Champion Big-Lock Union Elbow - 90 Degree, 45 Degree and Street, Couplings Included (73mm to 220mm)

Direction changes on a Champion Big-Lock main are made with a cast aluminum elbow and a pair of grooved couplings, not a welded bend. This listing carries all three Big-Lock elbow types, and every one of them is supplied with its couplings included, so you do not order those separately.

• 90 degree union elbow, 73mm through 220mm. The standard corner.
• 45 degree union elbow, 73mm through 220mm. Two 45s around an obstruction cost less pressure than two 90s, which matters more on a main than on a branch.
• 90 degree street elbow, 73mm and 90mm only, grooved on one end and male NPT on the other. Lands a main directly onto a threaded connection.

Choose the elbow you need from the dropdown above.

Model Selection Chart

Champion catalogs a 273mm (10 in) elbow in both 90 and 45 degree, but the current price list prints both as consult factory with no part number. Call or email and we will quote them. Street elbows are catalogued in 73mm and 90mm only; above that, use a union elbow plus a threaded adapter.

Couplings Are Included Here, and Not Everywhere

This is the single most useful thing to know when counting a Big-Lock bill of material. In Champion's range:

Get that wrong in either direction and the job either stops or you have a box of spare couplings. Straight union couplings are ordered separately.

Pressure Drop on a Large Main

Every direction change adds equivalent length, and on a main carrying the whole plant that cost compounds. Two practical rules carry over from the smaller Quick-Lock range and apply with more force here: prefer a pair of 45 degree elbows over a pair of 90s when jogging around structure, and pipe the main as a loop rather than a spur so air reaches any point from two directions.

At 73mm and 90mm the 45 degree elbow carries a small premium over the 90; at 115mm and 168mm Champion prices them identically, so there is no cost reason not to use the better fitting. Send us the layout and we will tell you whether the corner count is actually costing you anything.

Shared Technical Specifications

Specification note. Champion's price list publishes description, part number and list price for the Big-Lock range and nothing else: no pressure rating, no temperature band, no weights and no dimensions, and we have not found a Big-Lock datasheet that supplies them. Rather than print figures we cannot source, this listing states only what Champion publishes. Ask us and we will get anything further from the factory before you order.

Ideal Applications

Corners in a plant main or loop header, risers from compressor room floor level to ceiling height, routing a large main around structural steel and ductwork, and, with the street elbows, landing a 73mm or 90mm main directly onto a receiver, a dryer or a threaded header without an extra adapter.

Building a Complete Big-Lock System

• Big-Lock aluminum pipe, 73mm to 273mm
• Straight union couplings, one per tube joint
• Junction tees and reduction tees, couplings included
• Threaded adapters and reducers
• Plug caps
• Quick-Lock aluminum pipe, 14mm to 63mm for the branches off the main

Ordering Notes

• All Big-Lock products and accessories are NO CANCEL / NO RETURN, per Champion's current price list.
• Freight: freight collect from Huntersville, NC 28078 or Las Vegas, NV 89113.
• Shipping weights: Champion publishes no weight for any Big-Lock fitting, so no catalog weight is carried on these variants.
• Photography: Champion publishes no photograph of the Big-Lock elbows, so this listing is deliberately shown without an image rather than with a stand-in from another manufacturer's grooved range.

Why Buy from Air Compressor Store

Air Compressor Store is an authorized Champion Pneumatic distributor. Send us the floor plan and our compressed air engineers will lay out the main, choose 45s where they earn their place, count the elbows, tees and couplings, and quote the whole package at no charge.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do these come with the couplings or not?

Included, on every elbow in this listing. The part numbers all end WC for with couplings. Reducers are the exception in the Big-Lock range and need two couplings each.

Why is the 45 degree elbow the same price as the 90 at some sizes?

That is what Champion's August 2026 price list publishes. At 90mm, 115mm and 168mm the two are priced identically; at 73mm the 45 is $299 against $239, and at 220mm it is $2,284 against $2,222. Where they cost the same, use whichever the layout actually wants.

Can I get a street elbow above 90mm?

Not as a catalogued part. Champion lists street elbows in 73mm x 2-1/2 in and 90mm x 3 in only. For a larger threaded take-off, use a union elbow with a Big-Lock threaded adapter, or a reduction tee with a female NPT branch.

Is the elbow reusable if I move the line?

Yes. Undo the coupling bolts, separate the halves, move the pipe and reassemble. Inspect the gaskets and replace any that are nicked or hardened. That reversibility is the main practical argument for a grooved system over welded steel.

How does Big-Lock connect to my Quick-Lock branches?

Through a reduction tee with a female NPT branch, or a grooved saddle clamp outlet, then a Quick-Lock threaded connector into the branch run. Note that 73mm Big-Lock and 63mm Quick-Lock are both called 2-1/2 in nominal and are not interchangeable; they are different outside diameters and different joint systems.

What pressure will these hold?

Champion does not publish a pressure rating for Big-Lock in the current price list and we have not found one in a datasheet, so we will not quote a figure. If your system runs near the top of normal shop air pressure, ask us and we will confirm with the factory in writing before you order.