Copper Strip Connectors, Joints & Jumper Straps
Carsai manufactures custom copper strip connector products for batteries, switchgear, transformers, busbar systems, inverters, electrical panels and industrial power-distribution equipment.
Copper strip connectors create compact electrical paths between two or more terminals. They can be manufactured as straight links, bent jumpers, offset connectors or formed copper straps with customized holes and terminal surfaces.
We manufacture every part according to the customer’s drawing rather than supplying only standard copper strip. Available processing includes cutting, punching, drilling, CNC machining, bending, deburring, tin plating, insulation and dimensional inspection.
Custom options include:
- Copper material and grade
- Strip width, thickness and length
- Straight, L-shaped, Z-shaped and offset geometry
- Round, slotted and threaded holes
- Different terminal widths at each end
- Bare, tin-, nickel- or silver-plated surfaces
- Heat-shrink, PVC or epoxy insulation
- Part numbers and polarity markings
- Prototype and production quantities
Send your connection drawing, hole pattern, bend dimensions, conductor material, surface finish and order quantity for a project-specific quotation.
For our complete range of copper straps and formed conductors, visit our Copper Strap and Copper Strip Manufacturer page.
What Is a Copper Strip Connector?
A copper strip connector is a flat electrical conductor used to join two terminals, busbars or electrical components.
A typical connector may include:
- A flat copper conductor
- One or more mounting holes
- Straight, bent or offset sections
- Prepared terminal contact areas
- Optional metallic plating
- Optional electrical insulation
Compared with round cable, a flat copper connector can provide:
- A lower installation profile
- Broad terminal contact surfaces
- Fewer separate lugs and crimped connections
- Controlled terminal positioning
- Compact routing inside electrical equipment
- Custom hole and bend arrangements
- High conductivity in a simple component
Copper strip connectors are commonly used between:
- Battery cells and modules
- Contactors and fuses
- Circuit breakers and rigid busbars
- Transformers and switchgear
- Capacitors and power modules
- Inverters and output terminals
- Ground bars and grounding conductors
- Two nearby copper busbars
The correct conductor dimensions depend on current, temperature rise, installation space, terminal contact area and mechanical requirements.
Copper Strip Connector Versus Copper Cable
Copper strip connectors and cable assemblies can both carry electrical current, but their structures and applications differ.
Copper strip connector
A copper strip connector usually provides:
- A flat and rigid current path
- Large bolted contact surfaces
- Precise terminal positioning
- Compact installation
- Integrated holes and bends
- Fewer separate connection parts
It is most suitable when the connected terminals remain fixed and accurately positioned.
Cable assembly
A cable assembly normally provides:
- Greater routing flexibility
- Longer connection distances
- Round insulated conductor geometry
- Crimped cable lugs
- Easier installation around obstacles
Copper strip is often preferred for short, high-current connections inside batteries, switchgear and compact power equipment. Cable may be more suitable when the connection must route around other components or accommodate significant movement.
When limited flexibility is required, a multilayer or braided copper jumper may be more suitable than one solid strip.
Copper Strip Joints
A copper strip joint connects two conductive sections so current can pass through the assembled connection.
The joint may bridge:
- Two rigid busbars
- A busbar and circuit breaker
- A battery terminal and fuse
- A contactor and distribution bar
- Two sections of an electrical panel
- A transformer terminal and copper conductor
A strip joint may be completely straight or formed to compensate for differences in terminal height, direction or spacing.
Common joint designs include:
- Flat overlap joints
- One-hole links
- Two-hole links
- Multi-hole joining plates
- L-shaped joints
- Z-shaped offset joints
- Stepped connectors
- Different terminal widths
- Slotted-hole adjustment joints
The joint must provide enough contact area for the required current.
Important terminal factors include:
- Contact-surface flatness
- Hole diameter
- Hole spacing
- Edge distance
- Bolt quantity
- Fastening torque
- Surface finish
- Mating-terminal material
- Terminal width and thickness
A connector may contain enough copper in its central section but still overheat if its terminal area is too narrow or the contact surface is uneven.
Copper Strip Jumpers
A copper strip jumper is a short conductor that bridges two nearby electrical connection points.
Typical applications include:
- Battery-cell interconnections
- Battery module connections
- Fuse-to-contactor links
- Circuit breaker jumpers
- Busbar section connections
- Inverter internal power links
- Transformer terminal links
- Grounding bridges
- Neutral-bar connections
A jumper can be manufactured as a simple straight copper strip or as a formed three-dimensional component.
