The workhorse outdoor rating, built to your drawing: pad-mount cabinets, wall-mount boxes, free-standing housings and walk-in enclosures constructed to NEMA 3R, in carbon steel, stainless or aluminum.
NEMA 3R is the rating for outdoor equipment that has to shed rain, sleet and snow and keep falling dirt out, with drainage so condensation and any water that does get in leaves through the bottom rather than pooling on live parts. It is the rating on most pad-mount transformer cabinets, outdoor switchgear, meter and control cabinets, and the enclosures around data center and utility equipment that lives outside.
FabTek fabricates NEMA 3R enclosures to print at our Hazlehurst, Mississippi plants — hundreds of units a month on a single shift for program customers, and one-offs for custom applications. Formed and welded construction with the drip hoods, overlapping door seams, screened vents and drain provisions that 3R construction requires; hardware and gasketing per the drawing; in-house powder coat with an IEEE 2000-hour salt-spray rating. We build to the rating you specify, and FabTek holds UL 50/50E listing for enclosures where the project requires a listed product.
Transformer, switchgear and control cabinets for outdoor pad installation. See pad-mount transformer cabinets.
Meter, disconnect, control and junction enclosures with drip shields and knockouts to print.
Large weatherproof housings for switchgear and equipment; see what gauge steel a 3R walk-in should be.
Screened louvers, drip hoods, rain-tight vent assemblies, sun shields, and 3R conversion hoods for existing equipment.
Utility pad-mount and pole-mount apparatus, outdoor switchgear and metering, data center yard equipment (transformers, generators, BESS, cooling auxiliaries), telecom and industrial outdoor controls. Anywhere equipment is outdoors but not subject to hose-directed water or a corrosive atmosphere, 3R is the specified rating; our 3R vs. 4 vs. 4X guide explains where to step up.
| Rating construction | NEMA 3R per NEMA 250 — rain, sleet, snow and falling dirt; drainage provisions; not dust- or hose-tight |
|---|---|
| Materials | Carbon steel (galvanneal or cold-rolled), stainless 304/316, aluminum 5052 |
| Gauges | 16 ga through 10 ga sheet typical; heavier per design |
| Construction | Welded seams, formed drip hoods, overlapping door flanges, screened vents, drain holes at low points |
| Hardware | Padlockable handles, three-point latches, stainless hinges, gasketed doors as specified |
| Finish | In-house powder coat, ANSI 61 or specified color; IEEE 2000-hour salt-spray rated |
| Welding | AWS D1.3 sheet, D1.6 stainless |
| Volume | Hundreds of units per month on a single shift; dual-shift capacity |
| Also specified as | NEMA 3R enclosure, 3R cabinet, rainproof enclosure, outdoor electrical enclosure, weatherproof enclosure, Type 3R enclosure |
Representative capabilities — exact ranges, ratings, and finishes are confirmed per project. Send drawings for a firm quote.
The most common enclosure specification mistake is buying a 4X when a 3R would do — or the reverse. 3R handles weather; it does not handle washdown, windblown dust or salt fog. If the enclosure will see a pressure washer, a coastal site or a chemical plant, read our guide before you spec, and see our NEMA 4 & 4X enclosures. Powder coat film build matters at either rating; our film thickness spec sheet gives the numbers.
Built at four production sites in Hazlehurst, Mississippi.
ISO 9001:2015 quality management, AWS-certified welding, OSHA-compliant facilities.
In-house powder coat backed by an IEEE 2000-hour salt-spray certification.
Reserved-line capacity and the automation to grow with your volume.
Yes — pad-mount, wall-mount, free-standing and walk-in NEMA 3R enclosures fabricated to print in steel or aluminum and powder-coated in-house at our Hazlehurst, Mississippi plants.
FabTek builds NEMA 3R, 4 and 4X enclosures for transformer and switchgear OEMs at production volume, with in-house powder coat and IEEE 2000-hour salt-spray-rated finishes.
Yes — FabTek holds UL 50/50E listing for enclosures, and we fabricate to NEMA 3R construction requirements to your drawing.
It depends on size and mounting; 16 or 14 gauge is typical for cabinets, heavier for walk-ins. See our gauge guide for 3R walk-ins.
Explore related lines: Transformer cabinets · Pad-mount transformer cabinets · NEMA 4 & 4X enclosures · Control cabinets
Further reading: NEMA 3R vs. 4 vs. 4X · How to spec a NEMA-rated transformer enclosure · What gauge steel for a 3R walk-in
Send the enclosure drawing — or a sketch and the equipment it houses — and we'll quote it within one business day.