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How to ground an anti-static wrist strap at a bench

Updated: 16 October 2026

The strap is in your hand, the listing says clip to a grounded source, and you are looking at a PC case, a radiator, and a wall socket. This is how to ground an anti-static wrist strap so the clip lands on metal you can call earth, with the power off, and so a silent meter does not send a good resistor back to the seller. The product rows are on the [anti-static wrist strap comparison](/hub/occupational-safety-accessories/anti-static-bracelet). The Products Compared editorial team updated this page on 16 October 2026 from public UK notes and the review themes. We did not lab-test the straps. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The strap is in your hand, the listing says clip to a grounded source, and you are looking at a PC case, a radiator, and a wall socket.

Our top picks

ECO-FUSED ECO-FUSED wrist straps, pack of 3

Best overall

ECO-FUSED ECO-FUSED wrist straps, pack of 3
9.0/10about £5.99
View offer
HDXH HDXH coated metal wrist strap

Best value

HDXH HDXH coated metal wrist strap
9.0/10about £3.49
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FEITA FEITA ESD wrist strap, wine red, 8 ft

Rank 3

FEITA FEITA ESD wrist strap, wine red, 8 ft
8.8/10about £4.99
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On this page
  1. 1.Put the band on skin first
  2. 2.Land the clip on earth, with power off
  3. 3.Read the meter on the resistance range
  4. 4.When this is no longer a strap job

Put the band on skin first

Charge on your body has to reach the cord, so the band goes on bare skin, snug enough that it does not slide, and not over a sleeve. A loose band is an open path even when the clip is on a known earth. ECO-FUSED states a wrist up to 23.5 cm, the only figure of that kind in this set. The other rows leave the size blank. A home check from the band to the clip measures the cord, not the path through you. Bondline’s window, 750 kilohms to 35 megohms, includes the person. Two probes on the hardware will not catch a band worn on a cuff.

Land the clip on earth, with power off

Clip the jaw to unpainted metal you have a reason to call earth. Lindy’s sheet for product 40165 says to leave the mains lead in the socket, switch that socket off, fit the strap, and clip to unpainted chassis metal. SCAN’s ESD note is the same pattern: a PC plugged in and switched off at the wall is at earth, and you should not leave the machine on. ECO-FUSED’s bullets say never to connect yourself or the hardware to the mains. Chassis earth, with the wall switch off, is not the live pin. A radiator or a tap counts only when you already know that metal is bonded. Paint is not a landing. Desco Europe’s TB-7504 says not to clip the jaw to the edge of a dissipative mat. Carpet, RAM, and the bag the board arrived in are on the anti-static wrist strap for a PC build page.
ECO-FUSED ECO-FUSED wrist straps, pack of 3

Testsieger

ECO-FUSED ECO-FUSED wrist straps, pack of 3
9.0/10about £5.99
View offer

Read the meter on the resistance range

A continuity beep often stays silent on a cord that measures about 1 megohm. FEITA, ECO-FUSED, and TRIXES reviews in this set report that silence, and the same reviews also contain true open circuits. Switch to resistance. A reading around 1 megohm can be the part doing its job. A few ohms, with no resistor in the path, is what HSE leaflet INDG354 does not want in an earth-free electrical test area. An infinite reading matches the broken cords in the FEITA reviews. Desco’s article makes the same split: the beep is the wrong tool, and you should test the socket’s earth rather than trust the faceplate. The strap is not permission to work with the power on. If the number is nonsense, stop using that cord.

When this is no longer a strap job

Stop if the only earth is inside the socket. Do not open a BS 1363 plug, and do not turn a review of a homemade earth-only plug into a wiring project. CSI describes the UK object for this job as a ready-made earth-bonding plug, with a metal earth pin and plastic live and neutral pins. That is something you buy. Mentions of homemade plugs in reviews are not steps. Also stop if the equipment may still be live, if the area is flammable, or if the meter will not settle. Call someone qualified rather than joining them with a crocodile clip. A strap does not make powered work safe. How the cord should have been described before you paid is the anti-static wrist strap buying guide. A band with no cord cannot do any of this.

Common questions

Where do I attach the crocodile clip?
Attach it to unpainted metal you can justify as earth. On a PC, Lindy 40165 and SCAN both describe the chassis with the mains lead left in and the socket switched off. Do not clip to paint, plastic, or the edge of a dissipative mat. A radiator counts only when you know that radiator is bonded, not because it is metal and indoors.
Should the PC stay plugged in?
Yes, in the pattern Lindy and SCAN describe: the mains lead stays in the socket, and the socket or the supply is switched off. The chassis can then sit at earth. ECO-FUSED still forbids connecting yourself or the hardware to the mains. Switched off at the wall is the point where those two sentences agree. Leaving the machine running is not part of the method.
Can I clip the strap to a radiator or a tap?
Only if that metal is bonded to earth and you can say why. Do not assume a household radiator or a tap is earthed. Plastic pipe can isolate a tap, and paint is not a landing. If you cannot name the earth, use the switched-off chassis or a proper bonding plug instead.
Why is my multimeter silent?
A beep mode often cannot see about 1 megohm, and reviews of FEITA, ECO-FUSED, and TRIXES report that silence on cords that are not necessarily broken. The same reviews also include real open circuits. Use the resistance range. Around 1 megohm can be the resistor. A few ohms suggests no resistor. No reading at all suggests a break.
May I wire a 13 A plug so only earth connects?
No. Do not modify a BS 1363 plug from a forum post or a product review. The UK object CSI describes is a manufactured earth-bonding plug: metal on the earth pin, plastic on live and neutral. If the only earth you can find is inside the socket, stop and buy that plug, or ask a qualified person. This page is not a wiring guide.
Does the strap make it safe to work with the power on?
No. The strap is a path for static, not a permit to work live. SCAN’s note is to keep the machine off, and ECO-FUSED prints a mains ban. Lindy’s chassis clip assumes the socket is switched off. If the board is powered, or you are not sure it is isolated, this is no longer a wrist-strap job.

Related pages

Wireless anti-static bracelet versus a corded strap

Best anti-static wrist strap

Anti-static bracelet

Anti-static wrist strap buying guide: checks first

Anti-static wrist strap for a PC build: strap or hand

Sources

Public sources named in the research digest. Shelf prices are the amazon.co.uk listing prices dated 15 October 2026.

  1. HSE INDG354 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  2. BSI, BS EN IEC 61340-5-1:2024 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  3. BSI EN 61340 series (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  4. Desco, 1 megohm resistor (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  5. Bondline wrist straps (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  6. ESD Association forum — cordless wrist straps (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  7. HSE explosive atmospheres (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  8. CSI Products — UK earth-bonding plug (retrieved 15 October 2026)