BATTERY TERMINAL TYPES AND APPLICATIONS

Whether you need a battery for your car, boat, golf cart, floor scrubber, scissor lift, emergency lighting or wheelchair, Federal Batteries has you covered.

Our batteries have been designed and engineered with the footprints, performance, and terminal options to respond to all user’s needs. With a wide variety of designs and sizes, and the unique demands of the applications and vehicle requirements, if you don’t choose the right battery with the right terminal you won’t be able to hook it up.

In this tip, we will focus on the most common battery terminals that you can find in our range.

Auto Post Terminal (SAE terminal)

This is the most common battery terminal type, and any person who has replaced a car battery can easily recognize it. In order to prevent accidently connecting the terminals in reverse polarity, the positive post is always larger diameter than the negative. Another terminal that you will find is what is known as Pencil Post (found predominantly in batteries for Japanese cars – JIS types). When compared with a SAE terminal, the Pencil Post is smaller.

Stud Terminal

This is a 3/8" threaded stainless steel terminal is designed to fasten and hold the terminal connection to the terminal lug onto the lead base of the terminal.

Dual Post Terminal / Marine Terminal

This terminal type has an Automotive Post and a Stud (5/16").  You can make the connection using either a traditional pressure contact or a ring terminal and wing nut connection.

Button Terminal

These are also known as insert terminals. You will find these terminals from M5 to M8 which refers to the metric size of the diameter of the bolt thread. For example, if you have a battery with a M8 terminal, you will need a bolt with an 8 millimetre diameter thread. These types of terminals are most commonly found on Absorbed Glass Mat batteries used in emergency backup and uninterruptable power systems (UPS) battery applications.

AT Terminal (Dual SAE / Stud type terminals)

They are commonly found in traction type batteries used in heavy cycling applications such as floor scrubbers and off-grid solar application batteries. This terminal type has an Automotive Post and a Stud (3/8" threaded stainless steel terminal).