Available designs include:
- Straight flat jumper
- 90-degree bent jumper
- Offset jumper
- U-shaped connector
- Z-shaped connector
- Jumper with unequal terminal ends
- Jumper with multiple mounting holes
- Plated and insulated jumper
- Flexible multilayer jumper
The drawing should clearly identify the installed orientation. A bend in the wrong direction can make an otherwise dimensionally correct part unusable.
Copper Jumper Straps
A copper jumper strap combines the flat conductor form of a strap with the electrical function of a jumper.
It may connect components that are positioned close together but do not share the same terminal plane.
Common copper jumper strap applications include:
- Battery packs
- Energy storage systems
- Switchboards
- Transformers
- Busduct systems
- Circuit breakers
- Rectifiers
- Charging equipment
- Industrial control panels
A jumper strap may be rigid or flexible.
Solid copper jumper straps
Solid straps are appropriate when the equipment terminals remain fixed.
They offer:
- Stable geometry
- High mechanical strength
- Precise hole positioning
- Simple manufacturing
- Large electrical contact areas
Flexible copper jumper straps
Flexible jumpers may use:
- Thin stacked copper laminations
- Braided copper
- Flexible copper foil
- A flexible section joined to rigid terminals
They are more suitable where vibration, thermal expansion or minor terminal misalignment is expected.
Copper Straps with Holes
A copper strap with holes can be bolted directly to busbars, terminals, frames or grounding points.
Hole options include:
- Single round holes
- Two-hole terminal patterns
- Multiple branch holes
- Slotted holes
- Threaded holes
- Different hole sizes at each end
- Counterbored or customer-defined features
- Repeated perforations
The hole pattern should be designed according to the actual bolts, washers and mating terminals.
Important dimensions include:
- Hole diameter
- Hole center-to-center distance
- Distance from the hole to the strip edge
- Distance from the hole to a bend
- Terminal width
- Available washer area
- Required installation tolerance
Large holes in narrow copper strips can reduce both contact area and mechanical strength.
When necessary, the terminal ends can be made wider than the central conductor section. This provides more room for holes while keeping the main connector compact.
Slotted holes can help compensate for installation tolerances, but they also reduce the contact area. Their dimensions and orientation should be shown clearly on the drawing.
Straight, Bent and Offset Connectors
Straight connectors
Straight copper strips are used when both terminals are located on the same plane.
They are common in battery packs, fuse links, neutral bars and short busbar connections.
L-shaped connectors
An L-shaped connector joins terminals located at approximately 90 degrees to one another.
It can connect a horizontal busbar to a vertical terminal or route current around an adjacent component.
Offset connectors
An offset conductor connects terminals at different heights without requiring separate components.
Offsets may be formed using:
- Two opposite bends
- A stepped conductor section
- Different terminal planes
- A Z-shaped geometry
Three-dimensional connectors
More complex assemblies may include several bends, tabs and mounting levels.
These designs are used in compact electrical equipment where the conductor must pass around batteries, contactors, supports or enclosure walls.
The bend radius should match the copper thickness and material condition. Holes should not be placed too close to bend lines unless the design has been reviewed for forming distortion.
Copper Materials
Common copper material options include:
- C11000 copper
- Cu-ETP copper
- T2 copper
- Oxygen-free copper for specified applications
- Customer-defined electrical copper
The required grade should be shown on the drawing or purchase specification.
Standard electrical copper is suitable for many power-distribution, battery and grounding applications.
Oxygen-free copper may be requested for specialized thermal, vacuum or high-purity systems, but it should not be selected only from a general “pure copper” description.
Material thickness affects:
- Current capacity
- Connector stiffness
- Bend radius
- Terminal strength
- Thread engagement
- Weight
- Manufacturing cost
Surface Treatment Options
Bare copper
Bare copper provides high conductivity and may be suitable for clean, protected indoor equipment.
Its surfaces can oxidize during storage or service, so contact zones may require cleaning before assembly.
Tin plating
Tin plating is widely used for battery, switchgear and transformer connectors.
It can provide:
- Improved oxidation resistance
- A consistent terminal surface
- Better compatibility with tinned components
- Protection during storage and international shipping
Tin may cover the complete connector or only the terminal areas.
