What are Blade Connectors?

Blade-type connectors handle high power loads with flat, durable conductive terminal blades.

Meet the Connector: Blade Connectors 

Also referred to as blade-type contacts, blade-type connectors are characterized by flat, conductive, blade-shaped terminals. Blade terminals are an early and ubiquitous connectivity design and are widely favored for their ease of use and power handling ability. The simplest blade connector consists of a single blade terminal, but blade terminals are also used within a wide variety of connector types, including the common NEMA wall plug, which has two blade-shaped terminals, as well as more complex modern connectors that have many blade-type terminals in a single housing, such as Amphenol Communication System’s PwrBlade or Molex Sabre. These products are all characterized by having blades or tabs that are simply inserted into a receptacle.

TE Connectivity’s Faston connector is a connector with a blade-type contact or terminal with curled “dog bone” sides

Blade connectors are widely used in vehicles for connecting components like batteries, alternators, and sensors. Their ability to withstand vibration and mechanical stress makes them suitable for automotive environments. ​They are also a mainstay in consumer appliances.

Anderson Power Products’ Powerpole terminal features a crimped blade

Design Notes

Standards: While there isn’t a single standard that covers all blade-type connectors, a variety of standards address blade terminals, including IEC 60130-5:1966, UL 1659:2018, and SAE J858-201105

Mounting type: The mounting type is based on the connector type and style. Some blade-type terminals are free-hanging style and terminate to a wire and are pushed into a connector housing, while others take on the mounting style of the connector, which may be bulk-head mount or right-angle mount.

Mating type: Even if wires are individually crimped or soldered to a wire, blade type terminals or blade connectors generally are mated via a push-in method.

Contacts: Blade connectors come in various sizes, typically defined by blade width. They accommodate a range of wire gauges. Number of contacts is defined by the actual part and application.

Termination: Wires are typically attached to the blade connector terminals by either crimping or soldering.

Material specifications: Typically, a copper or brass blade that may have additional plating. If it is a blade connector, the physical housing that incorporates the contact or terminal generally takes on the properties of that connector family.

Physical properties

Insulation: Blade terminals are available in insulated and non-insulated versions. Insulated versions are color-coded to indicate compatibility with specific wire gauges. ​Like the material specifications, the physical properties of a blade connector take on the physical properties of that connector family.

Environmental properties:

Blade connectors may be ruggedized through features like chemical-resistant or impact-resistant housings.

The Cinch Jones connector features an array of blade-type connectors and offers a quick and economical means of connecting various components within a machine.

Markets and Applications

Automotive, Industrial, Consumer

Blade connectors are widely used in vehicles for connecting components like batteries, alternators, and sensors. Appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, and microwaves utilize blade connectors. They are also used in some industrial equipment and in vending machines

Samtec’s mPower connector features multiple blade terminals

Suppliers

Blade connectors are available in many variations from many suppliers, including Amphenol Communications Solutions, Anderson Power, Cinch Connectivity Solutions, Molex, Samtec Inc., TE Connectivity

Related products

Spade connector

Ring connector

Like this article? Check out our other Meet the Connector and Connector Basics articles, our Automotive Market Page, and our 2024 and 2025 Article Archives. 

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