Conduit Bender Markings Explained

The marks at a glance

Arrow, star and notch in detail

Going from the hook toward the heel, the order on most heads is the arrow, then the center notches, then the star, then the angle lines. The center notches and the star sit close together, and some brands save space by sharing them.

• Greenlee calls the star its Star Mark and uses it for back-to-back 90s. Its saddle notch is for the center of a 3-bend saddle.
• Klein earlier heads have three rim notches for 30°, 45° and 60° centers. The current heads share one mark between the back of a 90 and a 60° center.
• Milwaukee casts notches for 30°, 45° and 60° centers, with the back-of-90 star under the last one.

Names and symbols differ from brand to brand, and BendMate’s bender specs draw the marks on each built-in shoe so you can compare them with yours.

Reading the degree marks

Which angle marks you read depends on how you are bending. On the floor with the handle up, many heads have sight marks: look straight down and stop when the right one lines up. In the air with the handle down, you line the edge of the conduit up with the degree lines. Many heads have both sets.

The multipliers cast beside the angles are the chart numbers for offsets. They are rounded, so they differ slightly from the exact figures.

Marks on power benders

• Mechanical and electric benders mostly skip the arrow, star and notch of a hand head. The mark goes on a benchmark instead, usually the front edge of the hook.
• Hydraulic table benders use the front edge of the saddle, or an insert on it.
• Push-type benders use the middle of the shoe, and the bend forms evenly on both sides.
• The angle comes from a pointer and scale, a gauge or a display, not from cast marks.

Using the marks on a real stick