Guides · size
The parts of a cable reel
Checked 9 November 2026 — A cable reel has two flanges (the round ends), a drum (the barrel the cable winds on) held between them, and an arbor hole through the centre for a shaft. On a wooden reel the drum is a ring of staves, the flanges are boards or plywood, and smaller drive holes beside the arbor take a stand's drive pin.
From the reel desk · Checked 9 November 2026
The parts, outside in
Flange. The round end of the reel. On a nailed reel it is two plies of boards nailed at 90 degrees; on a plywood reel, a sheet; on a steel reel, welded plate or a frame. Its diameter is the reel's size. AFL's rules want flanges at least 1½ inches thick.
Rim. The outer edge of the flange. On large steel reels it may carry a tire of I-beam or flat bar, which the Aluminum Association code RMT records.
Lagging. Boards fixed across the rims of both flanges to cover and protect the cable in transit. NEMA's WC26 package type IV, which Southwire cites, is the lagged one. Lagging comes off before the cable is pulled.
Traverse. The inside width between the flanges, where the cable winds.
Drum, or barrel. The cylinder the cable winds onto. On nailed reels it is built of shaped wooden staves around the flange centres; on Southwire's small G-series spools, a fibreboard tube.
Staves. The boards that make the drum. Missing or cracked staves weaken the reel; the programs we read draw the line at about 75 percent intact.
Arbor hole. The centre hole through both flanges for a shaft or arbor. Southwire's wooden reels use 3⅛ inches; its steel reels 3 to 7⅝ inches. On heavier wooden reels a steel hub is pressed into the hole.
Drive holes. Smaller holes beside the arbor hole. A powered reel stand or payoff puts a pin through one to turn the reel. AFL and Service Wire both reject reels with torn drive holes.
Bolts or tie rods. On many reels, bolts run through the drum from flange to flange to hold the reel together.
Markings
- Stencil: the maker's name, often the reel's series and number. Southwire stencils its name on its reels.
- Tag: stapled near the arbor; lists product, footage, weights and date.
- Arrow: painted on the flange, showing the direction to roll the reel.
- Codes and serial plates on metal reels: RM, RMT, NR.
- Paint colour: Service Wire paints its refurbished reels green.
Why the words matter
A request that says "48-inch nailed, two flange boards broken through one ply, staves all there, arbor hole round" tells the desk exactly what it is collecting. The same words appear in every take-back program's rules.
Reading the numbers
- Flange
- The diameter of the round end, edge to edge. The size a reel is known by.
- Traverse
- The inside width between the flanges, where cable winds. It sets how tall the reel stands on end.
- Drum
- The diameter of the barrel the cable winds onto. Stiff power cable needs a big drum.
- Arbor hole
- The centre hole for a shaft. 3⅛ in on most wooden reels; 5¼ in and up on heavy steel ones.
- Weight
- Empty, or tare, weight in pounds as the maker publishes it. A tag on the reel gives the same figure.
- Series letter
- Southwire codes the build: A and C nailed, N plywood or nailed, E and G plywood, S steel.
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
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
- 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
- Service Wire, Reel Return: Service Wire labelled nailed wood reels with 30 to 72 in flanges, full truckloads only