Areas · Fairfax County
Reels and spools in Reston: a planned town building upward
RESTON, Va. — Reston, ZIPs 20190, 20191 and 20194, is a planned community founded in the 1960s that is now building towers around its Silver Line stations. Its reels come from high-rise and office construction, and the desk collects them from docks and garages and delivers spools to residents.
From the reel desk · Checked 9 November 2026
Schematic line map, not to survey: Reston marked, with Dulles Toll Road drawn heavier. The Potomac, the Anacostia, the District line and the Beltway are drawn for bearings.
Fact box: Reston
- ZIPs
- 20190, 20191, 20194
- Founded
- 1964, by Robert E. Simon
- Transit
- Wiehle–Reston East and Reston Town Center stations (Silver Line)
- Main roads
- Dulles Toll Road, Reston Parkway, Wiehle Avenue, Fairfax County Parkway
A planned town, still planning
Reston was founded in 1964 by Robert E. Simon as a planned community of village centres, lakes, paths and mixed housing. For decades it grew outward. Since the Silver Line opened its Wiehle–Reston East station in 2014 and its Reston Town Center station in 2022, it has been growing up: office and apartment towers around the stations and in Reston Town Center.
Tower reels
High-rise construction uses building wire on small and plywood reels for units, larger copper feeders for risers and switchgear, and fibre for communications. Reels come down as floors are finished and need to leave the site quickly. A tower site in Reston typically stages empties in a garage level or a corner of the site, and the general contractor wants them gone before the next delivery.
Office refits
Reston’s older office parks along the Toll Road are refitted for new tenants, and some are being replaced by mixed-use blocks. Refits leave smaller batches of building wire and data cable reels from loading docks.
How pickups work here
- Tower sites: scheduled pickups during construction; clearance, loading window and contact with the request.
- Office docks: a few reels timed to building hours.
- Larger reels: equipment on site for anything over 42 inches.
Reston pickups often combine with Herndon and the Toll Road corridor.
Residents
Reston residents ask for reels for patios and balconies, for community gardens, and for lakeside decks. For balconies, the right size is usually 24 inches: Southwire’s 23 inch reels stand 11 to 20 inches high on end. For a garden table, 30 to 36 inches.
Getting here
The Dulles Toll Road crosses Reston east to west, with interchanges at Wiehle Avenue, Reston Parkway and Fairfax County Parkway. Reston Parkway runs north and south through the town; Baron Cameron Avenue and Sunrise Valley Drive are the main cross streets.
Sending a request from Reston
- 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 keep a Reston tower site's staging area clear?
Yes, with scheduled pickups during construction. Send the garage clearance and loading window.
What size reel fits a Reston balcony?
Usually 24 inches. Southwire's 23 inch reels stand about 11 to 20 inches high on end.
Sources
Each opened and read on 9 November 2026.
- Southwire, Reel Packaging Information (CableTech Support): reel series, wooden reel dimensions and weights, steel reel dimensions and charges, tag contents; cites NEMA WC26
- 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