Reels · types
Plastic cable reels
Plastic and polyfiber cable reels are moulded rather than built, mostly small, and used for wire, fibre and specialty cable. Sonoco EcoReel names polyfiber reels among those it collects for refurbishment; other plastic reels have few published return routes, so the desk keeps them apart from wood and sends them to reuse or plastics recycling.
From the reel desk · Checked 9 November 2026
What they are
Plastic reels are moulded in one or a few pieces: flanges with ribs for stiffness, a hollow drum, a centre bore. Polyfiber reels are a composite. Both are lighter than wood at the same size, do not rot, and do not splinter. They are common for building wire sold in smaller put-ups, for fibre and data cable, and for specialty products.
Take-back
Sonoco's EcoReel page is the only program we read that names them: it collects truckloads of "viable" nailed wood and polyfiber reels for repair and return to wire and cable makers. AFL's program is nailed wood only. Service Wire's names nailed wood reels. So a plastic reel's best route back to a maker is a full EcoReel load, which a single yard rarely reaches.
Keep them separate
Plastic reels do not belong in a wood load, for three reasons:
- Recycling streams differ. Wood goes to wood recycling; plastic to plastics recycling, if at all.
- Refurbishers sort them anyway. Mixed loads take longer to check.
- They stack differently. Light plastic reels slide and tip in a load of heavy wooden ones.
Stand them in their own row and count them separately on the request.
Reuse
Sound plastic reels are good for reuse indoors and out: shop reels for extension cords and air hose, garden hose winders, small re-spooling jobs. They do not need sealing and they wash clean. Cracked flanges, split drums and sun-brittled plastic, which turns chalky and snaps, end their use.
Sun and cold
Plastic left outdoors through a few summers becomes brittle; in a cold snap it can crack when dropped. Store plastic reels out of direct sun if they will wait more than a season, and do not throw them off a truck bed.
On the request
Choose "Pick up reels, not sure which" or "Recycle reels", give the count of plastic reels separately, and add a photo. If a plastic reel carries a maker's return label, the desk will tell you where it should go.
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
What to put in a request
- 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.
Sources
Each opened and read on 9 November 2026.
- 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
- Service Wire, Reel Return: Service Wire labelled nailed wood reels with 30 to 72 in flanges, full truckloads only