How To: Brother HSe Heat Shrink Tubing Calculator

Brother's heat shrink tubing has been around for over a year now, but has caused a little confusion about the sizes that are available, and for what size cable they'll fit. Here I shall briefly go over the sizes and how to work out which one you will need for what size cable. This guide isn't limited to just Brother's heat shrink tubing; it can be used to help decide on the correct size for Dymo, Brady, and LabelStation tubing too. If you're confused on cable sizing or are using the US measurements, it might be worth having a look at our cable sizing chart.

What you see is what you get

Let's have a look at the HSe-221. It has a shrink ratio of 2:1 which means it will half in size. It's rated at a size of 8.8mm, but what does that actually mean?

When flat, the tubing is 8.8mm in width. To work out the diameter of the tube when round, you need to times it by two and that will give you the circumference. Then divide that number by pi. Width of tubing while flat: 8.8mm Circumference of tubing while round: 8.8 x 2 = 17.6mm Diameter of tubing while round: 17.6 ÷ pi = 5.6mm Diameter at a 2:1 shrink ratio after shrinking: 5.6 ÷ 2 = 2.8mm So if you have a HSe-221 cassette, this tubing will be suitable for a cables with a cross-section of 2.8mm to 5.6mm.

For any further help with heat shrink tubing and choosing the correct size, please feel free to call us on 01202 681311.