What type of bend is most likely required where a conduit enters a panelboard?

The most suitable type of bend for where a conduit enters a panelboard is typically an offset. An offset bend is designed to adjust the position of the conduit while maintaining the overall straight-line path. This is particularly beneficial when routing conduit into a panelboard, as it allows for the proper alignment and spacing needed for effective connection to the panel’s terminals.

Offsets are essential in situations where there might be obstacles or when the conduit needs to change elevation or direction without creating a sharp turn, which could stress the conduit and potentially damage it or affect connectivity. In the context of entering a panelboard, using an offset ensures that the conduit can smoothly transition while following the required clearance and space specifications around the panel.

While other types of bends can be useful in various situations, they do not provide the same versatility or practicality for this specific application. Elbows could create sharper angles that may not be ideal, whereas saddles are generally used for rounding around an object rather than changing directional path into a panelboard. A kick, on the other hand, would imply a sharper shift rather than a gradual offset. Thus, the appropriateness of the offset makes it the ideal choice for conduit entry into panelboards.