Electrical Contracting News (ECN) June 2016 | Page 29

CABLE TIES VS CLEATS

TIE FIGHTER
In recent months stories have begun to do the rounds that suggest stainless steel cable
ties can be placed on an equal footing with cable cleats manufactured from the same
material – something that Richard Shaw of Ellis says is, at best, extremely misleading.

B

efore I set about
debunking the myths
created by this
fabricated product
match-up, it’s
important to highlight
exactly what is being
said. In a nutshell, the

key claims are:
• Stainless steel cable ties provide as
much protection in the event of a short
circuit as cleats.
• Stainless steel cable ties are less
expensive on average than cable cleats.
• Stainless steel cable ties provide an
equal or better level of risk mitigation at
lower cost and quicker time to install.
The problem with these claims is
that although stainless steel cable ties
and cable cleats are complementary

products (there can be no argument with
that), the area of overlap is extremely
small – and when explored fully, it’s
immediately apparent that it’s an area of
considerable risk.

Product v product
Cable cleats are made in a variety of
materials to accommodate a wide range
of installation conditions and locations.
There are stainless steel cleats, mild steel
cleats, extruded aluminium cleats, cast
aluminium cleats and cleats manufactured
in a wide range of polymers. And it doesn’t
end there - many cleats use a combination
of metals and polymers to deliver the best
possible solution.
Cable cleats also come in a number
of different varieties. There are cable
saddles, cable straps, flexible cable cleats,

hinged cable cleats and, lest we forget,
straightforward cable clamps.
In contrast, stainless steel cable ties
are just that – cable ties available solely in
stainless steel.
Creating an analogy about the two
products highlights the scale of the
differences between them perfectly: A
stainless steel cable tie manufacturer may
claim their wrench is as good, if not better,
than the cable cleat manufacturer’s. But
the cable cleat manufacturer can retort by
pointing out they don’t just have a wrench
– they have an entire tool kit.

Price
Before even considering the question of
price, we first have to decide which of
the many types of cable cleat we should
compare the stainless steel cable tie with.

In the examples I’ve read the price
comparisons between the two tend to
pit cable cleats at the upper end of the
range against standard cable ties. While
this may seem unfair, the comparison has
been made so let’s see how it stands up
to scrutiny.
Firstly, it’s obvious that a single stainless
steel cable tie will be cheaper than the
strongest of stainless steel cable cleats.
After all, you get what you pay for. But
even so, would the entire cost of both
product and installation be cheaper if you
used cable ties rather than cleats? It may
surprise you to discover that the answer is
almost certainly no, but why?
When considering the strongest stainless
steel cable cleat it is simply ludicrous to
try and equate it to a single stainless steel
cable tie. Yes, both products are made from
similar material, but there is, of course, a lot

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29-30 Cable Ties vs Cleats – Ellis.indd 29

12/05/2016 14:16