Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Bingham & Taylor’s sales and engineering teams can help utilities, municipalities, engineers, and other organizations evaluate products for their specific application and incorporate approved Bingham & Taylor products into their specifications.

We can provide product specifications, technical documentation, drawings, material and performance information, and engineering support to assist with product evaluation and approval. For applications with unique requirements, our engineering and manufacturing teams can also work with customers to evaluate modified configurations or purpose-built solutions.

Establishing approved product specifications can help ensure the appropriate products and configurations are supplied for the application while simplifying future product selection and purchasing.

Contact your regional sales manager to discuss your application and specification requirements.

Bingham & Taylor works with an established network of distribution partners to serve customers across our waterworks and natural gas markets. We welcome inquiries from companies interested in distributing Bingham & Taylor products and evaluate potential opportunities based on market needs, geographic coverage, customer needs, and our existing distribution relationships.

Contact your regional sales manager to discuss your company, the markets you serve, and potential distribution opportunities.

Bingham & Taylor is part of Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Infrastructure, which brings together Charlotte Pipe and Foundry, Bingham & Taylor, and Neenah Foundry. Together, these companies offer expanded products, manufacturing capabilities, technical expertise, and distribution resources while sharing a long-standing commitment to American manufacturing, quality products, strong customer relationships, and doing business with integrity.

Bingham & Taylor customers and distribution partners can continue to work with the sales team and relationships they know today. We value the long-standing partnerships that have helped us serve the waterworks and natural gas industries and remain committed to supporting the customers and distributors who rely on Bingham & Taylor products.

As our organizations continue to integrate, customers and distributors will also benefit from the broader capabilities and resources of Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Infrastructure.

Learn more about Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Infrastructure

Contact your regional sales manager with questions or for assistance.

Bingham & Taylor offers a wide range of utility access solutions for water, sewer, and natural gas applications. The right product depends on factors such as the type of utility, installation environment, required dimensions, materials, load requirements, and other application-specific needs.

Our website provides product information by application, while the Bingham & Taylor product catalog includes detailed product configurations, dimensions, and part numbers. For projects with requirements that are not met by a standard product, Bingham & Taylor also offers custom-engineered solutions.

View our product catalog for detailed product information and part numbers, request a quote if you know what you need, or contact your regional sales manager for help identifying the right solution for your application.

Bingham & Taylor order lead times vary based on the product, configuration, quantity, current demand, and product availability. Your distributor or Bingham & Taylor sales representative can provide the most current lead-time information for the products you need.

As part of Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Infrastructure, Bingham & Taylor is expanding access to distribution resources across the organization. These additional capabilities are helping us improve product availability and get products closer to customers across the country.

For time-sensitive projects, we recommend discussing delivery requirements early with your distributor or regional sales manager so they can help identify available products and the best options for your application and schedule.

For current product availability, order timing, or updates on an existing order, contact our Customer Service/Inside Sales team or your regional sales manager.

Bingham & Taylor products are generally purchased through our network of distribution partners. If you already work with a Bingham & Taylor distributor, contact them directly to place your order, confirm pricing, and check product availability.

Established customers and distribution partners that order directly from Bingham & Taylor can submit purchase orders to orders@bandt-us.com or contact our Customer Service/Inside Sales team for assistance.

If you need help identifying a product, confirming a part number, or selecting the right configuration before ordering, contact your regional sales manager.

Bingham & Taylor offers a broad range of utility access solutions designed to meet different installation, performance, and project requirements. The right product or configuration depends on factors such as the application, installation environment, dimensions, materials, load requirements, and other project-specific needs.

Our product catalog provides detailed product configurations, dimensions, and part numbers. If you know what you need, you can also request a quote.

For applications that cannot be met with a standard product, Bingham & Taylor offers custom-engineered solutions developed to address specific project requirements.

If you’re not sure which product or configuration is right for your application, contact your regional sales manager for assistance.

A Buffalo box, often shortened to B-box, is an underground access box that allows a buried water valve to be reached and operated from the surface without excavation.

The name originated with Bingham & Taylor. The company invented the first underground utility access boxes while located in Buffalo, New York, and the products became known as Buffalo boxes. The term became common throughout the industry and is still used today.

Buffalo box or B-box is often used to describe a curb box providing access to the curb stop on a water service line, although usage can vary by region and utility. Curb boxes extend from the buried valve to the finished surface so the valve can be operated with a curb key while remaining protected underground. The term may also be used more broadly for other underground valve-access boxes.

