Areas · county desk
Reel pickup in Arlington County: a small county of tall buildings
ARLINGTON, Va. — Arlington County is small, about 26 square miles, and almost all of it is built up, so reels here come from high-rise construction and building renovation, and they leave from loading docks and garages. The desk collects them and delivers spools in the county.
From the reel desk · Checked 9 November 2026
Schematic line map, not to survey: Arlington County marked, with I-66, Route 1 drawn heavier. The Potomac, the Anacostia, the District line and the Beltway are drawn for bearings.
Fact box: Arlington County
- Area
- About 26 square miles
- Main corridors
- I-66, Route 1, Route 50, the George Washington Parkway
- Building centres
- Rosslyn–Ballston corridor, Crystal City and Pentagon City
- Town pages
- 1
A county without yards
Arlington has almost no open land. There are no laydown yards to speak of, few contractor lots, and construction sites that use every square foot. That shapes how reels move here more than anything else. Cable arrives, is pulled, and the empty reels have to leave the site quickly so the next delivery can get in.
Where the reels come from
Most Arlington reels come from high-rise building. The Rosslyn–Ballston corridor along the Orange and Silver lines and the Crystal City and Pentagon City area along Route 1 have been rebuilt over decades as dense office and residential districts, and they are still changing. A residential tower uses building wire on small reels for units, larger copper feeders for risers and switchgear, and fibre for communications. An office renovation replaces much of that cable.
The county also has large federal and institutional occupants. The Pentagon is in Arlington, and government and contractor offices fill much of Crystal City and Rosslyn. Their buildings are renovated on long cycles by electrical contractors who are steady reel sources.
How a pickup works here
Expect the desk to ask about:
- The dock or garage. Height clearance, the hours the building allows deliveries, and whether a box truck fits.
- Elevator or ramp. If reels are on an upper floor or a garage level, how they get down.
- Counts by size. Arlington pickups are often ten or twenty mid-size reels, and a box truck may be the right vehicle rather than a flatbed.
Frequent, small, scheduled pickups suit Arlington better than waiting for a big load. If a building is going up floor by floor, a pickup every few weeks keeps the dock clear.
Buyers
Arlington buyers want reels for balconies, patios and small yards, so 24 to 36 inch reels are the common request. Community gardens ask for hose reels. Delivery questions are about stairs, gates and elevators.
Roads
I-66 crosses the north of the county; Route 50 (Arlington Boulevard) runs through the middle; Route 1 runs through Crystal City; the George Washington Parkway follows the river but does not allow trucks, which matters for routing.
Town page
Arlington’s one town page covers the county’s neighbourhoods and ZIP codes in more detail.
Sending a request from Arlington County
- Count and measure. Count the reels and measure the largest flange edge to edge across the face. A photo with the tape in it is better than a guess.
- Check the build. Nailed lumber, plywood sheet, steel or plastic. Look for a stencil or tag naming the maker and the reel number.
- Set aside steel and tagged returnables with their serial numbers. Those go back to the maker, not to the desk.
- Say where they stand: yard, dock, garage level, alley or curb, plus clearance, gate hours, badging or escort a driver needs.
- Say what loads them: forklift, pallet jack, loader, ramp, or only people. Reels over 42 inches weigh more than 100 lb empty.
- Say how often: one time, weekly, monthly or at each job close-out.
- Buying instead? Give the flange and height you want, how many, and how the reel gets from the truck to where it will sit.
- No form handy? Email info@dcwoodenspools.com with the same details and a few photos.
Reels you are likely to have
| Reel | Build | Flange | Traverse | Drum | Lb | Usually carries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C-5 | Nailed wood | 23 | 17 | 12 | 34 | Copper building wire, grounding |
| A-10 | Nailed wood | 30 | 22 | 16 | 66 | Service drop, bare aluminium |
| N-24 | Nailed wood | 36 | 28 | 14 | 83 | Insulated and multiplex cable |
| A-29 | Nailed wood | 42 | 28 | 21 | 154 | Overhead conductor, feeders |
| A-38 | Nailed wood | 48 | 28 | 24 | 212 | Aluminium and ACSR, large feeders |
| A-62 | Nailed wood | 60 | 28 | 28 | 397 | Utility conductor |
| A-76 | Nailed wood | 66 | 28 | 30 | 473 | Heavy conductor |
| S-120 | Steel, returnable | 84 | 36 | 42 | 895 | Transmission and medium voltage |
Other makers' reels differ by an inch or two. All flange sizes · How to measure
Questions the desk gets
Can the desk use the George Washington Parkway?
No. Commercial trucks are not allowed on the parkway, so pickups route by I-66, Route 50 or Route 1.
Will the desk take ten reels from a garage level?
Yes, if the clearance allows the truck or the reels can be brought to street level. Send the clearance with the request.
Sources
Each opened and read on 9 November 2026.
- Virginia DHCD, federal approval of Virginia's BEAD Final Proposal (19 November 2025): over $545 million to 23 providers for more than 133,000 unserved locations