Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

How to fit a jubilee clip

Updated: 23 October 2026

The hose is on the bench, the clip is in your hand, and the usual instinct is to keep turning until it feels done. This is how to fit a jubilee clip so the band sits behind the barb and the thread is still intact when you stop. The steps are for a worm-drive clip on a cold, low-pressure rubber hose you have already measured. The [hose clamps comparison](/hub/hand-tools/hose-clamps) is where the packs are listed. Peter F. wrote this from UK fitting guides and the review notes, on 23 October 2026. We did not film a fitting. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The hose is on the bench, the clip is in your hand, and the usual instinct is to keep turning until it feels done.

Our top picks

Leryati Leryati 20-piece worm-drive set

Best overall

Leryati Leryati 20-piece worm-drive set
8.2/10about £5.99
View offer
WELHAEPI WELHAEPI 20-piece worm-drive set

Best value

WELHAEPI WELHAEPI 20-piece worm-drive set
8.0/10about £4.89
View offer
Xiaomoyu Xiaomoyu 100-piece worm-drive kit

Rank 3

Xiaomoyu Xiaomoyu 100-piece worm-drive kit
6.4/10about £9.38
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Measure the fitted outside diameter
  2. 2.Put the clip on in the right order
  3. 3.Use the driver the screw actually has
  4. 4.Stop before the thread strips
  5. 5.When this is no longer a DIY fitting

Measure the fitted outside diameter

Measure after the hose is fully on the spigot, around the outside, in millimetres. The bore is the hole. RS and The Hosemaster both say to aim for the middle of the printed range. A review of a 16–25 mm ten-pack says the clip would not close on a pipe already at 25 mm. A proper worm-drive starts to engage from about 9.5 mm. Jubilee publishes 3.4 Nm for its own small clips with a 7 mm driver. That figure is not a setting for these packs.

Put the clip on in the right order

Slide the clip onto the hose before you push the hose onto the fitting. Push the hose fully onto the tail, then bring the band back until it sits behind the raised bead, square to the hose, about 5 mm in from the cut end. The Hosemaster uses that order. Integraflex makes the same point: the band belongs behind the barb, not on the nose where it walks off. If the hose is warm, let it cool, and leave the housing where a screwdriver can still reach it.
Leryati Leryati 20-piece worm-drive set

Testsieger

Leryati Leryati 20-piece worm-drive set
8.2/10about £5.99
View offer

Use the driver the screw actually has

These assortments do not share one screw head. Leryati reviews say a flat head, so a cross-head driver cams out. Gepeyo's hex was too round for a socket. Xiaomoyu reviews say a Philips driver, and the box includes a Z-shaped screwdriver. WELHAEPI and the Bolatus sets only say a screwdriver. Use the driver that fills the slot. Glarks is a T-bolt, and the spring clips close with pliers.

Stop before the thread strips

Tighten until the hose does not rotate on the tail by hand. Then stop. A screw that skips has left the slots. Bolatus 22-piece reviews say the thread strips if you torque the screw. WELHAEPI reviews call the edges sharp, so a band that bites the rubber is already too tight. Reuse a clip only when the band is still round and the screw still tracks.

When this is no longer a DIY fitting

This sequence is for a cold rubber hose at low pressure: a garden hose, a water butt, a pond pipe or a washing-machine drain. It is the wrong sequence for a brake hose, for LPG, and for a cooling system that is still hot. Do not open a hot radiator cap. A new mains connection belongs with a competent installer. An air-tool hose needs the tool maker's tightening advice, because the British Compressed Air Society treats a burst airline as a hazard. If the hose is silicone on a boosted pipe, the clamp choice changes, which is jubilee clip or T-bolt.

Common questions

Do I put the clip on before or after the hose goes onto the fitting?
Put the clip on the hose first, while the end is still free. Then push the hose fully onto the tail and slide the band back until it sits behind the bead. Fitting the hose first often leaves the band stranded in front of the barb, where it will creep off as soon as the hose is pressurised or pulled.
How far back from the end of the hose should the band sit?
Sit the band behind the raised bead, square to the hose, about 5 mm back from the cut end. That is the position The Hosemaster describes. On the nose of the barb the band has a slope to climb, and it walks forward. If the housing fouls the engine or the machine case, rotate the clip before you tighten it.
How do I measure if I only have a tape?
Wrap the tape around the hose after it is on the fitting, read the circumference, and divide by 3.1416. That quotient is the outside diameter in the same units. Choose a clip whose middle is near that figure. The number moulded on the hose is the bore, and it is the wrong number for the packet.
Which screwdriver do these packs actually need?
Leryati's screw is a flat head in the reviews. Gepeyo's hex was too round for a socket, and a flat screwdriver worked. Xiaomoyu's screws are described as Philips, with a Z-shaped driver in the box. Several other packs only say screwdriver. Look at the head in the packet and use the driver that fills it.
How tight is tight enough?
Tight enough is a hose that is evenly compressed and does not twist on the tail by hand, followed by a leak check. Jubilee's 3.4 Nm figure is for its own small clip, not for these assortments. If the screw starts to skip, the joint has failed. Back off, fit a new clip of the right size, and stop at snug.
What do I do if the screw jumps or the band cuts the rubber?
Stop. A jumping screw has left the slots, and more torque strips what is left, which is what Bolatus 22-piece reviews describe. A band that cuts the rubber is too tight or has a sharp edge, which WELHAEPI reviews mention. Replace the clip, ease a sharp edge if the hose is undamaged, and recheck the diameter.

Related pages

Hose clamp buying guide

Best hose clips

Fuel line hose clips

Hose clamps

Jubilee clip or T-bolt: when that window is narrow

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, last checked on 21 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file.

  1. Jubilee Clips — Original range PDF (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  2. Intertek Inform — BS 5315:1991, withdrawn (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  3. BSI Knowledge — who uses withdrawn standards (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  4. legislation.gov.uk — Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  5. WRAS — appropriate standards, including BS EN 13618 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  6. BCAS — fact sheet 103-1, hose and tube (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  7. RS — jubilee clips guide (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  8. The Hosemaster — guide to hose clamps (retrieved 21 October 2026)