Bootlace ferrules French or German colours

[Selfmade]

Hi Folks

TLC have bootlace ferrules in French or German colours. Is it legit to use these in the UK? If so, is either preferable and why? And why have these not been harmonized?

 

[SparkyChick]

I'm using the German colour scheme because I dislike their political leaders only slightly less than I dislike the French political leaders

France and Germany... harmonise... LOL! It will never happen. Make the rules for everyone else to follow and then say screw it, we're doing our own thing

In all seriousness, I think it's down to either a stated standard where the work is being carried out or you're own personal preference and what's available at your wholesaler.

 

[Octopus]

Surely they use the same colours as the UK - EU harmonisation and all that clap trap

 

[Selfmade]

Lol, should have guessed this one would get political! Personally I don't like any political leaders, and as for civil servants...

I'd always assumed our red, blue and yellow butt splice crimps were a harmonized standard (never really thought about it). But now I do think about it, maybe it's a Romanian one based on their flag.

I guess it doesn't really matter as they are not used to identify the conductor - just to identify the size of ferrule so once selected the colour is irrelevant.

 

[Toneyz]

Surely they use the same colours as the UK - EU harmonisation and all that clap trap

Agree, I thought that was the reason why we changed all our cable colours. (the old ones were much easier to identify in the dark)

 

[Octopus]

Agree, I thought that was the reason why we changed all our cable colours. (the old ones were much easier to identify in the dark)

Quite ......... as usual the UK the only ones to follow the rules

Can we go back to red and black?

 

[Toneyz]

Quite ......... as usual the UK the only ones to follow the rules

Can we go back to red and black?

And the cable was cheaper when it was red and black.

 

[LeeH]

Just pick one and stick with it.

Nothing more annoying that having both schemes in your crimp box.

 

[timbobelfast]

As Lee says, stick to one or the other!

I have to dig through red and blacks for 1.5mm bootlace when I'm looking for 1.00mm! At the end of day the the conductor will be identified by other means.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

Use any colours you like. They are only coloured to help you pick the right one out of the box, unlike cables which are coloured to identify their function. I've always used French.

 

[telectrix]

i only use black ones to match my logo's shirt. if the wires don't fit, clip a few strands off. .

 

[Bobster]

French standard are the most commonly used in the UK.

 

[Deleted member 26818]

If you buy Wriggleys Extra, Mentos and M&Ms in the plastic pots, you can use them as colour coded containers.

 

[Selfmade]

Thanks all for the advice! I went for
Deutsch Farbschema Ferrulen in the end (had to look that up!) as the 1.5 and 2.5 are red and blue respectively, the same as our butt splices.

 

[Selfmade]

i only use black ones to match my logo's shirt. if the wires don't fit, clip a few strands off. .

Your logo's shirt? Shirley that should be your shirt's logo?

 

[ipf]

How could they be harmonized when they're coloured as per size. You'd have umpteen colours per size.....what a mix up.

 

[freddo]

French.

 

[telectrix]

thefrench have only 3 colours.

1. run away.
2 i surrender
3. your mother is german.

 

[Selfmade]

How could they be harmonized when they're coloured as per size. You'd have umpteen colours per size.....what a mix up.

Don't follow you

 

[Dave OCD]

He's saying to have them coloured to match the cable colour they're fitted to AND colour coded to conductor size would result in far too many needed to be practical.

 

[Selfmade]

He's saying to have them coloured to match the cable colour they're fitted to AND colour coded to conductor size would result in far too many needed to be practical.

Got it - thanks for clarification!

 

[Selfmade]

Just to be clear, when I suggested they should be harmonized, I didn't mean according to polarity, I just meant the sizes would each be coloured the same across Europe or the world.

 

[Deleted member 26818]

You can get any size in any colour you want, and some colours you don’t.

 

[freddo]

I can solve that problem, use only uninsulated ferrules.

 

[timbobelfast]

Look naff in a panel that would!

