We are aluminum wire buyers for California contractors, distributors and facility owners with unused electrical inventory. We assess feeder reels as finished products before treating them as recoverable metal. Tell us the alloy, insulation type and actual conductor size so aluminum surplus does not get confused with copper or mixed demolition material.
AA-8000 is an alloy family, not an insulation rating
Modern AA-8000-series building wire differs from older small solid aluminum branch-circuit wiring. It also differs from utility 1350 aluminum. These categories should not be combined into one inventory line just because their exposed metal looks similar.
AA-8000 can appear in XHHW-2, THHN/THWN-2, RHH/RHW-2 and service entrance products. The alloy describes the conductor material; the type letters describe insulation or cable classifications. Neither one replaces the voltage and listing information on the actual package.
For example, Southwire's aluminum XHHW-2 family uses AA-8176 compact stranded conductors. Representative sizes span 6 AWG–1000 kcmil (MCM), including 2 AWG, 1/0–4/0 and large feeder sizes. The same AWG aluminum and copper conductors must not be described as automatically having identical ampacity.
If an old branch-circuit removal is mixed with modern feeder stock, identify it separately. A modern alloy marking on one reel does not establish the material in every loose coil nearby. Our wire types catalog helps classify the underlying product before assigning an alloy.
Aluminum cable families we evaluate
An aluminum lot may contain single conductors, complete assemblies or bare overhead wire. Useful resale specifications vary considerably across those forms.
| Aluminum inventory | What distinguishes it | Identification to preserve |
|---|---|---|
| XHHW-2 building feeder | Commonly XLPE-insulated, compact stranded alloy conductor | Alloy, size, voltage and XHHW-2 |
| THHN/THWN-2 building wire | Aluminum conductor with its stated insulation ratings | Complete dual rating and metal mark |
| SER or SEU assembly | Several conductors inside a service entrance jacket | Style and each conductor size |
| Aluminum-conductor MC feeder | Power conductors assembled inside metallic armor | Circuit metal, ground and armor separately |
| Secondary URD | Cabled insulated phases and neutral; often utility 1350 alloy | All sizes, voltage, codeword and actual listings |
We review aluminum XHHW-2 feeder reels using their actual voltage marking. Both 600 V and 1000 V products occur, and XHHW-2 is rated 90°C wet or dry. That temperature does not, by itself, establish a circuit ampacity or direct-burial permission.
For SER and SEU service entrance cable, record every phase, neutral and ground size that applies. For MC, distinguish aluminum circuit conductors from aluminum armor around copper wire. Those are different products with different metal quantities.
Secondary URD cable deserves a separate entry even when it shares a familiar 4/0 size with building feeder wire. A utility-only product does not gain an NEC building-wire listing from having insulated aluminum conductors. Preserve any actual USE-2 or other additional designations.
Why warehouse and data-center lots include aluminum feeders
Aluminum's lower weight and cost relative to copper help explain its use on large feeder projects. Southwire's aluminum building-wire explanation describes those practical advantages. They do not mean an aluminum conductor can replace copper size-for-size.
California warehouse construction and data-center projects can leave substantial feeder inventory after design revisions, equipment changes or overbuy. What matters for a sale is the material actually left, not the original project's total cable order. List matching reels together while keeping different voltages, colors and conductor sizes separate.
The Inland Empire wire buying area includes warehouse and logistics construction alongside residential stock. A yard cleanup there may combine large single-conductor reels with SER remnants. We can evaluate the lot without giving all of it one generic aluminum feeder description.
Bare overhead aluminum is its own category
AAC means all-aluminum conductor, commonly using 1350 aluminum. ACSR has aluminum strands surrounding a steel core. AAAC uses an aluminum alloy without that same steel reinforcement. These are not interchangeable constructions for either inventory or scrap assessment.
Bare overhead conductor has no standalone insulated-cable voltage rating. Its reel tag is especially important because there is no jacket carrying the usual print legend. Keep the manufacturer, codeword, exact area, alloy, stranding and length with the reel.
Representative overhead sizes can include 266.8, 336.4, 397.5, 477, 636 or 795 kcmil. Preserve those numbers rather than rounding them. Overhead service-drop assemblies also differ from underground URD and need their own phase insulation and messenger description.
We review documented surplus overhead inventory by its specifications and condition. Utility-owned or formerly agency-owned material needs the appropriate written disposition authorization; a codeword or contractor possession is not proof of ownership. Ask about damaged aluminum and mixed recovery material separately rather than assuming every scrap form is included. Ownership requirements here are summarized for information, not legal advice.
Reusable aluminum value is not copper scrap value
Unused aluminum wire can retain value as a finished electrical product. Original labeling, continuous footage, conductor size, insulation condition and demand influence that evaluation. Full factory reels offer stronger identification than unlabeled rewound stock, but a well-documented partial can still be useful inventory.
Aluminum scrap belongs in a different, generally lower-value metal category than copper. Do not mix the two when sorting a lot. Steel cores, steel armor, insulation and reel weight also prevent a gross-weight figure from representing clean aluminum content.
We buy scrap copper wire as well as surplus cable, but that does not make all aluminum scrap the same buying category. Tell us whether aluminum is unused inventory, previously installed cable, short cuts or bare overhead conductor. We will confirm how the material can be evaluated before a pickup is arranged.
On large 250–1000 kcmil feeder reels, size and total footage affect loading along with value. Gross package weight includes the reel and insulation, not just conductor metal. Report the tagged weight if available rather than estimating from how full the reel looks.
What our aluminum wire buyers need to see
Build the description around the actual aluminum product, including components made from other metals. Send:
- AL, AA-8000-series or specific alloy markings, including any 1350 identification on utility products.
- The insulation or assembly designation, such as XHHW-2, THHN/THWN-2, SE, MC or URD.
- Exact AWG or kcmil sizes, preserving fractional overhead sizes and separate neutral or ground sizes.
- Compact, compressed or other stranding identification visible on the tag or print.
- CU/AL details for mixed-metal assemblies, plus any steel-core or armor information.
- Voltage, complete original certification labels and manufacturer or catalog number.
- Each reel's remaining continuous footage, condition and unused-versus-removed status.
- California location, loading capacity and purchase records or the required owner's disposition authorization.
Flag missing tags, rewound material and jacket damage instead of filling gaps from a similar reel. We document offers before pickup and confirm payment method and timing in writing. Keep the source records tied to each inventory line so the metal, product and ownership remain clear.
Common questions
Is all aluminum electrical wire made from AA-8000 alloy?
No. AA-8000 describes a modern building-wire alloy family, not every aluminum electrical conductor. Secondary URD and AAC overhead products may use 1350 aluminum, while ACSR includes steel reinforcement. Record the alloy stated on the product or tag. The insulation letters and metal designation answer different questions, so an AL marking alone does not establish AA-8000 construction.
Does silver-colored wire inside an MC coil mean aluminum conductors?
Not by itself. Aluminum armor can surround copper conductors, and a silver-colored conductor may be tinned copper. Use CU, AL and alloy markings on the actual product documentation before assigning a metal category. Send a conductor-end photo together with the label. We need the circuit-conductor metal identified separately from the armor, bonding conductor and any other metallic parts.
Can fractional overhead sizes be rounded to a building-wire size?
Keep the exact size on the reel tag. Utility sizes such as 336.4 or 795 kcmil are not shorthand for nearby building-wire sizes. Overhead conductor also needs its codeword, alloy and aluminum/steel stranding recorded. Rounding the area or omitting a steel core changes the product description and can distort both reusable-inventory evaluation and metal-recovery estimates.