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Below is a brief description of the different types of battery cable terminal ends to help you choose exactly what will work best for you.
This is the most common battery terminal and probably what you think of when we talk about battery cable ends. They come in a large variety of sizes from 6 gauge to 4/0 gauge. The terminals we sell are die-cast solid copper with tin plating for corrosion resistance.
These are available in Right or Left. They are useful in certain applications where space is a concern or if you want a different look. (Left elbow shown). Elbow terminals are a little more expensive (about $1 more).
These are the heavy-duty replacement for the cable ends used by some OEMs on new cars and for stud top industrial batteries.
These are for connecting several stud top batteries together in parallel. They are the stud top equivalent of the flag terminal shown below. I do not normally stock them but they are available special order. One could also use a double-barrel terminal for a ground in the middle of a ground cable. Double barrel lugs are only available in 1/0 and larger with 3/8 hole. I do not normally stock them but they are available special order.
This style is used for dual battery setups where two or more batteries will be connected in parallel on a single cable. Please, note that because these require 2 connections and 2 heat shrink, the labor for these will be double. We stock these in 1/0 thru 4/0.
Not every terminal is available in every wire gauge. For example, 6 gauge elbow terminals are not available. Here is a table with what we normally stock (“Yes”); what we can order special order (SO); and what is hard to find (“No).
| Wire Size |
Top Post Straight | Top Post w/extra wire | Elbow Top Post |
Side Mount or Stud Top |
Flag | Flag w/extra wire | Double Barrel |
| 8ga | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| 6ga | Universal Only | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| 4ga | Pos & Neg | No | R & L Universal Only | Yes | No | No | No |
| 1-2 ( 1 or 2ga) | Pos & Neg | No | R & L Universal Only | Yes | No | No | No |
| 1/0 or 0 or “one-aught” | Pos & Neg | NO | Pos & Neg in Left and Right | Yes | Pos & Neg | No | SO |
| 2/0 or 00 or “Two-aught” | Pos & Neg | Positive only | Pos & Neg in Left and Right | Yes | Pos & Neg | Positive Only | SO |
| 3/0 or 000 or “three-aught” | Pos & Neg | No | Pos & Neg in Left and Right | Yes | Positive Only | Positive Only | SO |
| 4/0 or 0000 or “four-aught” | Pos & Neg | No | Special Order | Yes | Positive Only | No | SO |
This is what you need to connect o the starter, solenoid, alternator or deep cycle battery. A heavy-duty end is shown. The metal used in the heavy-duty ends is twice as thick. The HD ends are also wider and more expensive. As lugs get larger, more copper is required to make them, therefore they cost more.
Heavy-duty ring terminals are also available with a 45 degree or 90-degree bend. Not all sizes are available. These terminals are more expensive than the normal heavy-duty lugs. I do NOT recommend trying to make your own bent ends. I have tried and very often the ends will crack possibly leading to premature failure.
Not every hole size is available with every wire gauge. For example, 4/0 gauge lug with 1/4 holes is not something we stock and can be very hard to find. Here is a table with what we normally stock (“Yes”); what we can special order (“SO”) and what is not available (“NA”). We try to stock all sizes up to 3/0. We don’t stock much 4.0 due to low demand.
| Wire Size | 1/4 Std lug |
5/16 Std lug |
3/8 Std lug |
1/2 Std lug |
1/4 HD |
5/16 HD |
3/8 HD |
1/2 HD |
5/16 HD-45 |
3/8 HD-45 |
1/2 HD-45 |
5/16 HD-90 |
3/8 HD-90 |
1/2 HD-90 |
| 8ga | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| 6ga | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 4ga | yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2ga (or 1-2) |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1ga (or 1-2) |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1/0 or 0 or “one aught” | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2/0 or 00 or “two-aught” |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 3/0 or 000 or “three-aught” |
SO | SO | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | NA | Yes | Yes | NA | Yes | Yes |
| 4/0 or 0000 or “four-aught” |
SO | SO | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | NA | SO | SO | NA | SO | SO |
