Reel size
30-inch cable reels
A 30-inch reel is still a one-person reel, but it carries real cable: longer runs of building wire, control cable and small feeders. It is also the smallest size where maker return programs start to apply.
The numbers
- Flange thickness
- 1.5 to 2 in
- Height on its flange
- about 17 to 22 in
- Handling
- By hand; roll it, or two people lift it into a pickup bed
- Weight method
- Two flange discs plus the stave shell, at 28 to 40 lb per cubic foot
What it carries
Larger building-wire gauges, multi-conductor control cable, MC and tray cable, and fibre in modest lengths. Board-built nailed reels become the usual build from about this size up.
Who empties them
Electrical contractors on commercial fit-outs, plant maintenance crews, and branches cutting down longer reels. A medium contractor might empty a dozen 30-inch reels on one office floor.
Buyback, return or recycling
A steady seller: sound 30-inch nailed reels go to rewinders and contractors. Some programs start at 30 inches: Service Wire's free return covers its own nailed reels from 30 to 72 inches, and AFL's program through Sonoco EcoReel excludes flanges under 30 inches. So check tags from this size up.
Uses for buyers
Low coffee tables, garden features, bistro tables, workbench bases, and storage for hose, rope or extension leads.
Where they turn up around Chicago
Commercial fit-outs in the Loop and along the I-88 office parks, contractor yards in Cicero and Franklin Park, distributor branches in Wood Dale and Glenview. Many 30-inch reels come from plants' maintenance stores too, where control cable is cut to length.
They are the first size worth standing on edge rather than stacking; stand them in rows, chocked, with the tags facing out.
Checking one
- Read the flange stencil first; this is where returnables start.
- Look for split flange boards near the arbor.
- Press the staves: soft ones mean rot inside.
- Check that drive holes are round, not torn into slots.
Rewinding onto a 30-inch reel
For rewinding, mount the reel on a jack with a bar through the arbor, tie the cable end through a hole in the drum or flange, and wind under light tension, guiding each wrap so layers lie flat. Leave two inches of flange showing above the last layer so the cable is protected when the reel is rolled.
How much cable it holds
Layered capacity at the middle build shown above, with 2 inches of clearance below the flange rim. Real cable packs less neatly; treat these as upper figures and check with the capacity calculator.
| Cable diameter | Length | Layers × turns |
|---|---|---|
| 0.25 in (6 mm) | 8,040 ft (2,450 m) | 24 × 64 |
| 0.35 in (9 mm) | 4,000 ft (1,220 m) | 17 × 45 |
| 0.5 in (13 mm) | 2,010 ft (615 m) | 12 × 32 |
| 0.65 in (17 mm) | 1,120 ft (340 m) | 9 × 24 |
| 0.8 in (20 mm) | 720 ft (220 m) | 7 × 20 |
| 1 in (25 mm) | 500 ft (155 m) | 6 × 16 |
| 1.25 in (32 mm) | 240 ft (75 m) | 4 × 12 |
| 1.5 in (38 mm) | 210 ft (65 m) | 4 × 10 |
| 1.75 in (44 mm) | 140 ft (40 m) | 3 × 9 |
| 2 in (51 mm) | 130 ft (40 m) | 3 × 8 |
In metric
- Flange
- 76 cm
- Traverse
- 36 to 46 cm
- Drum
- 30 to 41 cm
- Empty weight
- about 23 to 50 kg
Questions
Do maker return programs take 30-inch reels?
Some do, for their own reels. Service Wire's program covers its own nailed reels from 30 to 72 inches. Check the reel tag and the maker's terms.
Will a 30-inch reel fit in a car?
In a large hatchback or SUV with the seats down, often. A pickup bed is easier.
Is a 30-inch reel good for storing garden hose?
Yes. Mount it on a pipe through the arbor hole and a 100 or 150-foot hose winds on easily.
What do 30-inch reels weigh in a pickup bed?
Roughly 50 to 110 pounds each empty, so a half-ton pickup carries several with room to spare.
Reel words on this page
- Flange
- The round side discs that hold the cable in. Flange diameter, edge to edge, is the size a reel is known by.
- Drum (barrel)
- The cylinder between the flanges that the cable winds around.
- Traverse
- The inside width between the flanges: how wide a layer of cable can be.
- Arbor hole
- The centre hole a spindle, shaft or payoff bar passes through.
- Lagging / staves
- The boards nailed around the drum, and the protective boards sometimes nailed across the flanges over finished cable.
- One-way reel
- A reel nobody is collecting. Once empty, it belongs to whoever holds it.
Selling or buying 30-inch cable reels?
Pick buy, sell or recycle, the product, the count and your ZIP, and the full request opens with those filled in.
Or write to info@chicagowoodenspools.com with the count, flange sizes and a photo of the stack.