The covers in Boston are usually made of metal

 

or plastic (composite materials)

 

and are round

 

, rectangular

 

, or square

 

in shape.
A cover with a unique shape by the excavation contractor M. Susi & Sons

 

was also found.

In Boston, one colored cover

 

and one gilded cover (actually an information plaque)

 

were found; no covers bearing the city emblem were found.

The purpose of the covers is usually derived from the text appearing on them: WATER on water covers

 

, CATV or COMM on communication covers

 

, DRAIN

 

or drainage slots

 

on drainage covers, and so on.

Many covers are intended for the City of Boston, with the city’s name appearing on them

 

. Other users include Boston Water Works

 

, the energy company EVERSOURCE

 

, and others.

In general, no covers unique to the city were found, except for the uniquely shaped cover

 

.

Manufacturers
Some of the covers do not bear the manufacturer’s name. Among the manufacturers identified are EJ Group

 

, Neenah Foundry

 

, and Oldcastle Infrastructure

 

.
On some covers, it is indicated that they were manufactured in India

 

.

Standards
Most covers do not display standard marks; on one cover, the ANSI (77) TIER 15 standard

 

was found.