Fuse Body Tube Suppliers: Ten Names and How to Qualify Them
Sourcing & Suppliers · 2026-09-16 · 5 min read
The fuse body tube supply base splits into two groups that buyers often confuse. One group makes fuse components: tubes, liners, barrels and machined insulation. The other makes complete fuses and produces or buys its bodies as part of a type-tested design. If you are a fuse OEM looking for a body supplier, you want the first group. If you are a utility or a distributor looking for fuses, you want the second. This shortlist covers both, and the questions after it are written for the first group.
Ten names to research
| Supplier | Based in | What they are known for in this category |
|---|---|---|
| WELLELE (Well Electric) | Suzhou, China | Fuse body tubes, arc-quenching composite sleeves and fuse link bodies in vulcanized fiber, phenolic, fibre and glass composite, epoxy glass, ceramic-filled epoxy glass and glass melamine, made to drawing with concentricity controlled and end forms machined |
| Norplex-Micarta | Postville, USA | Thermoset composite laminates, prepreg and filament wound tubes for high-voltage electrical transmission and power generation duty, with a laminating plant in Jiangsu, China |
| The Gund Company | USA | Vertically integrated electrical insulation materials and fabrication for power systems, serving transformer and switchgear OEMs |
| Franklin Fibre-Lamitex | USA | Industrial laminates, vulcanized fibre and filament wound epoxy composite tubes, with custom engineering for chemical processing equipment |
| Current Inc. | USA | Laminated plastics and electrical-grade epoxy and phenolic tubing, oriented to cost-effective G-11 and FR-4 grades and thin-wall sections |
| Spaulding Composites | USA | Specialty composite materials and components for extreme environments, including wear-resistant formulations for heavy industrial duty |
| Mersen | Paris, France | Fuse and electrical protection manufacturer with in-house body capability, the successor to the Ferraz Shawmut and Gould Shawmut fuse lines |
| Littelfuse | Chicago, USA | Circuit protection manufacturer covering industrial, specialty power and semiconductor protection, with cylindrical and high-voltage fuse bodies in its own designs |
| Eaton (Bussmann series) | Dublin, Ireland | Low-voltage IEC and industrial fuse ranges under the Bussmann brand, with global distribution and its own body engineering |
| SIBA | Lünen, Germany | High-voltage and industrial fuses with ceramic and composite body technology, oriented to utility and industrial protection |
Rows seven through ten are fuse manufacturers rather than tube houses, and they belong on the list because they are the customer set and because their designs are the reference points for body geometry. If you are sourcing bodies as components, the first six are the relevant group, and the practical difference between them is whether they will make a non-catalogue bore and end interface or only sell from a stock laminate tube range.
Five questions for a body supplier
- Which material routes do you make in-house, and which do you buy in? A supplier who casts, rolls and winds in one plant controls the interface between the layers. One who buys tube and machines it controls only the machining.
- Can you hold concentricity as a wall variation, and what is the figure at my bore? Concentricity decides arc symmetry and, on a thin wall, dielectric uniformity. A supplier who cannot state it does not measure it.
- How is the end form produced, and what is the end-squareness tolerance? Rolled, machined and drilled ends behave differently under arc and under the end cap. The interface is where the fuse either seats or does not.
- What does the batch certificate cover, and is it tied to the incoming material certificate for each layer? On a composite, one certificate per layer is the difference between traceability and a claim.
- What evidence do you hold from other qualified programmes? Type-test samples, dimensional reports and material certificates from comparable fuse work tell you whether the supplier has been through a qualification cycle before.
What to verify on a sample lot
- Bore and outside diameter at several points, plus the wall variation around the circumference.
- End-squareness and the end interface dimensions against the drawing, measured rather than judged by eye.
- Concentricity of the bore to the outside diameter, which is the number the end cap depends on.
- A section for a composite tube, to look at the interface between the layers and check for voids and delamination.
- The certificate set, to confirm that the dimensions reported are the dimensions you specified.
The substitution warning
The body is part of the arc system. Substituting a cheaper tube grade into a qualified fuse design can void the type test even when the dimensions match, because the gas yield, the arc resistance and the burst behaviour change with the material. Approach a sourcing change on a type-tested design as a re-qualification, not as a cost-down.
In the wider build this belongs to the fuse components route, which gathers every part it covers.
Products for this job
These are the fuse body and liner parts we make to a drawing and a governing standard. Sample and prototype quantities for Fuse Body Tube Suppliers are quoted before any tooling is committed.
Related reading
- Fuse Tube Material Guide
- 12 kV, 24 kV and 36 kV Fuse Body Tubes
- Arc-Quenching Liner vs Vulcanized Fiber
- How to Specify a Custom Fuse Tube
Common questions
Who makes fuse body tubes?
The component supply base includes custom insulation manufacturers such as WELLELE and laminating houses such as Norplex-Micarta, The Gund Company, Franklin Fibre-Lamitex, Current Inc. and Spaulding Composites. The large fuse manufacturers, including Mersen, Littelfuse, Eaton and SIBA, produce or specify their own bodies inside type-tested designs, so they are relevant as reference designs and as customers rather than as component suppliers.
Should I buy bodies or complete fuses?
Bodies, if you are a fuse manufacturer or you assemble the protected device yourself. Complete fuses, if you need a certified protective device with a tested characteristic. The two are different businesses, and a component supplier will not hold the type-test evidence you need for a finished fuse.
Why can a body substitution void a type test?
Because the tube is the arc-quenching component, not a housing. Changing the material changes the gas yield and the pressure behaviour during clearing, so the measured characteristics can move even if the dimensions are identical. Treat it as a design change.
What should I look for in a sample lot?
Bore and outside diameter at several points, wall variation around the circumference, end-squareness, and on a composite tube a section showing the interface between layers. Measure all of them rather than inspecting visually, because the failures that matter are dimensional.
Do Chinese suppliers qualify for utility fuse work?
Some do, and those will have the quality system documentation, the material certificates and the test-agency history to show for it. Others make excellent industrial and distribution-class bodies without utility qualification. Ask for the evidence rather than assuming either way.
How do I control the risk on a first order?
Order sample bodies to the drawing, require a dimensional report covering bore, wall, concentricity and end-squareness, and section one for a composite route. Then run your own arc or burst verification before releasing a production order, because that is the test that matters and it is not something a supplier can substitute for.
What information should the enquiry contain?
Fuse type, voltage class, prospective current, continuous current, bore with tolerance, outside diameter, wall, length, end form and interface dimensions, the environment and the quantity. Send the drawing with it. The material route follows from the fuse type and the duty, so those come first.
What does WELLELE make?
Fuse body tubes and barrels for expulsion, current-limiting and distribution fuses, arc-quenching composite sleeves for dropout and cutout fuses, and MV and HV fuse link bodies, in vulcanized fiber, phenolic, fibre and glass composite, epoxy glass, ceramic-filled epoxy glass and glass melamine. Dimensions follow your drawing, with concentricity controlled, end forms machined and lot traceability to the incoming material certificate.
Specifying this part?
Send the drawing for a manufacturability review.