- SHORE A
- ±5 pts against the specified hardness
- TENSILE
- Per compound datasheet, tested to ASTM D412
Pads, Stoppers & Caps · Made to order
Tailgate Switch Boot — Sealed Push-Button Cover
A moulded rubber boot that seals a push-button switch against water and dust while still letting it be pressed. On a tailgate release it is the only barrier between road spray and the contacts — soft enough to actuate with a gloved thumb in winter, and tough enough to do it for the life of the vehicle.
- HARDNESS
- 40–55 Shore A typical, to your actuation force
- TEMPERATURE
- −40 to +140 °C in EPDM
- THICKNESS
- Diaphragm wall thickness — to your drawing
- ACTUATION FORCE
- Added force, to your specification
- RETENTION
- Groove, interference fit or bonded flange
- MADE TO ORDER
- ISO 9001:2015
- 09111526A
Product gallery
Visual Reference
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Cross section viewSection through the diaphragm and retaining groove — on request under NDA
- Max width
- Outside diameter — to your drawing
- Thickness
- Diaphragm wall thickness — to your drawing
- Switch body
- Send the switch, or its outline and plunger travel
- Actuation force
- The force the boot may add, and at what temperature
- Retention
- Groove, interference fit or bonded flange
- Exposed face
- Visible or concealed once fitted
Section drawing available on request. Send the switch itself, or its outline, plunger travel and the force it takes to operate — and tell us the coldest temperature it must work at. We will return a dimensioned drawing with the added force stated.
Technical specifications
Engineering Data
- Product Family
- Pads, Stoppers & Caps
- Material
- EPDM standard; silicone where cold flexibility governs
- Hardness (Shore A)
- 40–55 typical, set from the actuation force
- Tensile Strength
- Per compound datasheet, ASTM D412
- Elongation at Break
- Per compound datasheet, ASTM D412
- Operating Temperature
- −40 to +140 °C in EPDM
- Compression Set
- Tested to ASTM D395 Method B
- Density
- Per compound datasheet
- Colour Options
- Black standard, custom RAL on request
- Lead Time
- Confirmed with the quotation, from approved drawing and approved sample
- Actuation force added
- To your specification, verified on first article
- Sealing
- Water and dust ingress at the switch face
- Diaphragm wall thickness
- To your drawing
- Retention
- Groove, interference fit or bonded flange
- Ozone and UV resistance
- Required — EPDM, neoprene or silicone
- Certifications
- ISO 9001:2015 — certificate 09111526A, valid to 21 February 2027
- Minimum Order
- 10,000 pieces per part number, per compound, or quoted against the part where geometry or tooling makes that unrealistic. Prototype and first-article lots sit outside the minimum.
Dimensional reference
- Max width
- Outside diameter — to your drawing
- Thickness
- Diaphragm wall thickness — to your drawing
- Switch body
- Send the switch, or its outline and plunger travel
- Actuation force
- The force the boot may add, and at what temperature
- Retention
- Groove, interference fit or bonded flange
- Exposed face
- Visible or concealed once fitted
Available materials
Rubber Compound Options
Select the compound best suited to your operating environment and application requirements.
| Rank | Compound | Temperature | Why, for an exposed switch boot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recommended | EPDM | −40 to +140 °C | Ozone, UV and water resistance, and it stays soft at −40 °C — which is when the button most needs to work |
| Recommended | Silicone | −60 to +220 °C | The best cold flexibility of the eight, so the lightest and most consistent press in winter. Tears more easily, which matters on a thin diaphragm |
| Suitable | Neoprene | −40 to +120 °C | Reasonable weathering and ozone resistance. Stiffer cold than EPDM, so the button gets heavier in winter |
| Not recommended | NBR | −30 to +120 °C | Cracks in ozone and UV. |
| Not recommended | SBR | −30 to +100 °C | Also poor in ozone and UV, and no better cold. |
| Available | Natural rubber | −20 to +90 °C | Excellent flexibility and tear strength, but it perishes outdoors faster than any of the above |
| Not recommended | FKM · AEM | See the compound table | Stiff and expensive, and neither brings anything a pressed boot needs |
Not sure? Send the medium, temperature and load
PRESS FORCE
40–55 Shore A
soft enough to feel, sealed enough to last
Key advantages
Why Specifiers Choose Margo
Sealed, and still pressable
The boot has to keep water out and let the switch move. Get the wall thickness or the hardness wrong and you get a dead-feeling button on a perfectly good switch — we set both from the force you can allow.
It has to work in winter
Rubber stiffens as it cools, and a tailgate is opened outdoors with gloves on. We quote the actuation force at your minimum temperature, not at room temperature where every compound looks acceptable.
