Reel size
72-inch cable reels
A 72-inch reel stands taller than most people. It carries utility primary, medium-voltage feeder and long fibre trunk, and it is the upper limit of several maker return programs.
The numbers
- Flange thickness
- 3 to 3.5 in
- Height on its flange
- about 38 to 49 in
- Handling
- Heavy forklift; secure it against rolling at all times
- Weight method
- Two flange discs plus the stave shell, at 28 to 40 lb per cubic foot
What it carries
Utility primary and medium-voltage cable, very large feeders, and fibre trunk in long lengths. Builds are thick nailed wood, bolted wood with steel plates, or steel.
Who empties them
Utility and substation contractors, data-centre campuses, and large plants. They usually come in small numbers per site, but each one takes a lot of space.
Buyback, return or recycling
Returnables are the norm from utility work. Service Wire's program covers its own nailed reels up to 72 inches; Corning's program lists about 12 of its own 72-inch wooden reels to a truck; CommScope lists roughly 20 to 22 of its own 72-inch reels per 53-foot truck. One-way 72-inch reels are bought when a buyer is lined up.
Uses for buyers
Large tables for eight or more, stage and event sets, farm uses, and storage for heavy cable.
Where they turn up around Chicago
Utility primary jobs, substation builds, data-centre campuses and large plant upgrades. In Northwest Indiana, heavy industry adds rope and power reels at this size. Most 72-inch reels in a Chicagoland yard are someone's returnable.
Before a pickup, confirm who owns each one; a mistaken load is hard to undo.
Checking one
- Read both flanges and any steel plates for a maker's mark.
- Check flange thickness: under 1½ inches on a reel this size suggests a light build.
- Look for fork gouges and split boards.
- Check that the reel is chocked; at this size, rolling is a real hazard.
Transport
On a flatbed, 72-inch reels stand on edge, blocked front and back and strapped through the arbor or over the drum, never over the flange rim where straps can slip. Height matters too: a reel this size on a flatbed deck approaches bridge-clearance limits on some routes.
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) | 126,120 ft (38,440 m) | 62 × 148 |
| 0.35 in (9 mm) | 63,380 ft (19,320 m) | 44 × 105 |
| 0.5 in (13 mm) | 31,530 ft (9,610 m) | 31 × 74 |
| 0.65 in (17 mm) | 17,520 ft (5,340 m) | 23 × 56 |
| 0.8 in (20 mm) | 11,940 ft (3,640 m) | 19 × 46 |
| 1 in (25 mm) | 7,560 ft (2,305 m) | 15 × 37 |
| 1.25 in (32 mm) | 4,740 ft (1,445 m) | 12 × 29 |
| 1.5 in (38 mm) | 3,270 ft (995 m) | 10 × 24 |
| 1.75 in (44 mm) | 2,240 ft (685 m) | 8 × 21 |
| 2 in (51 mm) | 1,680 ft (515 m) | 7 × 18 |
In metric
- Flange
- 183 cm
- Traverse
- 81 to 107 cm
- Drum
- 81 to 107 cm
- Empty weight
- about 204 to 408 kg
Questions
How many 72-inch reels fit on a truck?
Few. Published maker programs list roughly 12 to 22 of their own 72-inch reels per truckload, depending on build.
How heavy is a 72-inch wooden reel?
Roughly 450 to 900 pounds empty for common nailed builds, by our estimate from the wood volume.
Do you buy one-way 72-inch reels?
Yes, when sound and with a buyer or reuse route lined up. Most 72-inch reels in yards are returnable.
How do you move a 72-inch reel safely?
With forks rated for the weight, tines under both flanges, and the reel blocked so it can't roll as it is lifted.
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.
- Traverse
- The inside width between the flanges: how wide a layer of cable can be.
- Drive hole
- A smaller hole off-centre in the flange that a drive pin uses to turn the reel.
- Payoff
- The stand or trailer a reel turns on while cable is pulled off it.
- Returnable reel
- A reel its maker expects back, usually stencilled or tagged to say so.
- Reel tag
- The label or plate carrying the maker, the reel number and sometimes the return terms.
Selling or buying 72-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.