Buy · large spools
Large wooden spools
Large wooden spools, from 48 to 72 inches across and roughly 200 to 500 pounds empty, come off utility, transmission and data-centre jobs in the region and suit farms, landscapers, venues and displays. Before you ask for one, plan how it will come off the truck: at these weights it takes a machine or several people.
From the reel desk · Checked 9 November 2026
What counts as large
The desk calls a spool large from 48 inches up. Below that, two people can lift most reels. At 48 inches, Southwire's A-38 weighs 212 pounds empty; at 60 inches its A-62 weighs about 397; at 66 inches its A-76 weighs 473. Wooden reels larger than about 72 inches are uncommon in this region; most reels that big are steel and belong to their makers.
Who buys them
- Farms and horse properties in Charles, Frederick, western Loudoun and the Montgomery Agricultural Reserve: poly pipe, irrigation line, long hose runs and fencing wire wound on a reel with a pipe through the arbor hole.
- Landscapers and garden centres: display bases, plant stands, feature pieces.
- Wineries, breweries and venues: large outdoor tables, often several matching.
- Contractors who pull heavy cable and need a spare working reel.
Matching sets
Venues often want six or ten reels of one size. Large reels come from utility and campus jobs in batches, so matching sets are possible, but they take time to gather. Ask early, give the size range you can accept (for example, 48 to 50 inches) and say whether nailed reels of different makers are fine side by side.
Delivery realities
Large spools travel standing on their flanges, strapped or chained to a flatbed. At your end:
- Ground. The truck needs firm, dry ground to the drop point. A loaded flatbed sinks in a wet field.
- Unloading. Forks under both flanges, spread wide; or a shaft through the arbor hole and a spreader bar. Or a ramp, a hold-back line and several people, for reels up to about 60 inches.
- Placement. Once down, a reel can be rolled on its flanges over firm ground. Never roll one down a slope without a line on it.
Condition
Large reels from utility work are usually nailed wood in good structural shape, weathered from months in a yard. Expect grey wood, stencils, scuffs and sometimes a broken edge board. The desk will describe each reel's condition before you commit.
Before you buy a spool
| Use | Flange | What matters most |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee or side table | 30 to 36 in | A flat, uncracked top flange and a height of 16 to 26 in on end |
| Patio or dining table | 36 to 48 in | Overall width near 28 to 30 in, so chairs fit under the top |
| Hose, rope or wire winding | 24 to 42 in | A round arbor hole and a drum that turns true on a shaft |
| Re-spooling cable | 30 to 60 in | Drum diameter and traverse matched to the cable's bend radius and length |
| Displays, venues, farms | 48 to 72 in | Somewhere firm to set it down, and a machine to do it |
- Look at both flanges. Cracks that run across the grain, split rims and loose tie rods are what fail first. Ask for photos of each face.
- Check for nails. Run a hand round the rim and the drum; anything standing proud gets pulled or set before use.
- Ask about treatment before a spool goes indoors, into a garden bed or near food. Some reels are preservative-treated; most are plain lumber.
- Plan the last fifty feet. Under about 36 inches, two people carry it. Up to 48, a ramp and two people. Above that, forks, a loader or a tractor.
- Matched sets come from one job or one maker. Say if the spools must match in size, stencil or colour.
Questions the desk gets
How heavy is a large wooden spool?
Southwire lists its 48-inch A-38 at 212 lb, its 60-inch A-62 at about 397 lb and its 66-inch A-76 at 473 lb, all empty.
Can a large spool be delivered to a farm field?
Yes, if the truck can reach it on firm ground and something at your end can take the weight off, such as a tractor with forks, a loader, or a ramp and several people.
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
- Sonoco, EcoReel Recycling Program: free pickup of truckloads of viable nailed wood and polyfiber reels; reels repaired and returned to wire and cable makers; reels-per-truckload table
- AFL, Wood Reel Recycling Program: nailed wood only, no plywood; flanges at least 1½ in thick and 30 in across; 75% of staves; full truckloads; mainly East Coast and Midwest