The types of electrical wire we buy include usable surplus reels, leftover cable and scrap copper wire located in California. At California Wire Buyers, we identify the product before deciding whether to evaluate it as reusable inventory or recoverable metal.
Types of electrical wire we buy: building conductors
These size ranges describe representative product families, not a promise that every manufacturer offers every construction. Package length also varies by size and order.
| Family | Common types | Typical size examples |
|---|---|---|
| Single building conductors | THHN, XHHW-2, USE-2 | 14 AWG–1000 kcmil (MCM), product-dependent |
| Residential assemblies | NM-B, UF-B | 14–2 AWG NM-B; 14–6 AWG UF-B |
| Armored branch cable | MC, AC | Often 14–10 AWG copper |
| Industrial power/control | TC, VFD, instrumentation | Small signal AWG through large power sizes |
| Data and optical | Cat6, fiber | Commonly 23/24 AWG data; optical fiber count |
THHN and THWN-2 wire has thermoplastic insulation and a nylon covering, commonly in 600 V copper constructions. Small colored spools and large stranded feeder reels belong in this category.
XHHW-2 copper and aluminum uses thermoset insulation, commonly XLPE, with a 90°C wet/dry rating. Record the actual voltage because both 600 V and 1000 V products occur.
USE-2 and RHH/RHW-2 conductors often carry several ratings on one insulated wire. Underground service-entrance stock must be identified by its complete legend, not simply called black feeder wire.
NM-B and UF-B residential cable contains multiple copper conductors under a nonmetallic covering. Dry-location NM-B and underground-feeder UF-B are different products even when their size/count descriptions match.
Armored cable and assembled feeders
Type MC cable combines insulated conductors with metal armor, usually aluminum or steel. Branch-circuit coils, healthcare constructions and large feeder MC need their own descriptions.
AC, MC-HL and other armored cable includes constructions beyond ordinary branch MC. Bonding strips, continuous corrugated sheaths and outer jackets can identify materially different products.
SER and SEU service-entrance cable comes in copper and aluminum versions with different neutral and grounding arrangements. Capture every conductor size rather than reducing a complete assembly to its largest wire.
Aluminum wire and feeder inventory overlaps several insulation types, including XHHW-2 and service cable. An aluminum armor layer around copper conductors does not make the circuit conductors aluminum.
Underground distribution and medium-voltage reels
Secondary URD cable commonly groups aluminum conductors as triplex or quadruplex for underground distribution. Keep 600 V secondary cable distinct from primary medium-voltage products sometimes described with the same trade term.
Medium-voltage power cable includes shielded 5, 15, 25 and 35 kV families. Insulation level, shield design, capped ends and storage history are important alongside conductor metal and footage.
Industrial cable and flexible power products
Tray cable includes multiconductor power and control assemblies marked TC or TC-ER. Conductor count, grounding wires and any shielding help define the exact product.
Control and instrumentation cable can have numbered cores, twisted pairs, triads and individual or overall shields. A part number is particularly useful because matching AWG alone does not establish an equivalent cable.
VFD cable is designed for drive-to-motor applications and may have symmetrical grounds and copper shielding. Record the design rather than describing every shielded power cable as VFD cable.
Welding and DLO cable are flexible single-conductor families with different insulation, stranding and listing details. DLO's tinned copper and heavier construction should not be confused with ordinary welding lead.
SOOW and portable power cord includes flexible multiconductor cord and heavier Type W or G-GC products. Plugs and connectors should be listed separately from bulk reel footage.
Solar, grounding and low-voltage stock
Solar PV wire needs its actual PV identification and voltage documented. A USE-2 marking by itself does not establish UL 4703 PV Wire certification.
Bare copper and grounding wire includes solid, stranded, tinned and green-insulated inventory. With no jacket legend on bare wire, original tags become especially important.
Fire alarm cable is identified by FPL, FPLR or FPLP markings, conductor count and shielding. A red jacket alone does not identify its listing.
Cat6, Cat6A and data cable is evaluated by category, conductor material, shielding and riser/plenum markings. Reusable labeled boxes are different from mixed communication-wire scrap.
Fiber-optic cable requires fiber count, optical type and jacket/listing details. Continuous length and documented condition matter because optical fibers do not provide copper scrap value.
Specialty items we review individually
Other inventory can include mining cable, submersible pump cable, marine or shipboard cable, SIS switchboard wire, MTW and TFFN. We also review thermocouple, coaxial, mineral-insulated and EV charging cable by specification.
LSZH describes smoke and halogen performance, not a complete cable type or automatic plenum listing. Thermocouple conductors can be specific alloys rather than ordinary copper. Preserve the exact product description for either category.
Read the print before sorting the lot
Photograph type letters, AWG or kcmil, conductor metal, voltage and temperature. Include wet/dry, sunlight and burial markings where present. Manufacturer names and part numbers can be compared with our wire brands catalog.
Keep the original UL or CSA package marks with the cable. An isolated jacket symbol is not the complete certification mark, as explained in UL's wire and cable guide. End users must verify applicable listings and installation suitability; these categories are buying descriptions, not installation instructions.
Send an inventory organized by wire family
- One wide photo showing each family grouped separately, including loose copper scrap.
- A readable legend photo for every different insulation or finished-cable type.
- Reel tags or box labels showing manufacturer, part number and original footage.
- Remaining continuous length per piece, noting rewound reels and uncertain estimates.
- Copper, aluminum or optical construction, with conductor or fiber count as applicable.
- Separate descriptions of unused stock, pulled cable, damaged sections and scrap.
- Your California city, ownership documentation and the loading access for large reels.
We write offers before pickup and confirm payment terms in writing. California scrap record and payment requirements apply where required; this is a summary, not legal advice. Retaining labels and separating conditions lets us assess a mixed lot without treating sound inventory as unidentified scrap.
Common questions
Does cable without copper still have surplus value?
It can. Unused aluminum feeders may have reusable inventory value, and fiber-optic cable is evaluated for its optical specifications and condition. All-dielectric fiber has no copper conductor to recover. Exact identification, continuous footage and traceability matter more than the reel's apparent size. We assess those products separately from scrap copper rather than assuming all cable has the same recovery value.
Can one lot include several different wire families?
Yes. Describe each family separately instead of combining everything as electrical cable. A warehouse lot might contain single-conductor feeders, armored branch cable and network boxes. Give each reel or package an identifier, then match its photos to a short inventory list. Keep used copper pieces apart from unused stock so the two conditions are clear during evaluation.
What if my specialty wire is not in the catalog?
Send the complete printed legend and manufacturer part number. We consider specialty constructions case by case, including pump, mining, marine and equipment wire. A familiar jacket color or application name may conceal a different conductor alloy, listing or voltage. Include the original specification sheet if available; it helps us identify the product without assigning specifications from a similar-looking wire.