 

[telectrix]

just fit whatever ferrule goes round the cable. hit with a hammer.jobs a good 'un. oops, thought i was on the plumbers forum.

 

[Selfmade]

I can solve that problem, use only uninsulated ferrules.

Seems a very valid point. I mean Shirley if you just strip the right amount of conductor insulation in the first place there's no need for insulated ferrules. Where do you buy your uninsulated ones?

 

[Deleted member 26818]

Not sure uninsulated and insulated are the correct terms for boot lace ferrules?
The little coloured plastic part is hardly insulation.
Saying that, I prefer the insulated ferrules as the plastic part allows for easier insertion of the wire.

 

[freddo]

Seems a very valid point. I mean Shirley if you just strip the right amount of conductor insulation in the first place there's no need for insulated ferrules. Where do you buy your uninsulated ones?

RS or get wholesaler to get them, they are really useful for small terminals and for 13A plugs if I'm in a good mood.

Not sure uninsulated and insulated are the correct terms for boot lace ferrules?
The little coloured plastic part is hardly insulation.
Saying that, I prefer the insulated ferrules as the plastic part allows for easier insertion of the wire.

That's what they are called by the manufacturers.

 

[Deleted member 26818]

That's what they are called by the manufacturers.

Yes, it is.
Still don’t consider it to be an accurate description though.

 

[telectrix]

if iwant a bare ferrule, i insert the wire the other way in then snip the plastic bit off.

 

[freddo]

If you pop the plastic bit off with some small cable croppers you keep the flared end to make poking the wire in easier.

 

[Deleted member 26818]

How much of that is insulated?

 

[Crimp-N-Fix]

In case anyone is still wondering...

There are actually 3 colour ranges of cord-end ferrules:

1. French colours.
2. German colours.
3. DIN colours (which might arguably also be regarded as a second German range, because the DIN standard originates from Germany).

Some DIN colours are the same as French: 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 35 and 50 (mm²).
Some DIN colours are the same as German: 0.14, 0.34, 2.5 and 4.0 (mm²).
For all the remaining sizes: 0.25, 0.75, 6, 10 , 16 and 25 (mm²), the DIN colours are different to French and German.



The only difference between them all is the colour. Everything else about the products is identical. So presumably you can just use whatever colour is specified by your customer or the control panel designer.

In terms of popularity, our customers in the UK buy about twice as many French ones compared to German ones, but both sell well. So I'd guess that the French colours might be more popular in the UK. I hope that helps

 

[nicebutdim]

In case anyone is still wondering...

There are actually 3 colour ranges of cord-end ferrules:

1. French colours.
2. German colours.
3. DIN colours (which might arguably also be regarded as a second German range, because the DIN standard originates from Germany).

Some DIN colours are the same as French: 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 35 and 50 (mm²).
Some DIN colours are the same as German: 0.14, 0.34, 2.5 and 4.0 (mm²).
For all the remaining sizes: 0.25, 0.75, 6, 10 , 16 and 25 (mm²), the DIN colours are different to French and German.



The only difference between them all is the colour. Everything else about the products is identical. So presumably you can just use whatever colour is specified by your customer or the control panel designer.

In terms of popularity, our customers in the UK buy about twice as many French ones compared to German ones, but both sell well. So I'd guess that the French colours might be more popular in the UK. I hope that helps

I use French as they're what I first bought and just restock in the same colours.

Could it be that pricing or availability influences choice between colour ranges?

 

[Crimp-N-Fix]

I use French as they're what I first bought and just restock in the same colours.

Could it be that pricing or availability influences choice between colour ranges?

Yes good point, it is possible that we've been offering the French colours at lower prices, but generally I guess that our customers probably just stick to buying the colour range that they have always bought.

We might have bought stock of different colours at different times, which tends to mean that the prices are rather individual per part number. Currently, several of our French colours are cheaper than their equivalent German colours, but that might even out once we do the next price review and/or the next purchase of stock.

 

[ipf]

I've been wondering about that for over 4 years.........