How to Read a Wire Reel Tag

Conductor size: AWG and MCM

Size is the first thing on the tag and the first thing a buyer looks at. Below 4/0 the size is given in AWG, where the number runs backwards: 14 AWG is thin branch-circuit wire and 2 AWG is considerably heavier. Above 4/0 the scale switches to MCM or kcmil, thousands of circular mils, where the number runs forward: 500 MCM is heavier than 350 MCM.

The practical significance is that the middle and upper feeder sizes carry the most value per foot and the most consistent resale demand. A reel of 500 MCM copper is worth calling about even if it is the only reel you have.

Type designation: what the insulation is

The type code tells you the insulation system and where the wire is permitted to be installed. THHN and THWN-2 are the common thermoplastic building wire types found in conduit almost everywhere. XHHW-2 is cross-linked polyethylene, used for feeders and in wet locations, and generally commands a premium over THHN in the same size.

Other codes point to entirely different markets: SO and SOOW are portable cord, TC is tray cable, USE and URD are underground service and distribution, MV-105 is medium voltage shielded cable. A buyer who specialises in wire will price each of these differently, which is why the type code matters as much as the size.

Metal: copper or aluminum

Copper and aluminum are both worth selling, and the tag will say which you have. Copper carries the higher value per pound by a wide margin. Aluminum is lighter and cheaper per foot but aluminum feeder and utility conductor has a strong secondary market of its own, particularly in the large feeder sizes and in URD and triplex constructions.

Do not assume aluminum is not worth a call. Sellers occasionally dumpster aluminum reels on the theory that only copper has value, which is not how the resale market works.

Voltage rating

Building wire is typically rated 600V and that is what the tag will show. Anything rated above that puts the reel into the medium voltage category: 5kV, 15kV, 25kV or 35kV shielded cable. Medium voltage cable is a smaller market but a higher-value one, because the material is expensive new and the lead times are long.

If your tag shows a kV rating, mention it specifically when you call. It changes which buyers should be interested in your reel.

Footage and reel information

The tag usually gives the footage originally wound onto the reel. On a full reel that number is the length you are selling. On a partial the original figure is only a starting point, and an estimate of what remains is genuinely useful. You do not need to measure precisely; describing a reel as roughly half full is enough for us to quote against.

The reel itself matters slightly. Steel and plywood reels survive handling and storage better than light wooden ones, and a reel that will not survive being rolled changes how we load rather than what we pay.

Mill and lot markings

Manufacturer name, plant code and lot or run numbers appear on most tags. On unused material this is what makes a reel genuinely saleable as new-surplus rather than used, because it traces the wire back to a specific production run. Keep the tags attached if you can; a tagged reel is worth more than an identical untagged one.