Yes. Plastic valve boxes designed for roadway applications can be installed in traffic areas when properly configured and installed.

Bingham & Taylor offers both standard ABS plastic and Bison™ valve boxes for roadway applications. Bingham & Taylor standard ABS valve boxes have thicker walls than typical industry-standard plastic valve boxes, while Bison valve boxes take that a step further with an even thicker-wall design for increased rigidity and strength.

In a properly installed roadway assembly, the cast iron rim and lid are designed to carry the traffic load rather than transferring that load directly to the plastic valve box. Bingham & Taylor offers ASTM A48 Class 30 and Class 35 cast iron rims and lids in H-20-rated configurations for roadway applications.

CIP stands for Combination Cast Iron & Plastic (or Combination Cast Iron & Bison™ Plastic). A CIP valve box pairs a cast iron top section with a standard ABS plastic bottom section—or a Bison bottom section for additional strength and rigidity. This configuration provides additional cast iron strength and impact resistance at grade without the weight of an all-cast iron assembly. The plastic lower section reduces overall weight, provides corrosion resistance below grade, and makes handling and installation easier.

Plastic and Bison curb boxes are different. Curb boxes are designed for behind-the-curb, non-traffic installations and are not intended for roadway traffic conditions. For traffic applications, an appropriately sized and configured roadway or valve box should be used.

The lid is also an important part of a roadway valve box assembly. In addition to standard traffic-rated cast iron lids, Bingham & Taylor offers heavy-duty long-skirt and Tri-Skirt™ lids engineered to help prevent dangerous lid pop-outs caused by traffic, helping the lid remain properly seated under demanding roadway conditions.

CIP stands for Combination Cast Iron & Plastic (or Combination Cast Iron & Bison™ Plastic). A CIP valve box pairs a cast iron top section with a standard ABS plastic bottom section—or a Bison bottom section for additional strength and rigidity.

CIP provides additional cast iron strength and impact resistance at grade without the weight of an all-cast iron assembly. The plastic lower section reduces overall weight, provides corrosion resistance below grade, and makes the assembly easier to handle and install.

A CIP valve box can be a good choice for roadway and other demanding installations where the strength of a cast iron upper section is beneficial but an all-cast iron assembly is not required.

Bingham & Taylor ABS plastic valve boxes are engineered with thicker walls than typical plastic valve boxes found in the industry, providing greater strength and rigidity while maintaining the lightweight and corrosion-resistant benefits of ABS plastic.

Although these products may be identified as “Standard Plastic” in Bingham & Taylor product literature to distinguish them from our heavier-wall Bison™ valve boxes, “standard” refers to the product category—not to industry-standard wall thickness. Bingham & Taylor ABS valve boxes are built with more material than typical industry plastic valve boxes.

For roadway applications, Bingham & Taylor ABS plastic valve boxes can be paired with appropriately configured cast iron rims and lids to provide a traffic-rated assembly. For applications requiring even greater wall thickness and rigidity, Bison valve boxes provide the next level of ABS construction.

Bison™ curb boxes and valve boxes are Bingham & Taylor’s heavy-wall ABS plastic alternatives to our standard ABS plastic curb and valve boxes. They provide increased strength and rigidity while retaining the lighter weight and corrosion resistance of plastic.

Bingham & Taylor’s standard ABS plastic curb and valve boxes already have thicker walls than typical plastic boxes found in the industry. Bison takes that construction a step further with substantially thicker walls, providing additional rigidity and durability for more demanding applications.

Bison curb boxes are designed for behind-the-curb, non-traffic installations. Bison valve boxes can be used in roadway applications when properly configured with the appropriate cast iron rim and lid.

Bison is also available as the lower section of a CIP (Combination Cast Iron & Bison Plastic) valve box, providing a heavier-wall plastic lower section with a cast iron upper section.

CIP stands for Combination Cast Iron & Plastic (or Combination Cast Iron & Bison™ Plastic). A CIP valve box combines a cast iron top section with a standard ABS plastic bottom section—or a Bison bottom section for additional strength and rigidity.

This combination provides the strength and impact resistance of cast iron in the upper section while reducing the overall weight of the assembly and providing the corrosion resistance of plastic below grade. The result is a practical alternative to an all-cast iron assembly for applications where a combination of material properties is beneficial.

