What empty cable reels are worth

The four things that set value

Ownership

A reel stencilled "returnable" or tagged with a maker's number belongs to that maker. It has no sale value to you, though returning it may clear a deposit.

Size

Mid sizes, roughly 30 to 60 inches, move fastest because rewinders, contractors and storage yards all use them. Very small and very large reels have fewer buyers.

Condition

Dry wood, flat flanges, a round arbor hole and a full set of staves. Each defect lowers value; two or three end it.

Quantity and access

Twenty reels in one yard with a forklift cost far less to collect per reel than two reels at the back of a garage.

Why some reels cost money

A reel that cannot be reused still has to go somewhere. Breaking it down, separating nails, bolts and steel plates, and sending the wood for recycling takes labour and a truck. For a mixed lot that cost is netted against the good reels, so most sellers still come out ahead. For a lot that is almost all broken, the honest answer is that clearing it costs a little, and you should know that before the truck comes.

What does not change the price

• The brand of cable that came on the reel, unless the maker wants it back.
• Stencils, paint marks or old labels on a one-way reel.
• Whether the reel was used once or several times, as long as it is sound.
• Small amounts of surface weathering that have not reached the wood's strength.

Getting the best figure

1. Store reels on edge, off the ground, under cover if you can. Rot is the main thing that destroys value.
2. Sort out maker returnables first so they do not muddy the count.
3. Pull cable tails, staples and loose nails.
4. Batch them: one pickup of forty reels is worth more per reel than four pickups of ten.
5. Send clear photos of both faces of a typical reel and of the worst one.

Reels with cable still on

A reel carrying cable is a different sale. The cable is the valuable part, and its buyer is a scrap-metal or surplus-cable dealer, not a reel buyer. Strip or sell the cable first, then the empty reel joins the pickup. We do not buy wound reels.

A Chicagoland example

Picture a shop in Franklin Park with thirty nailed 36-inch reels from feeder jobs, six 48s with a maker's steel plate, and four 30s that sat flat behind the dumpster all winter. The six plated 48s go back to their maker. The thirty 36s, stored on edge under a lean-to, are the valuable part of the lot. The four rotted 30s go for recycling on the same truck. One ticket shows all three outcomes.

Questions

Are empty wooden spools worth any money?

Sound one-way spools in common sizes are, yes. Broken spools and returnables are not.

Do you publish a price list?

No. Size, condition, count and access change the number too much, so each lot is quoted from its photos.

Is a reel with a maker's name on it worth less?

Not if it is one-way. A name alone does not make a reel returnable; a return notice or numbered tag does.

Who buys empty cable reels in Chicago?

Reel buyers who run pickups, like us; rewinders and contractors who need reels; and individual buyers through local listings for single spools.

Reel words on this page

One-way reel

A reel nobody is collecting. Once empty, it belongs to whoever holds it.

Returnable reel

A reel its maker expects back, usually stencilled or tagged to say so.

Flange

The round side discs that hold the cable in. Flange diameter, edge to edge, is the size a reel is known by.

Lagging / staves

The boards nailed around the drum, and the protective boards sometimes nailed across the flanges over finished cable.