Seller guide · Louisiana
How to read a cable reel tag
A reel tag is the single most valuable document attached to any cable lot. Ten minutes with one can change what a lot is worth more than any photograph.
Guide 01
Cable arrives from a manufacturer with a tag wired to the reel flange or stapled to a wooden batten. It records what the cable is, how much of it there is, and when and where it was made. When a lot is reviewed, the tag is the difference between a known quantity and an estimate.
The fields that matter, in order
| Footage or length | The remaining length, or the original length if the reel is full. This is the first number anybody asks for. |
|---|---|
| Construction and size | For example 3-1/0 AWG THHN or 1/C 750 kcmil 15 kV 133% EPR. Size and construction together. |
| Voltage rating | 600 V, 2 kV, 5 kV, 15 kV, 25 kV, 35 kV. This sets the family the cable belongs to. |
| Conductor material | Copper or aluminium, and whether it is stranded, compact or solid. |
| Insulation and jacket | THHN/THWN-2, XHHW-2, EPR, XLPE, PVC, CPE, LSZH. |
| Manufacturer and date | Useful for age, listing and warranty questions, and for matching a specification. |
| Reel number and PO | Lets a plant or contractor find the cable in its own records. |
If the tag carries only some of those, that is still useful. A tag with footage and construction is worth far more than a tag with a manufacturer's name and nothing else.
When the tag is gone
Tags fall off, fade, or are cut away when a reel is opened. The next best evidence is the print on the jacket itself, which usually carries the construction, size, voltage rating and listing. Look for it within the first few feet of the free end and photograph it where it is legible.
- Photograph the print flat, in daylight, with the cable lying straight rather than coiled.
- Note the reel's own stencil, which sometimes carries the original footage.
- Check the plant's stores record or purchase order for the item.
- Write the footage you measure on the tag, so the next person does not have to guess.
What not to do
Do not write a footage on a tag that you have not measured, and do not describe a construction you have not read. A wrong number on a tag is worse than no tag, because it gets repeated through the whole review and then discovered at the worst moment.
If two reels carry the same tag number, say so. Duplicate tags are common when a plant re-uses a reel, and they cause more confusion than any other paperwork problem in this trade.
Start here 01
Have a lot that matches this guide?
Send the construction, the quantity and the storage. If the tag is gone, say so and send a photograph of the print instead.
- One desk for the whole state
- Buyers, not sellers
- No obligation before written terms
Photographs of reel tags and jacket print can follow by text to 614-715-3047 or email to saleselectricalbuyers@gmail.com.
Send the lot details
Six details are enough to start.
Questions —
Questions this guide raises
Where is the tag usually attached?
Wired to the reel flange, stapled to a batten across the drum, or in a plastic sleeve nailed to the flange. Check both flanges, because a tag on the underside is easy to miss.
What if the tag is in a plant's stores system but not on the reel?
That is still good evidence. A stores record that names the construction and length is usually enough to review the lot properly.
Does a faded tag lose value?
It reduces certainty rather than value directly. A legible construction and footage is what matters; a manufacturer's logo is not.
Next step —
Ready to have a lot reviewed?
Send the construction, the quantity and where the material sits. A buyer replies with questions or an offer basis.
Request a wire quote
A buyer reviews the lot and replies with questions or an offer basis.