CIP valve boxes can be configured with either standard ABS plastic or Bison on the bottom depending on the requirements of the application.

Bingham & Taylor Valve Sentinels provide an additional layer of security inside the valve box to help prevent unauthorized access to and operation of underground valves while allowing authorized utility personnel to access the valve when needed.

Valve Sentinels can also help utilities identify and differentiate valves in the field. Color-coded components can be used to distinguish boxes belonging to different utilities, identify what is located inside a box, or differentiate valves and systems across a large service area. This can help crews identify the correct valve before accessing it and avoid unnecessary or unauthorized operation.

Valve Sentinels are available in several configurations, including expander bars, security plates, and lock-out/tag-out options, and can be supplied individually or as part of a complete valve box assembly. Standard color options are available; contact your regional sales manager to discuss identification requirements, additional customization options, and applicable minimum quantities.

Learn more about Bingham & Taylor Valve Sentinels

Bingham & Taylor offers several ways to make utility access boxes easier to identify at the surface. Cast iron and composite lids can be customized with lettering, utility or municipal logos, and color options to help crews distinguish boxes from other utilities or identify what is located below.

Customized identification can be particularly useful in areas where multiple utilities have underground access points or where a utility manages a large number of boxes serving different systems or purposes. Clear identification can help field crews locate the correct access point more quickly and reduce unnecessary access to the wrong box.

For additional identification and security inside a valve box, color-coded Valve Sentinels can provide another way to distinguish valves or systems after the lid is removed.

Customization options and minimum quantities vary. Contact your regional sales manager to discuss your identification requirements and available options.

Old Style, New Style, and New Style Flush are different matched top section and lid styles available for Bingham & Taylor 2½” curb boxes. Each lid is designed to work with its corresponding top section and is not interchangeable with the other styles.

Old Style features a lid that overlaps the top section. New Style features a lid that fits within the top section for a more recessed profile. New Style Flush is a variation of the New Style configuration designed so the lid sits flush with the top of the assembly.

The styles allow utilities to match existing installations, specifications, and preferred configurations. Availability varies by curb box material and configuration, so contact your regional sales manager for help selecting the appropriate top and lid style.

Traffic can cause a valve box lid to shift, rock, or pop out of the rim, creating a potential roadway hazard. Bingham & Taylor offers heavy-duty long-skirt and Tri-Skirt™ cast iron lids designed to help keep the lid securely seated in the valve box rim under traffic conditions.

The extended skirt provides greater engagement within the rim, while the Tri-Skirt design adds three stabilizing points to help resist movement and lid pop-out caused by traffic.

Selecting the appropriate lid depends on the valve box, rim, and application. Contact your regional sales manager for help selecting the appropriate configuration.

A Bingham & Taylor stabilizer helps protect an underground valve and maintain access to it by creating a barrier that helps prevent backfill, soil, and debris from entering the curb or valve box.

The stabilizer also helps keep the box properly aligned over the valve and helps prevent the valve from shifting in the trench. Maintaining proper alignment and positioning helps protect the valve from impact damage, while keeping the interior of the box clear makes future access, operation, and maintenance easier.

Stabilizers are particularly beneficial with Plastic and Bison™ boxes, but also provide added stability and protection in cast iron box installations.

When paving or resurfacing changes the finished grade, a paving riser can be used to raise the valve box lid to the new surface elevation without replacing the entire valve box assembly.

Bingham & Taylor offers paving risers in multiple heights and configurations to accommodate different valve box and roadway requirements. They can be used for new paving, resurfacing, or other applications where the existing valve box needs to be brought up to finished grade.

Selecting the correct riser depends on the existing box, lid or top configuration, and the amount of height adjustment required. Contact your regional sales manager for help identifying the appropriate paving riser for your application.

The valve box height you need depends on the depth of the valve below the finished surface, the height of the valve, and the configuration of the valve box assembly. The box needs to provide the required coverage over the valve while allowing the top of the assembly to be set at finished grade.

Bingham & Taylor two-piece and three-piece valve boxes are available in a range of sizes and extension ranges to accommodate different trench depths and valve sizes. The required dimensions also vary based on the valve box material and configuration, including cast iron, Plastic, Bison™, and CIP.

Use the Bingham & Taylor Guide to Determining Valve Box Height to calculate the required extension range and identify an appropriate valve box configuration for your installation.

