Which Cato Cabinet Fits My Fire Extinguisher

Picking a Cato cabinet is a measuring job, not a guessing job. Every Cato submittal publishes the tub interior dimension — the usable space inside the box — and every extinguisher manufacturer publishes an overall height and a cylinder diameter. Put the two side by side and the answer falls out.

The three numbers that matter

Height. The extinguisher's overall height, measured to the top of the carrying handle, has to clear the tub interior height. This is usually the number that rules a cabinet out.

Body diameter. The cylinder diameter has to clear both the tub width and the tub depth. Use the cylinder diameter, not the "width" figure on a spec sheet — that figure normally includes the hose and the handle, which swing outside the cylinder and sit above or below the widest part of the box.

Depth. On the Cato tubs the depth is the tightest dimension on the shallower models, so check it separately rather than assuming a cabinet that is wide enough is also deep enough.

Cato tub interior dimensions

There is no 20 lb Warrior, no 20 lb Pull to Open and no 20 lb semi-recessed in the Cato line. If you need a 20 lb cabinet it is the 105-20 tub, in Chief or Island Chief.

The fit chart

"Yes" below means the cylinder body clears the tub width and the tub depth and the overall height clears the tub interior height. Heights and body dimensions are the manufacturers' own published figures.

What Cato itself lists

Cato's submittals carry their own short compatibility column, naming the JL Industries series the cabinets were laid out around:

• 105-5 — Cosmic 2.5–5, Galaxy 2.5–5
• 105-10 — Cosmic 2.5–10, Galaxy 2.5–10, Mercury 2.5–11
• 105-20 — Cosmic 2.5–20, Galaxy 2.5–20, Mercury 2.5–15.5, Sentinel 5, Saturn 15
• 95-5 (Warrior) — Cosmic 2.5–5, Galaxy 2.5–5, Mercury 2.5
• 95-10 (Warrior) — Cosmic 2.5–10, Galaxy 2.5–10, Mercury 2.5–11, Sentinel 5
• 405-10 (semi-recessed) — Cosmic 2.5–10, Galaxy 2.5–10, Mercury 2.5–5, Sentinel 5

One entry to be careful with: Cato lists Mercury 11 against the 105-10 tub, but JL publishes a 7 in. cylinder diameter for that extinguisher, which is wider than the 6-3/4 in. tub and deeper than the 6 in. tub. Our chart therefore shows Mercury 11 in the 105-20 and the Warrior 95-10 only. If you are specifying a Mercury 11 into a 105-10 for a submittal, measure the actual cylinder before you commit.

The Island Chief submittal also names two non-magnetic units for MRI work — the JL Sentinel 5-5BNM and the JL Nebula 270-272 — and one clean-agent unit from a manufacturer outside the three lines we carry, which we have left off this chart. See the MRI safe cabinets guide for how NFPA 99 handles that room.

Common mistakes

Using the "width" figure. A 5 lb Amerex B402 is listed at 7-1/4 in. wide and 4-1/4 in. deep. The 4-1/4 in. is the cylinder; the 7-1/4 in. is the hose and handle sticking out. It fits a 6 in. wide tub comfortably.

Forgetting the tray. Cato's optional rust-prevention tray (part 10300) sits in the bottom of the cabinet so air can move under the cylinder. It adds a small amount of height, and Cato does not offer it for the 20 lb sizes at all.

Assuming CO2 behaves like ABC. CO2 cylinders are heavy, tall and wide for their rated capacity. A 5 lb CO2 — Strike First SF-5CO2, Amerex 322 or JL Sentinel 5 — needs the 105-10, not the 105-5. A 15 or 20 lb CO2 does not fit any Cato cabinet.

Buying the cabinet before the extinguisher. If the extinguisher is not on order yet, pick it first and size the box to it. The cabinet is the cheaper half of the pair.

Still not sure?

Send us the extinguisher model number. We will measure it against the submittal table and tell you which Cato model to buy, or tell you plainly that none of them fit.