Guard Wire Stud Terminal Dimensions

Swage studs are an excellent versatile option for terminating guard wires, because they can accommodate a wide variety of end fittings:

• Turnbuckles, also referred to as guardrail adjusters or rigging screws
• Adjustable Forks
• Lanyard Eyes, also referred to as guardrail eyes
• Pelican Hooks

The bonus is that all these end fittings can be removed (unthreaded), for the wire to be passed through a yacht’s stanchion holes to facilitate installation and removal.

It is advisable to check the existing stanchion holes before ordering your new guard wires.

Use a set of digital vernier calipers to make the results easy to read and record.

For 4mm and 5mm guard wires the holes in the stanchions normally need to be a minimum 8mm clearance diameter.

8mm Clearance means large enough to allow an 8mm diameter fitting to pass through, without getting stuck or meeting any resistance in the process.

A swage short stud is normally used in conjunction with a lanyard eye:

A swage closed body stud is normally used in conjunction with an adjustable fork, a guardrail adjuster or other turnbuckle/rigging screw with a complete barrel (body). The adjustment is secured with a locking nut rather than a split pin:

A swage open body stud is normally used in conjunction with a turnbuckle/rigging screw which has a barrel with the sides cut away so that you can see the threads.
The adjustment is secured with a split pin through the hole on the end of the stud.
Open body studs are more commonly used for standing rigging, but they may be the only option to meet your specific guard wire requirements if the specification is a little out of the ordinary:

The dimensions in the tables below have been compiled by the Jimmy Green Rigging Team from the manufacturer specifications to determine the minimum clearance hole diameter required for each type of stud.

The table also includes the thread length for assessing the scope of adjustment.

Ø = diameter
MCSHR = Absolute Minimum Clearance Stanchion Hole Required

Short Swage Stud Terminal Dimensions for Sta-Lok and Petersen

Closed Body Stud Terminal Dimensions for Sta-Lok and Petersen

Open Body Stud Terminal Dimensions for Sta-Lok and Petersen

** N.B. the thread length dimension includes the short extra part that accommodates the split pin hole