A Complete Guide to Jubilee Clips

This guide to hose clips is designed to give you all the information you might need when choosing and buying Jubilee clamps online. By the end of the guide, you will know exactly what hose locks are, and which specifications they are categorised by (e.g. pressure ratings).

We will also highlight the various types, sizes, materials, and brands sold in the UK and answer some common FAQs about hose clamps and their proper use.

While Jubilee clip is technically a brand name, the term is often used generically about other makes of hose clips, band clamps and related accessories. Original branded Jubilee clips are made by L Robinson & Company, but today you will find many quality manufacturers of durable, reliable hose clips online.

Jubilee clamps or hose locks are a common type of clip fastener, most often used to attach a length of tubing or hose pipe firmly onto a suitable fixture. This might be a spigot, tap, nipple, barb, or any other sort of outlet through which air or liquid can flow along the hose once clamped in place.

Hose clamps typically consist of a flat band of steel, nylon or brass, looped into a circle or band with some form of tightening mechanism on the outside. This is often designed as a sort of screw fitting and tends to include a worm gear for tightening (sometimes called a worm drive Jubilee clip).

Jubilee clamps, pipe clips or hose locks are normally used for securing hose or tubing around an outlet under pressure.

They also serve to moderate pressures in various applications and can therefore essentially operate as a type of compression or crimp fitting. This makes them incredibly useful in applications such as automotive engine assembly, along with a wide range of household and workplace settings.

Outside of mechanical, pressure or compression tasks, they are widely regarded and used as a highly versatile fastener that can be redeployed in a wide variety of roles. As the band design is so strong - especially when made from steel, nylon or other particularly hard-wearing materials - they are often used as a sort of heavy-duty cable tie.

For example, some types of hose clamp might be found securing other sorts of ducting, components and even wiring. Many variants of pipe clips (sometimes called pipe clamps) are effectively simplified hose locks and are made to be tightened using normal screws rather than featuring a built-in worm drive system.

You will frequently see them installed on all sorts of materials and components that are being held in place along walls and ceilings, or to other mechanisms and assemblies. Typical examples include holding signs, cables or fence poles, both indoors and outdoors.

Jubilee clamp specification will be found on the packaging or manufacturer guidelines, and normally covers a range of different ratings for each clip type and model. These generally include information such as capacity/opening sizes, clamping widths (the min-max extent of the clamping jaws themselves), and the maximum safe clamping or holding force.

Common standards associated with hose clamps, band clips and related fasteners include MIL-SPEC AA-52506 (for metal versions used to grip flexible hoses and ducts on a male fitting), and ISO 8177 (an international mark for verifying saddle clamp min/max gripping dimensions).

There are many different types of hose clips for sale online, from various manufacturers, including the original Jubilee clip design. They come in a variety of sizes, materials and tightening mechanisms, including heavy-duty Jubilee clips which tend to be the biggest and thickest of the available hose clamp designs.

Band clamps are easy to use and relatively cheap to buy, with smaller clips bought in bulk generally yielding the lowest fastener prices per unit. Over the following sections, we will give you a brief rundown of some of the most popular and versatile Jubilee clip types on the market.

Jubilee clamps come in a wide range of sizes, including very small hose clips (sometimes called mini fuel clamps) right through to extra-large and heavy-duty Jubilee clips for use with industrial machinery and pipelines.

Common sizes include 10mm hose locks, 12-inch band clamps, and slim Jubilee clips for use on smaller gauges of tubing or cable runs. Jubilee clip sizes mentioned in manufacturer specifications will normally refer to a variety of measurements, including inside and outside diameter (both minimum and maximum), as well as the width of the band.

If you are looking to buy hose locks online, it is always important to know what sort of length and width you need to achieve a firm grip, as this will directly affect the amount of compression force the clamp can exert once installed.

Stainless steel hose clips are probably the most common type found on sale in the UK and elsewhere, but it is also easy to find mild steel, brass Jubilee clips and nylon hose locks (especially the snap grip or Herbie clamp types). Zinc-coated steel is another popular choice, particularly for large or heavy-duty versions.

Plastic, stainless or galvanised versions are also common where the band clip is intended to be used outside, such as for marine Jubilee clips. It is possible to buy variously coloured Jubilee clips made from tough nylon, which can be useful for quick identification of different hoses and pipes.

The ideal hose clamp material for your needs will depend largely on how much pressure it will need to withstand once mounted to a hose or outlet, as well as the environmental conditions at the install location. Hose clip materials can also affect how easy they are to install and remove, so do bear this in mind when selecting a product for a specific use.

At RS, we stock original Jubilee brand hose clamps as part of our high-quality product range. Other leading Jubilee clip manufacturers and suppliers that we work with include HI-GRIP, HI-TORQUE, JCS Hi-Torque, MIKALOR, Oetiker, and Unex. We also offer our own in-house range of RS PRO band clamps, giving you the freedom to select the product best suited to your requirements.

What Jubilee Clip Alternatives are Available?

One of the most common Jubilee clip alternatives is the zip tie. However, while cable ties will often suffice as a temporary solution, these are typically much less robust components that lack the mechanical strength and torque force of a proper high-quality band clamp.

You can also find and use many variants on the basic design of a Jubilee clip for a wide range of fastening jobs. Options might include pipe clamps, vehicle hose spring clips, saddle clamps, pipe hangers (or U-bolts), ear clips, V-band clamps, and non-adjustable O-clips.

You will need to research the demands of the application – particularly the pressure/torque requirements - before deciding whether an alternative product would be suitable.

How Do You Measure a Jubilee Clip?

Manufacturer hose clamp sizes normally refer to their minimum and maximum usable clamping diameter. This will cover the full range of circumferences they can extend to, meaning that you will need to make sure the diameter of whatever you are clamping will fit comfortably within this rating.

To make sure you are getting the right size for the job, you should first measure the outside diameter of the tubing or hose that you have installed around an outlet, fitting or pipe. Always do this after it is in position, as the fitting will likely expand the initial circumference of the hose.

In most cases, you will ideally pick out a band clip for which your required diameter sits somewhere near the middle of its min/max clamping size range.