Download the Guide to Determining Valve Box Height

Bingham & Taylor offers H-20-rated cast iron meter lids and frames for applications requiring heavy-duty traffic performance. Our MBX Meter Box assemblies go even further, with proof-load testing exceeding 53,000 lbs.

For applications where lighter weight and AMI/AMR signal transmission are priorities, Maverick® composite lids are proof-load rated to 20,000 lbs. Maverick lids are available for both meter pits and meter boxes.

Bingham & Taylor offers a range of meter access options for different load requirements and installation environments. Contact your regional sales manager for help selecting the appropriate frame, lid, and configuration for your application.

Yes. Bingham & Taylor Maverick® meter lids feature interchangeable AMI/AMR inserts that allow utilities to change transmitter technology without replacing the entire lid.

A range of insert configurations accommodates many commonly used AMI/AMR transmitters, giving utilities greater flexibility as equipment, technology, or system requirements change. The inserts can be replaced in the field while the Maverick lid remains in service, helping reduce replacement costs and simplify future upgrades.

Maverick lids are available for both meter pits and meter boxes.

A meter frame is recommended with a meter pit to add stability, strength, and longevity to the overall meter access solution. A separate frame is not needed with a cast iron meter box because the box itself provides structural support for the lid.

Pairing a frame with a plastic meter pit provides the lightweight, corrosion-resistant benefits of plastic while adding durable support at the access point. Meter pits also provide more below-ground space than traditional meter boxes, allowing them to accommodate larger meters, valves, and other components.

Bingham & Taylor offers eight styles of cast iron meter frames as well as a lightweight polymer frame to meet a range of installation requirements. Cast iron options include recessed and overlapping designs, heavy-duty frames with reinforcing gussets, spiked frames designed to help prevent settling in concrete installations, adjustable frames, and frost-proof configurations. Overlapping frames provide additional coverage around the meter pit, making them well suited for lawn installations where protection from outdoor elements is important.

A-Style and C-Style meter frames differ in how the lid fits the frame and the types of installations they are designed to accommodate.

A-Style meter frames are designed for flush installations, allowing the meter lid to sit level with the surrounding surface. This provides a clean, streamlined installation and makes A-Style frames well suited for sidewalks and other finished surfaces where a flush fit is important.

C-Style meter frames feature an overlapping fit, with the lid covering the top of the frame. The additional coverage helps protect the meter pit and its contents from outdoor elements, making C-Style frames particularly well suited for lawn and other landscaped installations.

Because A-Style and C-Style lids fit their frames differently, it is important to select the corresponding lid and frame style when specifying a new meter access solution or replacing existing components.

Plastic meter pits are installed below grade to provide protected, accessible space for water meters, valves, and related components. Proper installation and backfilling provide support around the pit, while the appropriate frame and lid create a stable access point at the finished surface.

Installation requirements vary based on the size and configuration of the meter pit, site conditions, anticipated loads, and the surrounding surface. Bingham & Taylor meter pits can be paired with a range of cast iron or polymer frames and lids to meet different installation requirements.

For detailed installation procedures, refer to the Bingham & Taylor Meter Pit Installation Instructions.

Yes. Bingham & Taylor plastic valve boxes are designed for roadway applications when properly installed. Our standard ABS valve boxes feature thicker walls than industry-standard plastic valve boxes, providing added strength and durability. Bison™ valve boxes take that strength a step further with an even thicker-wall design for increased rigidity and demanding applications.

In a properly installed roadway assembly, the cast iron rim and lid carry the traffic load rather than transferring it directly to the plastic valve box. Bingham & Taylor ASTM A48 Class 30 and Class 35 cast iron rims and lids are available in H-20-rated configurations for traffic applications.

For additional roadway safety, Bingham & Taylor also offers heavy-duty long-skirt and Tri-Skirt™ lids engineered to help prevent dangerous lid pop-outs caused by traffic.

Bingham & Taylor offers several options to help prevent unauthorized access to underground valves, including Valve Sentinels and locking valve box lids.

Valve Sentinels are made from high-strength carbon steel and provide an additional level of security below the valve box lid. They can be used to secure a valve in the open or closed position and support lock-out/tag-out procedures. Available in a range of sizes, Valve Sentinels are compatible with valve boxes from Bingham & Taylor and other manufacturers.

Complete assemblies include an expander bar, security plate, and lanyard to help prevent the plate from falling into the valve box. Color-coded plates also provide clear visual identification for crews in the field.

