Reels by type and size
Reels by type and size
Wooden cable reels in this region come in four builds (nailed wood, plywood, steel and plastic) and in flange sizes from about 23 to 96 inches. The build decides who owns a reel and whether a maker will take it back; the size decides what it weighs, what it carried and what it can do next.
From the reel desk · Checked 9 November 2026
The four builds
Nailed wood reels have flanges of two plies of boards nailed at right angles, and a drum made of a ring of wooden staves. They are the heaviest and strongest wooden reels, and the only kind most take-back programs accept. Southwire's A and C series are nailed; so are most of its N series above 30 inches.
Plywood reels have flanges cut from plywood sheet. Southwire's E and G series, used for building wire, are plywood, and its G-series spools have fibreboard tube drums. Plywood reels are lighter and smaller, and no maker program we have read takes them back.
Steel reels are welded, from 60 inches up in Southwire's catalogue, with toroidal steel reels of 60 to 96 inches built with I-beam or flat-bar tires. They are almost always returnable, with a charge on the invoice credited when the reel goes back.
Plastic and polyfiber reels are moulded and mostly small. Sonoco EcoReel names polyfiber reels among those it collects.
Returnable or one-way
The second question about any reel is who owns it after the cable is gone. Southwire's wooden reels are listed as non-returnable with no deposit. Its steel reels carry a charge credited if returned within 12 months. Aluminum Association codes stencilled on metal reels say which is which: RM and RMT for returnable metal, NR for non-returnable.
Sizes
Flange size is what a reel is known by, and the flange-size pages give the published dimensions at each step from 24 to 96 inches. A few rules of thumb:
- Under 30 inches: below every take-back minimum; light enough to carry; mostly building wire.
- 30 to 48 inches: the middle of the market, for tables and working reels; two people to lift from about 40 inches.
- 48 to 72 inches: utility and campus reels; a machine to lift; the top of Service Wire's range at 72.
- Over 72 inches: mostly steel and returnable in the tables we have read.
Series letters and numbers
Southwire stencils a series letter and a number on its reels. The letter is the build and use (A, C, N, E, G, S). The number is the capacity in thousands of cubic inches: an A-99 holds 99,000 cubic inches. A reel's number tells the desk its size without a tape measure.
The pages in this section
The sizes hub opens the set of flange-size pages. The five type pages cover each build, and the returnable page covers reading tags and stencils.
Flange sizes
Cable reel sizes
Cable reel sizes by flange diameter, with traverse, drum and what each size usually carries and suits once empty. Measured in inches.
Nailed wood reels
Nailed wood reels
Nailed wood reels: solid lumber flanges, the reel take-back programs accept, and the one most worth selling or reusing when sound.
Plywood reels
Plywood cable reels
Plywood cable reels are common on fiber and refused by most take-back programs. How to spot one and where it can go instead.
Steel reels
Steel cable reels
Steel cable reels usually stay the cable maker's property under a returnable policy. How to recognise one and who to send it back to.
Plastic reels
Plastic cable reels
Plastic and polyfiber reels and small plastic spools: where they come from, which programs collect them and what the desk takes.
Returnable reels
Returnable cable reels
Returnable reels belong to the maker and carry its tag. How to read the tag, what the policy usually says, and what to do with the rest.
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
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.
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
- 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
- Southwire, Steel Reel Policy: steel reels carry a charge, credited if returned within 12 months of shipment