Areas · Loudoun County
Reels and spools in Ashburn: Data Center Alley's reel supply
ASHBURN, Va. — Ashburn, ZIPs 20147 and 20148, is the heart of what Loudoun County calls Data Center Alley, and its campuses and the power lines that feed them empty cable reels year round. The desk collects from campus sites, contractor laydown yards and the substation and transmission work that feeds them.
From the reel desk · Checked 9 November 2026
Schematic line map, not to survey: Ashburn marked, with Route 7, Dulles Toll Road, Route 28 drawn heavier. The Potomac, the Anacostia, the District line and the Beltway are drawn for bearings.
Fact box: Ashburn
- ZIPs
- 20147, 20148
- Industry history
- AOL headquarters 1996; UUNet 1998
- Transmission
- Aspen to Golden substations in the Ashburn area; Golden to Mars
- Main roads
- Route 7, Loudoun County Parkway, Dulles Greenway, Route 28
- Transit
- Ashburn station (Silver Line)
How Ashburn became this
Loudoun County dates its data-centre story to AOL’s move to Ashburn in 1996 and UUNet’s arrival in 1998, and to the fibre and power that followed. The county describes Ashburn as the most connected place for data centres on earth. Countywide, as of 1 March 2026, it counts about 233 data-centre buildings and 56.5 million square feet built or under construction, much of it in and around Ashburn. Newer buildings average about 339,000 square feet each.
What a building leaves behind
Every data-centre building is wired with medium-voltage feeders, low-voltage copper distribution, grounding, controls and fibre. A large building’s electrical fit-out goes through a great many reels, from 24 inch building wire reels to 84 inch medium-voltage reels. Some are steel and returnable. Some are nailed wood reels of a single brand that, gathered into a truckload, qualify for a maker program. The rest are mixed brands, plywood, part loads and damaged reels. That is the desk’s work here.
Laydown yards
Campus sites run laydown yards where cable arrives and reels go when they are empty. A yard clear-out at an Ashburn campus is usually:
- Sorted first. Steel and returnable reels set aside with their tags for the makers.
- Counted by size and brand. A full single-brand load goes to the maker; the desk tells you if you are close.
- Scheduled to the site. Badging, gate hours, escort rules and the site’s own traffic plan.
Power lines
Loudoun’s transmission page lists Aspen to Golden, a new 500/230 kV line with two substations in the Ashburn area, approved in February 2025 and affirmed by the Supreme Court of Virginia in February 2026, and Golden to Mars, a 500/230 kV line with Lockridge and Sojourner loops. Transmission and substation work brings the biggest reels of all.
Buyers
Ashburn’s neighbourhoods (Broadlands, Brambleton, Ashburn Farm) are full of homeowners who ask for patio and table reels.
Getting here
Route 7 runs along the north of Ashburn; Loudoun County Parkway runs through the middle; the Dulles Greenway and Route 28 bound it to the south and east. Ashburn’s Silver Line station opened in 2022.
Sending a request from Ashburn
- 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
Does the desk work inside data-centre campus security?
Yes, under the site's rules. Give the desk the gate, badging and escort requirements.
What happens to steel reels from an Ashburn campus?
They go back to their makers under each maker's return policy, with the serial numbers and invoices.
Sources
Each opened and read on 9 November 2026.
- Loudoun County, Data Centers: The Loudoun Story: counts as of 1 March 2026: about 233 data centre buildings, 56.5 million sq ft; over 10 million sq ft permitted in 2025; 35.7 million sq ft approved but not built; by-right development ended in 2025
- Loudoun County, Transmission Lines in Loudoun County: status of Aspen to Golden, Golden to Mars, BECO to Firehouse, Evergreen Mills, Global Plaza Extension, Mars to Wishing Star and the Potomac Edison Goose Creek rebuild
- Southwire, Steel Reel Policy: steel reels carry a charge, credited if returned within 12 months of shipment