PET
Braided Sleeving

Other Items
What
is PET braided sleeving?
Expandable braided sleeving is very similar to those
"Chinese Finger Cuffs" that we've all gotten our fingers
stuck in.. Called by many names including Nylon braided sleeving,
sheathing, wire mesh, Expando, skuff jacket, snakeskin. When you
push the end back, the sleeving expands to go over wires easily,
and then when you let go, the sleeving comes back to its original
diameter (or the diameter of your wire harness or bundle, whichever
is larger).
Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) braided sleeving
is by far the most widely used expandable braided sleeve in the
world. It is commonly referred to as General Purpose (GP). In
many cases, sleeving referred to as Nylon is actually polyester.
While Nylon monofilaments
do provide better abrasion resistance in some cases, it also costs
40-60% more than PET, and is overkill in most applications.
As a generalization, PET performs better in gritty,
sandpaper type applications, while the abrasion resistance of
Nylon is better in both wet applications, and applications where
the abrading substrate is smooth (for example, rubbing against
a steel rod).
While the braiding process can be controlled to regulate the
expandibility of the final braid, most expandable PET braided
sleeving sold today is made in a standard construction that
before further processing, varies very little between manufacturers.
Standard braids can expand up to 2 times* their nominal size,
allowing for easy installation in complex wiring harnesses,
and a high degree of flexibility in the size used.
*please refer to the actual sizing guidelines in the table
below for expandability of individual sizes
How
our braid is different from our competitors'
What most suppliers won't tell you is that all braid
is not created equally. Most of the low cost "manufacturers"
in the USA don't actually make their own braid. They just buy
bulk spools from a braided sleeving manufacturer, and respool
to smaller, more economical spools. We take this process a few
steps further. With the exception of some of our metallized products
(e.g. our silver coated Mylar sleeving), all of our braided sleeving
is heat treated. Our PET braided sleeving is also "rounded"
during the spooling process..
Rounding a braided sleeve makes it appear more like
a tube than a flat product. Even spooled, the sleeving hold its
round shape, making for easier installation, and a much better
looking harness. Recently, a customer of ours was so happy when
we switched them over to a rounded braid, we decided to switch
our entire stock over. We are sure you will see the difference
too. Ask your current supplier if they will round braid for you.
We're sure they'll raise your price by at least 15%.
Here is a picture that illustrates the difference.
Both braids are 1/2" nominal. The top one is from our competitor,
and the bottom one (with the little white tracers in it) is ours.
The pen diameter is 3/8". See how the top one shows a crease?
Click
on the picture for a larger image. If you look closely
at the top sleeve, you can actually see the table through the
sleeving.

How
can I get a fray resistant braided sleeve?
There are are few different
types of fray resistant braided sleeves on the market. One particular
type has a resin applied to the braid causing the individual filaments
to stick to each other. This product is sold in the market at
a very high premium (more than 2x the price of our sleeving).
Other types consist of nothing more than a tighter braid, causing
the braid to fray less than normal when cut with scissors.
We offer three simple solutions
to this problem:
1) Since our braid is heatset,
it has some inherent fray resistance. This will allow for easy
installation without much fray. Cover the ends with heat
shrink tubing (our 3:1
dual wall is a great solution since it's sold in 4 foot pieces
instead of spools).
2) Purchase a hot knife from
us for $110. A hot knife is a great
way to get a true non-fray end on your braided sleeving. Just
simply turn it on, and run the sleeve down the blade, and the
sleeve is cut very easily. Just make sure you're in a well ventilated
area. For a picture of our bench mount hot knife cutter, click
here
3) View
our new Fray resistant braided sleeving page

Look at the pictures below.
The 1/2" sleeve (on the left) was cut clean with a sharp
pair of scissors prior to being put on a 3/4" highlighter.
It is clear that there is some end fray. This can easily be covered
with Heat
Shrink Tubing to give a clean end. The braided sleeve on the
right was cut with a hot knife. This end would be fine without
any heat shrink tubing. You may want to put a cable
tie on the end to stop the sleeve from slipping.
Sleeving in these pictures is actually our Flame
Retardant Grade, as denoted by the contrasting color tracers
Features
of PET Braided Sleeving:
Pricing
for PET Expandable Braided Sleeving

