name the colour sequence or ignore the colour
Three sequences are sold in the UK, and they do not match. On DIN 46228-4, and on the French sequence published against NF C 63-023, 1.5 mm² is black. On the special sequence UK sellers often call German, 1.5 mm² is red. German is not DIN. Grey is both 0.75 mm² and 4 mm² on DIN. Colour is never the size.
None of the five kits names DIN, French or that special sequence. Gorffy lists sleeve colours without saying which chart they follow. flintronic names a PVC collar and does not name a sequence at all. Bare kits have no collar colour to misread. An EN-style code on a lid, including Newoutset's ENO508 spelling, is not a DIN 46228 approval we have checked. If the kit will not say which chart it used, ignore the colour and read the mm².
What these kits actually contain
Piece count is the number on the lid, not the number of the size you will use. Newoutset's 800 pieces include 200 of the smallest codes and only 50 of EN4009 and 50 of EN6012. shengbowi says six sizes and then lists seven codes. Gorffy's 2,200 pieces do not include a tool, even though one bullet still calls the set a crimping tool kit. A bag of 100 of the size you fit every week can be the better spend.
WeqeYent is the only kit here that claims up to 16 mm², and its specification line prints a maximum of 24 V DC. That line stays as printed. It is not a 230 V mains rating. No kit in the comparison includes crimping pliers.
Common questions
What mm² ferrule do I buy for 1.5 mm² flex?
Buy a 1.5 mm² ferrule. One step either way is the usual failure: loose if the barrel is too big, or strands left outside if it is too small. If the terminal is deep, you may want the 12 mm EN1512 rather than the 8 mm EN1508, still at 1.5 mm². Colour does not make that choice.
Is a red collar always 1.5 mm²?
No. On the special sequence often sold as German, 1.5 mm² is red. On DIN 46228-4 and on the French sequence, 1.5 mm² is black. Grey stands for both 0.75 mm² and 4 mm² on DIN. If the box does not name the sequence, a red collar is not a size.
Do I need sizes above 2.5 mm²?
Only if the cable in your hand is above 2.5 mm². Ordinary appliance flex is often 0.75–1.5 mm², and RS PRO 513-2540 stops at 2.5 mm². WeqeYent claims codes up to 16 mm². A 16 mm² ferrule does not belong on 1.5 mm² flex, and it is not a reason to ferrule a meter tail.
What does EN1508 mean?
EN1508 is how these lids write 1.5 mm² with an 8 mm pin. EN1512 is the same cross-section with a 12 mm pin. Newoutset prints ENO508, which is the listing's spelling, not a cleaned-up code. The code is a size label. It is not, by itself, evidence that the part was made to DIN 46228.
Will the kit include a crimper?
Not these five. All of them omit a crimping tool. Gorffy's bullet still says crimping tool kit while included components says ferrule. You need a ferrule crimper, not ordinary pliers and not a red, blue and yellow insulated-terminal tool. The IET's point is that you crimp before you insert.
Is 2,000 pieces better than 100 of the size I use?
Not if you only fit one size. Gorffy's 2,200 pieces spread 0.5–10 mm², and Newoutset puts only 50 pieces in the larger codes. UK reviews of the flintronic box say the unused sizes crowd out the ones you need. A bag of 100 of the mm² you actually terminate is often the better buy.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Listings captured 21 October 2026. Updated October 2026.
- IET Wiring Matters, Mythbuster #5 (March 2020) (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Weidmuller UK: wire end ferrules (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Phoenix Contact ferrule guide (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- RS PRO crimping kit 513-2540 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- GOV.UK: competent person schemes (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, regulation 4 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- BEAMA consumer-unit guidance (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- amazon.co.uk listings B0C7GJX239, B0D8PNZSPK, B0CCTJMQ9Q, B0F8B11BC8, B09T9425PF (retrieved 22.10.2026)