Reels · types
Steel cable reels
Steel cable reels are welded, heavy and almost always returnable: the maker charges for the reel on the invoice and credits it when the reel comes back. In Southwire's catalogue they start at 60 inches and run to 158, weighing from 340 pounds to over two tons, and a steel reel in your yard should go back to its maker, not to the desk.
From the reel desk · Checked 9 November 2026
What they are
Southwire's packaging document lists its S-series steel reels from the 60-inch S-62 (340 pounds) up to reels of 158 inches across weighing more than two tons. It also describes toroidal steel reels of 60 to 96 inches, welded, with I-beam or flat-bar tires around the flange rims. The arbor hole grows with the reel: 3 inches on the S-62 and S-77, 5¼ inches from 84 inches up, and 7⅝ inches on the very largest.
Steel reels carry AAC and ACSR conductor and the heaviest power cable: transmission, substation and large feeder work.
Who owns them
The maker, in almost every case. Southwire's steel reels are listed as returnable with charges required. Its Steel Reel Policy says each reel has a charge, credited only if the reel is returned within 12 months of the initial shipment; after that the credit is forfeited. Normal wear is accepted; exceptional damage is charged.
To return one, the policy asks for notice by email, the website or the app (phone calls are not accepted) giving the consignee, date shipped, reel invoice number and serial numbers. Reels may not be returned without Southwire's consent.
Reading a steel reel
- Stencil: the maker's name.
- Serial number: on a plate or stamped into the flange or rim.
- Aluminum Association code: RM for a returnable metal reel, RMT for one with I-beam tires, NR for non-returnable.
- Reel number: Southwire's S-series number, giving the capacity in thousands of cubic inches.
Where they are in this region
Dominion's transmission projects in Loudoun, Pepco's Capital Grid underground cable in the District, substation work for the data-centre campuses, and large commercial services. Superintendents on those jobs should log every steel reel's serial number when it arrives, not when the job closes.
What the desk does
It does not buy returnable steel reels and will not collect them as scrap. If one turns up in a pickup, the driver leaves it and notes why. Non-returnable steel reels, usually small or very old, can go for scrap metal recycling; ask first.
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
Handling, in short
- Roll only on firm, level ground, pushing from behind the reel, and in the direction of any arrow painted on the flange.
- Chock both flanges every time a reel stands on its rims, front and back.
- Stay uphill. Nobody stands in the path a reel would take if it got away.
- Lift with forks long enough to reach under both flanges, or with a shaft through the arbor hole and a spreader bar so the slings clear the flanges.
- Never drop a reel off a tailgate or a dock edge. A cracked flange turns a reusable reel into scrap.
- Store on rims, on drained gravel or pavement, with walkways between rows. Lay small reels flat only where stacks stay square and low.
- Keep paper with steel. Serial numbers and invoices travel with any returnable reel until its maker has it back.
The details: moving reels, storing reels, readying a pickup.
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
- Southwire, Steel Reel Policy: steel reels carry a charge, credited if returned within 12 months of shipment
- Southwire, Reels: Packaging and Returns: ships on steel and wooden reels; reel return program; Reel Pick-Up Request form