Areas · Prince George's County
Reels and spools in Capitol Heights: the eastern edge of the District line
CAPITOL HEIGHTS, Md. — Capitol Heights, in ZIP 20743 on the District's eastern line, has industrial land and contractor yards along Central Avenue and the Beltway as well as older neighbourhoods. The desk collects reels from its yards and job sites and delivers spools there.
From the reel desk · Checked 9 November 2026
Schematic line map, not to survey: Capitol Heights marked, with I-95, US-50 drawn heavier. The Potomac, the Anacostia, the District line and the Beltway are drawn for bearings.
Fact box: Capitol Heights
- ZIP
- 20743
- Main roads
- Central Avenue (MD-214), Capital Beltway, Southern Avenue, East Capitol Street
- Transit
- Capitol Heights, Addison Road and Morgan Boulevard Metro (Blue and Silver lines)
- Utility
- Pepco
Where it is
Capitol Heights is a town and a wider area east of the District along Central Avenue and East Capitol Street. Close to the District line it is a town of houses and small businesses; further east toward the Beltway the land opens up into industrial parks, warehouses and contractor yards. Three Metro stations on the Blue and Silver lines serve the area.
Industrial land near the Beltway
The land along Central Avenue and the Beltway, and south toward Ritchie Road and Walker Mill Road, holds warehouses, trucking yards and building trades. Prince George’s planning department has tracked the county’s industrial and warehouse space since its 2010 study. For the desk, these yards are good places to collect: they have room to sort reels and for a truck to turn.
Job-site reels
Construction around the Metro stations and along Central Avenue, and the steady renovation of older housing, add reels from building work. A site near a station typically produces building wire on small reels and feeders on mid-size ones, and the electrical contractor wants them gone when the job closes.
How to set up a pickup
For a yard:
- Group reels by build: nailed wood, plywood, steel, plastic.
- Measure the largest flange and give a count in each size range.
- Say whether there is a forklift on site; reels over 42 inches weigh well over 100 pounds empty.
For a job site, give the gate, the hours and who the truck should ask for.
Utility reels
Pepco’s distribution work in the area, and its transmission projects in the District next door, use cable on large reels. Steel transmission reels go back to their makers; wooden distribution reels can come to the desk.
Buyers
Buyers here include churches and community groups that want reels for events, small contractors, and homeowners. Reels for tables are the most common request.
Getting here
Central Avenue (MD-214) runs from the District line east to the Beltway and on to Largo. The Beltway interchange at Central Avenue is the main truck route; Southern Avenue and East Capitol Street connect to the District.
Sending a request from Capitol Heights
- 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
Do I need a forklift for a Capitol Heights yard pickup?
It helps for reels over 42 inches, which weigh over 100 lb empty. Tell the desk what equipment is on site.
Does the desk collect from job sites near Metro stations?
Yes. Give the gate, the hours and a contact.
Sources
Each opened and read on 9 November 2026.
- Prince George's County Planning, Industrial Land Needs and Employment Study (2010): the county's inventory of industrial and warehouse space
- Maryland Office of People's Counsel, Pepco: Pepco serves 582,000 Maryland customers in most of Montgomery and Prince George's
- DC Public Service Commission, Capital Grid Project: Pepco project: 10 miles of new 230 kV underground line, Champlain and Harvard substations rebuilt, new Mount Vernon substation at First and K Streets NW