Areas · Prince George's County
Reels and spools in Upper Marlboro: the county seat and open country
UPPER MARLBORO, Md. — Upper Marlboro, the Prince George's County seat, covers ZIPs 20772 and 20774 and stretches from Largo's offices to open farmland along US-301. It has contractor yards with room to hold reels and farms that want them, so the desk both collects and delivers here.
From the reel desk · Checked 9 November 2026
Schematic line map, not to survey: Upper Marlboro marked, with US-301 drawn heavier. The Potomac, the Anacostia, the District line and the Beltway are drawn for bearings.
Fact box: Upper Marlboro
- ZIPs
- 20772, 20774
- Main roads
- US-301, MD-4 (Pennsylvania Avenue), MD-202, Capital Beltway
- Land use
- County government, offices at Largo, yards, farms
- Utility
- Pepco (most of the county)
Town and country
The town of Upper Marlboro is small, the county courthouse and government offices on the Western Branch of the Patuxent. The Upper Marlboro mailing area is large. It takes in Largo, where offices, a hospital and new housing sit near the Beltway, and runs south and east through subdivisions and farmland to US-301. The county’s fairgrounds and equestrian centre are here too.
Reels from growth
The area between the Beltway and US-301 has seen subdivisions, schools and commercial buildings for years, and Largo has added a regional hospital and new apartments. That work brings building wire and feeder reels, and the utility work for new subdivisions brings A-series aluminium reels in the 42 to 66 inch range.
Yards with room
Contractors, landscapers and utility crews based around Upper Marlboro usually have open yards. That changes the pickup:
- Reels can wait until there are enough for a full flatbed.
- Sorting by size and build is easy on open ground.
- A forklift is often on hand, which makes large reels simple to load.
But reels left outside for a long time deteriorate. Nailed wood weathers and stays sound for a season or more. Plywood flanges start to delaminate after a wet winter. Reels stored on bare ground rot at the bottom of the flange. Stand them on timbers, flanges vertical, and do not leave them more than a few months.
Farms and big reels
The farms, horse properties and nurseries around Upper Marlboro are some of the best homes for large reels: 48 to 72 inch reels for poly pipe, hose and fencing wire, or as feed-trough stands and display pieces. Delivery to a farm needs a firm, dry route for the truck and a place to set the reel down.
Getting here
US-301 runs north and south through the east of the area; MD-4 (Pennsylvania Avenue) runs from the Beltway southeast toward Calvert County; MD-202 links Largo to Upper Marlboro town. The Beltway serves Largo directly.
Sending a request from Upper Marlboro
- 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
How long can reels sit outside before a pickup?
Nailed wood keeps for a season or more if it stands on timbers. Plywood flanges start to come apart after a wet winter.
Can the desk deliver a 60 inch reel to a farm?
Yes, with a firm route for the truck and a place to set it down. A 60 inch wooden reel weighs about 400 lb.
Sources
Each opened and read on 9 November 2026.
- Maryland Office of People's Counsel, Your Local Electricity Companies: which utility serves which Maryland counties
- Southwire, Reel Packaging Information (CableTech Support): reel series, wooden reel dimensions and weights, steel reel dimensions and charges, tag contents; cites NEMA WC26