What is the purpose of the Higbee Cut on 2½ inch couplings?

• A. To seal the connection with a gasket
• B. To indicate thread direction
• C. Blunt end on outer thread to prevent cross-threading
• D. To reduce wear on threads

Answer: (C)

The Higbee cut is a feature designed to make starting a coupling easier and safer by guiding proper alignment. It creates a blunt end on the outer threading, which serves as a tactile and visual cue for how the threads should begin engaging. When you bring the couplings together, that blunt end helps the first few threads find their place and slide in smoothly, preventing misalignment that could lead to cross-threading and damage to the threads. The actual seal comes from the gasket inside the female coupling, not from the cut itself. The cut isn’t about indicating thread direction and its main purpose isn’t to reduce wear, but to ensure you start threading correctly so connections can be made quickly and reliably under pressure.