How it connects
The grooved male adapter is pushed into the coupler; the two cam arms are pulled down, their cams press into the adapter's groove and draw it against a gasket (e.g. Buna-N) seated in the coupler bottom, which makes the seal. No tools or threads.
Male and female halves
This is the female half, called the coupler (with cam arms and gasket). The male half is the adapter (grooved plug). Coupler types: B (male NPT), C (hose shank), D (female NPT), DC (dust cap).
Usually connects to
Common sizes
- Nominal hose/pipe sizes 1/2–6 in, sometimes 8 in; common choices include 3/4, 1, 1-1/4, 1-1/2, 2, 2-1/2, 3 and 4 in.
- Match the same nominal size; it is not a measured coupling bore. C200 denotes 2 in.
Where it is used
Agriculture/irrigationFuel/petroleum and chemical transferTank trucksFood/beverage processesPool backwash/transferIndustrial liquidsWater/dewatering pumps and lay-flat discharge
Variations
- Type C female coupler × hose shank
- Type D female coupler × female NPT
- Type B female coupler × male NPT
- Type DC dust cap
- Locking cam arms
- Aluminum, brass, stainless, polypropylene or nylon
- Type A male adapter × female NPT (related counterpart)
How to recognise it
Cylindrical socket with two opposed lever arms (often with rings/pins) on ears near the open end, a gasket visible inside the bottom of the bore. The other end is a hose shank (barbed, Type C), female thread (Type D) or male thread (Type B). Type letter and size are often cast on the body (e.g. 'D-300').
Often confused with
| Confused with | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|
| Male cam-and-groove adapter | The adapter is a plain grooved spigot with no levers; the coupler is the socket with two cam arms. |
| Storz coupling | Storz is genderless with lugs and a quarter-turn; camlock has distinct male/female halves and lever arms. |
| Bauer / ring-lock irrigation coupling | Bauer uses a hook-and-ball-socket with a lever ring, not two side cam arms engaging a groove. |
| Type E camlock (male adapter x hose shank) | Type E has a bare grooved male end and no cam arms; Type C has the cam arms and socket. |
| Type B or D camlock coupler | Same coupler head, but the back is NPT pipe thread instead of a barbed hose shank. Same cam-arm socket, but the tail is NPT thread (male on B, female on D) instead of a ribbed hose shank. |
Also called
cam and groove couplerPart C / Type C coupler (hose shank)Type D coupler (female NPT); camlock female couplerType B coupler (male NPT)Type DC dust capcamlock type Ccam lock female coupler x hose barb; female camlock x hose shankKamlok coupler
Good to know
A Type C coupler has a hose shank; the female cam-and-groove face is separate from its hose/thread tail. A 1-1/2 in Type C is one example. A-A-59326 defines US interchange dimensions; EN 14420-7 European parts may not fully interchange, so check the specific pairing.
Related connections
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