Cable terminals buying guide
Updated: October 2026
You have a stripped cable in one hand and a tub of mixed connectors in the other, and the piece count is not the decision. A line about meeting electrical standards does not tell you whether you need a crimp, a tube lug, a bootlace ferrule or a lever. This cable terminals buying guide is the order to follow before you compare the twelve listings on the [cable terminals comparison](/hub/electrical-equipment/cable-terminals). Start with the family, then the millimetres squared and the stud or clamp, then the colour system and the voltage printed on that listing. The tool comes after those checks.
You have a stripped cable in one hand and a tub of mixed connectors in the other, and the piece count is not the decision.
You have a stripped cable in one hand and a tub of mixed connectors in the other, and the piece count is not the decision. A line about meeting electrical standards does not tell you whether you need a crimp, a tube lug, a bootlace ferrule or a lever. This cable terminals buying guide is the order to follow before you compare the twelve listings on the cable terminals comparison. Start with the family, then the millimetres squared and the stud or clamp, then the colour system and the voltage printed on that listing. The tool comes after those checks.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Family | Conductor size | Tool in the box | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  flintronic flintronic 34 lever connectors | Lever terminal block | Solid 0.2–4 mm²; flexible 0.08–2.5 mm² | No | 9.3 | about £7.98 | View offer |
| Best value |  Gorffy Gorffy 300 insulated crimps | Insulated crimp assortment | Red 0.5–1.5 mm²; blue 1.5–2.5 mm²; yellow 2.5–6.0 mm² | No | 8.8 | about £7.29 | View offer |
 AivaToba AivaToba bootlace ferrule kit | Bootlace ferrule kit with ratchet | Bullet 0.25–10 mm²; size field says 0.5–10 mm² | Yes, 4-jaw square ratchet | 7.6 | about £17.99 | View offer |
On this page
Four jobs, not one kit
These listings cover four everyday jobs. An insulated crimp is the red, blue or yellow sleeve with a ring, a fork, a spade or a butt, for vehicle wiring in roughly the 0.5–6 mm² band. A tubular copper lug is the heavier barrel for about 6–35 mm², with a hole for a stud. A bootlace ferrule is a short metal tube with a plastic collar, for fine strands going into a screw or cage clamp. A lever block is a reusable clamp for a lighting join, not a crimp at all.
The best cable terminals page maps each listing to one job. Here you only choose the family.
Read the millimetres squared and the stud
Fastlec reads a lug code as two numbers: the first is the cable in mm², the second is the stud. In this set, SC16-8 means 16 mm² and an 8 mm hole. ANVINKU and the Gorffy lug pack both run 6, 10, 16 and 25 mm². InYoHui is only SC35-10, printed as 35 mm² and a 10.5 mm hole. Do not invent a hole diameter for the other lugs.
Insulated crimps use a colour band, and the bands overlap. Edwardes puts red at 0.5–1.5 mm², blue at 1.5–2.5 mm² and yellow at 4.0–6.0 mm². Gorffy starts yellow at 2.5 mm². Bolatus keeps yellow at 4–6 mm².
Two colour systems, and the voltage on the label
Red on an insulated crimp is not red on a bootlace ferrule. The French sequence paints 1.0 mm² red and 1.5 mm² black. A sequence that UK boxes call German paints 1.5 mm² red, while DIN 46228-4 paints 1.5 mm² black. Neither ferrule box here prints a colour-to-size table. Ferrule rules stay on the bootlace ferrules page.
Voltage does not travel between listings. Gorffy’s insulated tub is listed at 120 V. Bolatus prints 230 V AC. The Gorffy and ANVINKU lug packs print a maximum of 12 V DC. Flintronic’s levers list 250 V and leave current blank. CE or VDE with no BS number is not a BS 7671 test.
Tool, box and the point where you stop
The die is part of the price even when the box leaves it out. Both 300-piece crimp tubs, both lever packs, the ferrule-only box and the lug packs are terminals without a tool. AivaToba’s insulated kit includes a red, blue and yellow ratchet. AivaToba’s ferrule kit includes a four-jaw ratchet, model HSC8-6-4A. Those tools are not interchangeable. The cycle is on the how to crimp cable terminals page.
Stop when the joint is fixed wiring for a competent person. Part P of the Building Regulations 2010 covers fixed installations in dwellings. In England, notifiable work includes a new circuit and a consumer-unit change. Regulation 16 of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 puts that work with someone competent.
Common questions
Do I buy an insulated crimp, a tube lug, a ferrule or a lever block?
Buy the family that matches the joint. An insulated crimp covers roughly 0.5–6 mm² with a ring, fork, spade or butt. A tube lug here covers about 6–35 mm² on a stud, and the packs that print a voltage say 12 V DC. A bootlace ferrule treats fine strands for a screw clamp. Both lever packs stop at 2.5 mm² flexible. Piece count does not choose the family.
What does SC16-8 mean?
The first number is the cable in mm² and the second is the stud. SC16-8 is 16 mm² with an 8 mm hole. SC35-10 on the InYoHui listing is 35 mm² with a 10.5 mm hole printed on the page. Do not assume every M8 lug in the other packs has a hole of 10.5 mm, because those pages do not print the diameter.
Is red always 0.5–1.5 mm²?
No. On an insulated ring, fork or spade, the usual UK band puts red at 0.5–1.5 mm², with blue overlapping at 1.5 mm². On a bootlace ferrule, French coding paints 1.0 mm² red and 1.5 mm² black. Gorffy’s insulated listing starts yellow at 2.5 mm², while Bolatus keeps yellow at 4–6 mm².
Does a line about meeting all electrical standards mean BS 7671?
No. A general standards line, or CE or VDE without a BS number, is not a BS 7671 certificate and not a BS EN IEC 60352-2 or BS EN 61238 test. None of the twelve listings cites BS 7609. You still match size, stud or clamp, metal and die, and you leave a consumer unit to a registered competent person.
Can I use a 12 V DC lug on 230 V mains?
No. A printed 12 V DC maximum stays on that listing. Gorffy’s insulated terminals are listed at 120 V, Bolatus at 230 V AC, and the lever packs at 250 V on the spec line. Okeno’s bullet also prints 600 V. Do not move those figures onto another product, and do not read a blank voltage as permission for mains.
When do I stop and call a competent person?
Stop for a consumer unit, a new circuit, a special location, meter tails, aluminium, an overheated joint, or an EV high-voltage connector. In England those jobs can be notifiable under Part P. The practical route is a registered electrical competent person. A camper crimp, or a ferrule in a screw clamp, is a smaller job, and it still needs the right die.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources from the research digest, used on 22 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures for these 12 listings.
- Voltimum UK: Termination of conductors (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- IET Wiring Matters: Mythbuster 5, terminal blocks (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- IET EngX: Ferrule crimps (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk: Building Regulations 2010, Schedule 1, Part P (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk: Building Regulations 2010, regulation 12 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- HSE: Electrical safety introduction (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, regulation 16 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Furneaux Riddall: terminals guide (retrieved 22 October 2026)