Nickel plating
Nickel may be selected for elevated-temperature or specialized environmental requirements.
Silver plating
Silver plating can be applied to selected high-current contact surfaces where required by the equipment specification.
The drawing should identify the plating type, thickness and covered areas.
Insulated Copper Strip Connectors
Copper strip connectors can be supplied with insulation covering selected conductor areas.
Available options include:
- Heat-shrink tubing
- PVC sleeves
- Epoxy coating
- Powder coating
- Plastic covers
- Partial insulation
- Phase and polarity identification
The bolted terminal contact areas normally remain exposed.
Insulation may be useful when the connector is installed:
- Close to another phase
- Near a grounded metal enclosure
- Between positive and negative battery terminals
- Inside compact electrical equipment
- In an area accessible during assembly
- Near loose hardware or tools
The insulation method should match the conductor geometry.
Heat-shrink and PVC sleeves are practical for straight or moderately formed parts. Epoxy coating may be more suitable for complex shapes with several exposed terminal zones.
Insulation can also affect heat dissipation, so conductor sizing should be reviewed when a previously bare connector becomes fully covered.
Current Capacity and Thermal Design
A copper connector should not be sized from current alone.
Important factors include:
- Copper width and thickness
- Continuous current
- Peak current
- Current duration
- Overall conductor length
- Ambient temperature
- Enclosure temperature
- Cooling and ventilation
- Insulation coverage
- Terminal resistance
- Allowable temperature rise
The copper cross-sectional area of a solid rectangular strip is:
Cross-section = width × thickness
However, the same cross-section can behave differently in different installations.
A long insulated connector inside a closed cabinet may operate at a higher temperature than a short bare connector installed in open air.
The equipment designer should confirm the electrical rating under actual operating conditions.
Manufacturing Process
A typical custom connector project includes:
- Reviewing the drawing and electrical application
- Confirming the copper grade and thickness
- Cutting the strip to the required outline
- Punching, drilling or machining holes
- Deburring and rounding edges
- Forming bends and offsets
- Cleaning the conductor
- Applying tin or another surface finish
- Adding insulation when required
- Inspecting dimensions and terminal surfaces
- Marking and protecting the finished parts
- Packing for shipment
The connector should normally be fully formed before final plating or insulation is applied.
Quality Inspection
Inspection may include:
- Overall length
- Strip width and thickness
- Hole diameter
- Hole center spacing
- Bend position and angle
- Offset height
- Terminal flatness
- Plating coverage
- Insulation location
- Surface cleanliness
- Burrs and sharp edges
- Part-number marking
For repeat OEM production, approved drawings and reference samples help maintain consistency between batches.
Information Needed for a Quotation
Please provide:
- 2D or 3D connection drawing
- Copper grade
- Strip width and thickness
- Overall length
- Continuous and peak current
- Hole quantity
- Hole diameter and spacing
- Bend and offset dimensions
- Terminal contact areas
- Bare or plated finish
- Plating type and thickness
- Insulation requirement
- Prototype quantity
- Production quantity
- Estimated annual demand
If the final drawing is unavailable, we can initially review a sketch, sample or installation photograph with dimensions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a copper strip connector and a jumper?
A connector is a broad term for joining electrical components. A jumper normally describes a short connector bridging two nearby terminals.
Can you manufacture connectors with different hole patterns at each end?
Yes. Each end can have different hole sizes, spacing, terminal widths and mounting orientations.
Can copper strip connectors be bent?
Yes. Straight, L-shaped, Z-shaped and three-dimensional connectors can be manufactured according to the approved drawing.
Can you make flexible copper jumper straps?
Yes. Flexible products can use laminated copper foils or braided copper with customized terminal ends.
Can only the terminal areas be tin plated?
Yes. Full or selective terminal plating can be applied according to the drawing.
Can copper straps be supplied with insulation?
Yes. Heat-shrink, PVC, epoxy and other insulation options can be applied while leaving the required contact surfaces exposed.
Can you manufacture from an existing sample?
Yes. A sample can support the initial review, but a dimensioned drawing is recommended for repeated production.
Request a Copper Strip Connector Quotation
Carsai manufactures copper strip connectors, joints, jumper straps and formed electrical links for batteries, transformers, switchgear and industrial power systems.
Send your connection drawing, conductor dimensions, hole pattern, bends, material, plating, insulation and required quantity.