Stocked in various
colors. Check Drop down menu for each size to see current stock.
Many other colors available including UV
Reactive colors. Most non-stock colors require a 2 week lead
time.
Please note: If you
wish to purchase small quantities of sleeving, please don't hesitate
to send us an e-mail.
We will be happy to refer you to one of our partners that sell
this sleeving in all colors by the foot.
For custom cut lengths, please
contact us
Nominal
Size |
Expansion
min |
Expansion
Max |
Feet per
spool |
Price per
spool* |
Bulk Spool
Ordering |
Mini Spools |
1/16 |
1/32" |
3/16" |
2000 |
$300 |
|
3/32 |
1/16" |
1/4" |
2000 |
$350 |
|
1/8" |
3/32" |
1/4" |
2000 |
$155
|
|
|
100 |
$15 |
1/4 |
1/8" |
3/8" |
1000 |
$105 |
|
|
100 |
$25 |
3/8 |
3/16" |
5/8" |
500 |
$88 |
|
|
100 |
$30 |
1/2 |
1/4" |
3/4" |
500 |
$111 |
|
|
100 |
$40 |
5/8 |
3/8" |
1" |
250 |
$65 |
|
3/4 |
1/2" |
1 1/4" |
250 |
$82 |
OVERSTOCK SPECIALS AVAILABLE
- VIEW PAGE |
|
100 |
$50 |
50 |
$30 |
1 1/4 |
3/4" |
1 3/4" |
250 |
$121 |
|
|
100 |
$60 |
50 |
$37 |
1 1/2 |
1" |
2 1/4" |
250 |
$179 |
SPECIAL COLOR COMBINATIONS AVAILABLE
- VIEW PAGE |
|
50 |
$45 |
1 3/4 |
1" |
2 3/4" |
250 |
|
|
|
50 |
$55 |
2 |
1 1/4" |
3" |
250 |
$255 |
|
|
50 |
$60 |
2 1/2 |
1 1/2" |
4 1/2" |
250 |
$327.50 |
|
|
50 |
$98 |
| Bench Mount Hot Knife Cutter |
$99 |
|
*Purchases of 5 or more Bulk spools (any size) will
receive a 20% discount on the sleeving.
Flame
Retardant PET Braided Sleeving

Features:
-
Identified by contrasting tracers in an X
fashion
-
Excellent cut through and abrasion resistance
-
High quality alternative to Bentley Harris
Expando FR®, Alpha GRP-120, FR
PET sleeving
-
Continuous use temperature of -70°C to
125°C (-103°F to 257°F)
-
Melt temperature of 230°C (446°F)
-
Expands up to three times its resting diameter
-
ROHS compliant
-
Resists Gasoline, Engine Chemicals & Cleaning
Solvents
-
Braided from 10 mil flame retardant polyethylene
terepthalate (PET) monofilament yarns.
-
UL and CSA registered product, meets
VW-1
and FT-1 flame tests
-
Passes FAR Part 25 flame test
-
Conforms to FMVSS 302 - Automotive Burn Test
-
Registered in the NASA database for low outgassing
(under CS Technical as manufacturer)
Pricing
for Flame Retardant (FR) PET Expandable Braided Sleeving
Black with
White Tracers in stock. White with Black Tracers 2 week
lead time
Nominal Size |
Expansion min |
Expansion Max |
Feet/spool |
Price/spool* |
Add to Cart |
Mini Spools Black/White only |
1/8" |
3/32" |
1/4" |
2000 |
$182 |
|
|
100 |
$18 |
1/4 |
1/8" |
3/8" |
1000 |
$114 |
|
|
100 |
$27 |
3/8 |
3/16" |
5/8" |
500 |
$103 |
|
|
100 |
$37 |
1/2 |
1/4" |
3/4" |
500 |
$134 |
|
|
100 |
|
3/4 |
1/2" |
1 1/4" |
250 |
$103 |
|
|
100 |
$56 |
1 1/4 |
3/4" |
1 3/4" |
250 |
$152 |
|
|
100 |
|
1 3/4 |
1" |
2 1/4" |
200 |
$158 |
|
Mini Spool: Please Call |
2 |
1 1/4" |
3" |
200 |
$200 |
|
Mini Spool: Please Call |
2 1/2 |
1 1/2" |
4 1/2" |
200 |
$262 |
|
Mini Spool: Please Call |
| Bench Mount Hot Knife Cutter |
$99 |
|
*Purchases of 5 or more Bulk spools (any size) will
receive a 20% discount on your sleeving purchase.
Mylar is a registered trademark of E.I DuPont
Expando is a registered trademark of Federal Mogul
Corporation