[Learn more about Valve Sentinels and valve security solutions]

Determining the correct valve box height starts with the depth of the trench and the height of the valve. These measurements help determine the required extension range for the valve box assembly.

Our Guide to Determining Valve Box Height walks you through the measurements and calculations for two-piece and three-piece valve boxes and provides extension ranges for available Bingham & Taylor valve box materials and configurations.

Old Style curb boxes have a lid that fits over the rim of the top section and extends beyond the top section. New Style curb boxes have a lid that fits inside the rim of the top section. Refer to the Catalog for more information.

Bingham & Taylor offers heavy-duty long-skirt and Tri-Skirt™ valve box lids engineered to help prevent dangerous lid pop-outs in roadway applications.

The extended skirt helps keep the lid properly seated when exposed to traffic. Our Tri-Skirt design provides additional stability and is designed so the lid must be lifted straight up for removal, helping prevent displacement while still allowing access by utility crews.

Tri-Skirt lids are compatible with most valve boxes on the market.

A paving riser is used to raise the height of an existing valve box by a small increment, commonly when a roadway is resurfaced and the finished grade is raised. The riser allows the lid to be brought up to the new road surface without replacing or adjusting the entire valve box.

An adapter is used to transition between valve box components of different diameters, materials, or configurations.

We offer paving risers and adapters for almost every size of curb and valve box.

Bingham & Taylor offers H-20-rated cast iron meter lids and frames for applications requiring heavy-duty traffic performance. Our MBX Meter Box assemblies go even further, with proof-load testing exceeding 53,000 lbs.

For applications where lighter weight and AMI/AMR signal transmission are priorities, Maverick® composite lids are proof-load rated to 20,000 lbs. Maverick lids are available for both meter pits and meter boxes.

Bingham & Taylor offers a range of meter access options for different load requirements and installation environments. Contact your regional sales manager for help selecting the appropriate frame, lid, and configuration for your application.

Yes. Bingham & Taylor Maverick® meter lids feature interchangeable AMI/AMR inserts that allow utilities to change transmitter technology without replacing the entire lid.

A range of insert configurations accommodates many commonly used AMI/AMR transmitters, giving utilities greater flexibility as equipment, technology, or system requirements change. The inserts can be replaced in the field while the Maverick lid remains in service, helping reduce replacement costs and simplify future upgrades.

Maverick lids are available for both meter pits and meter boxes.

A meter frame is recommended with a meter pit to add stability, strength, and longevity to the overall meter access solution. A separate frame is not needed with a cast iron meter box because the box itself provides structural support for the lid.

Pairing a frame with a plastic meter pit provides the lightweight, corrosion-resistant benefits of plastic while adding durable support at the access point. Meter pits also provide more below-ground space than traditional meter boxes, allowing them to accommodate larger meters, valves, and other components.

Bingham & Taylor offers eight styles of cast iron meter frames as well as a lightweight polymer frame to meet a range of installation requirements. Cast iron options include recessed and overlapping designs, heavy-duty frames with reinforcing gussets, spiked frames designed to help prevent settling in concrete installations, adjustable frames, and frost-proof configurations. Overlapping frames provide additional coverage around the meter pit, making them well suited for lawn installations where protection from outdoor elements is important.

A-Style and C-Style meter frames differ in how the lid fits the frame and the types of installations they are designed to accommodate.

A-Style meter frames are designed for flush installations, allowing the meter lid to sit level with the surrounding surface. This provides a clean, streamlined installation and makes A-Style frames well suited for sidewalks and other finished surfaces where a flush fit is important.

C-Style meter frames feature an overlapping fit, with the lid covering the top of the frame. The additional coverage helps protect the meter pit and its contents from outdoor elements, making C-Style frames particularly well suited for lawn and other landscaped installations.

Because A-Style and C-Style lids fit their frames differently, it is important to select the corresponding lid and frame style when specifying a new meter access solution or replacing existing components.

Plastic meter pits are installed below grade to provide protected, accessible space for water meters, valves, and related components. Proper installation and backfilling provide support around the pit, while the appropriate frame and lid create a stable access point at the finished surface.

Installation requirements vary based on the size and configuration of the meter pit, site conditions, anticipated loads, and the surrounding surface. Bingham & Taylor meter pits can be paired with a range of cast iron or polymer frames and lids to meet different installation requirements.

For detailed installation procedures, refer to the Bingham & Taylor Meter Pit Installation Instructions.