The wettest switch on the vehicle
A tailgate release sits low at the back, in the path of rain, road spray and the pressure washer. When the boot fails the switch fails — so we specify for ozone and UV, not just for the seal.
Send us the switch
A boot is designed around a specific switch body and plunger travel. Send the component rather than a drawing and we will return a dimensioned proposal with the added force stated.
Industries served
Global Applications
Automotive
tailgate and boot release, fuel-flap release, mirror and window switches on doors
Heavy industry
sealed push buttons on plant, where the operator has wet or gloved hands
Electrical and enclosures
membrane-sealed buttons on outdoor control panels and cabinets
Agriculture
cab and implement controls, washed down and worked in the open
Manufacturing process
From Compound to Certification
Material compounding
Polymer blending, additive integration and batch QC in our in-house lab. Hardness is set here, and on a pressed boot it decides how the button feels.
Mould Design & CNC
Mould design and CNC tool manufacture, in-house, held as a controlled record. The diaphragm wall and the retaining groove are cut together, since one sets the press force and the other keeps the boot on the switch.
Compression Moulding
Compression moulding.
Post-cure and deflashing
Flash removed from the sealing face and the groove. Flash on a sealing lip is a water path straight to the contacts.
Quality inspection
Dimensional check, hardness, and actuation force measured on batch samples against the approved drawing.
Export packaging
Industrial packing with documentation. Boots are bagged loose so the diaphragm is not deformed in transit. ISPM-15 treated pallets where timber packaging is used.
Quality assurance
Certified to International Standards
Every product leaves our facility with a documentation package — material test reports, dimensional inspection sheets and a certificate of conformance — giving traceability from raw material to finished part.
ISO 9001:2015 · Certificate 09111526A
Integral Certification Ltd · Valid to 21 February 2027
Scope: rubber moulded components — quality management, not a product approval
IATF 16949 — upgrade in progress, certification targeted by end 2026
ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 — targeted 2027
Switch boots contribute to the ingress protection of a finished assembly. IP ratings under IEC 60529 apply to the completed enclosure and are established by its manufacturer, not by a component.
Certification detailProduction metrics
- Since 2005
- In operation
- 60+
- Active clients
- 3–4 weeks from approved sample
- Avg. lead time
Downloads
Technical Documentation
Actuation-force data and dimensioned drawings are issued on request, under NDA where required. Send the switch, or its outline and plunger travel, and tell us the coldest temperature it must work at.
Request actuation-force dataFAQ
Technical & Commercial Questions
Answers to the most common questions from engineering teams and procurement managers worldwide.
What is the minimum order quantity for this part?
We supply in bulk. The minimum run is 10,000 pieces per part number, per compound, or quoted against the part where geometry or tooling makes that unrealistic. Prototype and first-article lots sit outside the minimum.
Can you match a competitor specification or reverse-engineer an existing part?
Yes — and send the switch with the boot if you can. A boot removed from service has usually hardened, so copying its wall thickness reproduces a part that already feels stiff. We work back from the force the switch needs and the force you want the user to feel.
What file formats do you accept for drawings?
PDF, DWG, DXF and STEP. For this part a sample switch is worth more than a drawing. If you are sending files, mark the plunger travel, the panel aperture and the force the boot may add — and state the coldest working temperature.
Do you provide material test reports with each shipment?
Yes. Material test reports, dimensional inspection sheets and a certificate of conformance ship with every consignment. Hardness, tensile to ASTM D412 and compression set to ASTM D395 Method B are tested in-house, and actuation force is measured on batch samples.
What are your payment and delivery terms for international orders?
TT and LC accepted, discussed per order. Ex-works Nashik or FOB Nhava Sheva. Commercial invoice, packing list and certificate of origin are issued with every consignment. Boots ship bagged loose, not compressed.
Same compound
Other parts we mould in the same compounds
- Air Extractor Flap — One-Way Cabin Pressure Relief · EPDM, Silicone, Neoprene
- Radiator Shroud Flaps — Sealing Out Cooling Air Bypass · EPDM, Silicone, Neoprene
- A/C Extractor Damper Weight · EPDM, Neoprene
- Glove Box Stopper — Damped Interior Closure Bumper · EPDM, Silicone, Neoprene
- C-Pillar Garnish Seal — EPDM Hard Foam · EPDM, Neoprene
- Rear Windscreen Glazing Rubber — SUV Platform · EPDM, Neoprene
Need this part quoted?
Send the switch, or its outline and plunger travel, and tell us the coldest temperature it must work at. We confirm compound, hardness, wall thickness and the force the boot adds, then quote against your annual quantity. We respond within 48 hours.