Strapping Band & Buckle

Stainless steel strapping band and buckles

Strapping band (banding) is a flat strip of stainless steel that is wrapped around a pole, pipe or bundle, pulled tight and locked with a buckle. Hobson's band comes in 304 and 316 stainless, sold in 30m rolls, and its Tiger teeth buckles have teeth that grip the band. Hobson lists it for securing conduits, cables and pipes and for mounting street name signs to power poles, and notes it is commonly used on concrete and timber poles. Fixing to power poles is work for authorised crews with the pole owner's approval, and Hobson publishes no tensile or load figure for the band or buckles, so signs and brackets are fixed to the sign or pole owner's specification. It is also used to band insulation cladding on pipework.

The same band comes two ways: in an individual carton, or in a Hobson tote, a recyclable plastic case with a handle that keeps the coiled band in shape. Hobson's stocklist gives the 304 band a blue tote and the 316 band a red tote.

Stainless banding sizes

Every band and buckle we carry, in 304 and 316 stainless. Select a row to open it in the selector.

Matching band, buckle and job

• •Buckle width must match band width: 12.7mm buckles on 12.7mm band, 19mm on 19mm, and so on.
• •Match the grade too: Hobson pairs its 304 band with 304 buckles and its 316 band with 316 buckles.
• •The 9.5mm band is 0.58mm thick; the 12.7, 15.9 and 19mm bands are 0.7mm thick.
• •Hobson publishes no tensile or load figures for the band or buckles. For anything that holds a heavy load or could fall on people, use the fixing the sign, bracket or pipe support designer specifies.

How much band per wrap

One wrap takes the pole or pipe circumference plus enough tail to lock through the buckle. Circumference is the diameter x 3.14: a 300mm pole takes about 0.94m per wrap, a 150mm pole about 0.47m and a 100mm pipe about 0.31m. With no tail at all, a 30m roll would give about 31 wraps on a 300mm pole; once you allow a tail long enough for the buckle and your tensioning tool, expect about 25 to 30 wraps depending on your tail length, and more on smaller poles. Measure a trial wrap with your own tail length before cutting a batch.

How to fit stainless banding

We do not carry a banding (tensioning) tool, and Hobson's range has none, so use the tool you already work with and follow its instructions. Hobson publishes no fitting instructions for the band; the steps below are general trade practice, not Hobson's instructions:

1. Cut a length of band from the roll: one wrap plus a tail for the buckle and tool.
2. Thread a buckle onto one end and fold that end back under the buckle so it cannot pull through.
3. Wrap the band around the pole, pipe or bundle (through the sign or bracket slot if there is one) and feed the free end through the buckle.
4. Pull the band tight by hand or with a banding tool, so it sits flat and snug all the way round.
5. Lock it: fold the tail back over the buckle and close the buckle onto it so the teeth grip, then cut off the excess and dress any sharp end down. Wear gloves: cut stainless band is sharp.

304 or 316 stainless banding?

Hobson makes the band and buckles in 304 and 316 stainless for corrosion resistance. Its corrosion guide lists 304 or 316 stainless for exposed metal connectors, including in coastal and seaspray zones, and 316 within 2m of a pool edge, so use 316 band and buckles around pools. Near the sea, 316 is the stronger choice: the stainless steel association article Hobson publishes explains that 316 was developed, by adding molybdenum, because 304 corroded at the seaside. The same article notes that neither grade is made for seawater and that 316 can visibly corrode where salt spray builds up unwashed, so rinse banding on the coast where you can.

Inland and away from pools, 304 band with 304 buckles does the job. The article also says 304 bolts in a 316 panel in tap water show no galvanic effect, so a mixed 304 and 316 job is not a galvanic problem, but the corrosion resistance of a strap is only as good as its weaker part. Keep plain steel off stainless: carbon steel contamination is the usual cause of rust stains on stainless.

Stainless banding in Adelaide

Allmat supplies stainless strapping band, Tiger teeth buckles, stainless cable ties and pipe clamps to electricians, sign installers, plumbers, insulation contractors and trade across Adelaide and South Australia. Add band and buckles to a quote with the rest of your list.

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