11b box stamped says 43.3 CU. IN

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PowerMan2020

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Location
virginia
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electrician
Due to splices I need to make, I need a box to be at least 42.5 CU IN and most all of the boxes I see are only 42 cu in.
At home depot the Steel City square 11b's have it stamped saying 43.3 Cu. In., but when I look at the Steel City website and online informational specs they only claim it is 42 cu in. Seems to me if i go by the stamp then I am OK.....any ideas on this discrepancy?


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I would use the box and/or round down without worrying about it.

If it bothers you that much, use a plaster ring and a blank plate to suit.
 
LarryFine said:
I would use the box and/or round down without worrying about it.

If it bothers you that much, use a plaster ring and a blank plate to suit.
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Ugh, I don't have any rings on hand. Perhaps I will use a black marker and circle the stamped volume and possible create a label to stick on the box pointing out that it is a 43.3. Cu. In. I am only afraid that the inspector could just assume it is a 42. cu in box and fail me for being half a cu. in. too small.
 
PowerMan2020 said:
Ugh, I don't have any rings on hand. Perhaps I will use a black marker and circle the stamped volume and possible create a label to stick on the box pointing out that it is a 43.3. Cu. In. I am only afraid that the inspector could just assume it is a 42. cu in box and fail me for being half a cu. in. too small.
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My God, I only wish that was the only thing to keep me awake at night. :rolleyes:

Leave it be. Nobody cares!

-Hal
 
electrofelon said:
I don't recall an inspector ever, not even once, checking my box fill......
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I once had one that did, particuarly paid attention to 1 and 2 gang plastic boxes for NM cable.

I don't generally overfill any box since then, not even by half a conductor, except occasionally on work that won't be inspected and the correct box isn't readily available at the time or would be a big PITA to remove some existing box because it is too small.
 
hillbilly1 said:
I have, several times. North Carolina being the worst. I had one inspector pull out all the wires and count. He said if I had one more wire, he would have turned me down! LOL!
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Wiring method? Just wondering if he did this at rough in (NM) or at final (conduit system)?

I agree, NC can be a pain at times, but as long as it's code and not opinion I'm okay with it.
 
hillbilly1 said:
I have, several times. North Carolina being the worst. I had one inspector pull out all the wires and count. He said if I had one more wire, he would have turned me down! LOL!
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Does he put them back, and in a way that rockers won't damage with their roto-zip cutters?
 
oldsparky52 said:
Wiring method? Just wondering if he did this at rough in (NM) or at final (conduit system)?

I agree, NC can be a pain at times, but as long as it's code and not opinion I'm okay with it.
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Yeah, he was staying with code, but on this particular job, the homeowner had four four ways in one box, entire job #12 minimum. Used the deepest four gang I could find. I passed, but he checked it. Another was City of Roswell many years ago, remodel job, quite a few conduits in one box, but had extension ring on it. Passed on that one too.
 
I do find it interesting that the particular box in question is different then all the others. They must have made it a hair larger in depth perhaps.
 
Maybe it's a "Southern thing".(NC &N TN) . :) I check box fill on every install.. Find 25%+ of the houses wired with #12 and using Carlon 2 gang boxes have a fill problem.
 
In my 3 decades, it only happened once and on the only box, I ever overfilled by one wire. Boy did I chew myself out!
 
They'll check if it "doesn't look right" (we are in the south). The two things that alert them are handy boxes (which I don't use, but I've seen builders put them in overfull. I did have to argue that you can legally get one device and one cable in there once on a retrofit job) and as Augie says, the Carlon boxes with lots of 12g wire hanging out. This is a number that the average inspector can count without removing his shoes and socks.
 
rnatalie said:
They'll check if it "doesn't look right" (we are in the south). The two things that alert them are handy boxes (which I don't use, but I've seen builders put them in overfull. I did have to argue that you can legally get one device and one cable in there once on a retrofit job) and as Augie says, the Carlon boxes with lots of 12g wire hanging out. This is a number that the average inspector can count without removing his shoes and socks.
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Even a 2.125" deep handibox doesn't have room for many conductors if there is a device installed, 1.5" deep are almost useless IMO.
 
Handy-boxes are handy for connections in commercial-kitchen fire-suppression systems, like at the micro-switches and gas valves.

I also like using plastic handy-boxes for the receptacles I install for cabinet-mounted microwave ovens.
 
I was on my job a few years back and was checking the work the guys were doing. I immediately went to 2 boxes that were one over. They had to reroute the circuit to make it work.
 
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