Reel size
96-inch cable reels
The 96-inch reel is the largest we handle: eight feet across, near a ton empty in heavy builds, and almost always somebody's returnable. When a one-way one turns up, it needs a plan.
The numbers
- Flange thickness
- 3.5 to 4.5 in
- Height on its flange
- about 49 to 63 in
- Handling
- Crane or heavy forklift; special transport
- Weight method
- Two flange discs plus the stave shell, at 28 to 40 lb per cubic foot
What it carries
The heaviest power cable, utility cable and large wire rope. Builds are massive bolted wood or steel, with steel arbor plates.
Who empties them
Utility transmission and substation work, and heavy industry. They appear rarely, one at a time.
Buyback, return or recycling
Nearly always returnable. One-way 96-inch reels are taken case by case, usually for reuse as landscape or display pieces, or broken down for recycling.
Uses for buyers
Landscape and sculpture pieces, very large display sets, and heavy cable storage where the equipment exists to move them.
Where they turn up around Chicago
Transmission and large substation work, and the heaviest industry on the lakefront. A 96-inch reel in a contractor yard almost always belongs to a maker or utility and is waiting for its own truck.
One-way ones are unusual enough that each is handled as its own small project.
Checking one
- Ownership first: steel plates, stencils and tags.
- Structural soundness: bolts, plates and every flange board.
- Route: can a truck and crane reach it on firm ground?
- Destination: is a buyer or a recycling route lined up before it moves?
Very large reels as landscape pieces
The few one-way 96-inch reels that become landscape pieces are usually laid flat on a gravel pad, sealed, and used as a platform or a planter ring. At that size the top flange alone is a substantial deck, and the whole reel needs a crane to place.
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) | 278,870 ft (85,000 m) | 76 × 192 |
| 0.35 in (9 mm) | 141,190 ft (43,035 m) | 54 × 137 |
| 0.5 in (13 mm) | 69,720 ft (21,250 m) | 38 × 96 |
| 0.65 in (17 mm) | 40,380 ft (12,305 m) | 29 × 73 |
| 0.8 in (20 mm) | 26,160 ft (7,975 m) | 23 × 60 |
| 1 in (25 mm) | 17,430 ft (5,315 m) | 19 × 48 |
| 1.25 in (32 mm) | 10,860 ft (3,310 m) | 15 × 38 |
| 1.5 in (38 mm) | 7,240 ft (2,205 m) | 12 × 32 |
| 1.75 in (44 mm) | 5,050 ft (1,540 m) | 10 × 27 |
| 2 in (51 mm) | 4,070 ft (1,240 m) | 9 × 24 |
In metric
- Flange
- 244 cm
- Traverse
- 107 to 137 cm
- Drum
- 122 to 152 cm
- Empty weight
- about 431 to 907 kg
Questions
How heavy is a 96-inch wooden reel?
Roughly 950 to 2,000 pounds empty for wooden builds by our estimate, more if damp or bolted.
Can a 96-inch reel be delivered to a home?
Rarely. It needs a crane or heavy forks and a clear, firm route. Send photos and we say whether it can be done.
How tall is a 96-inch reel standing on edge?
Eight feet: taller than a doorway. On its flange, it stands about four to five feet high.
Can you cut a 96-inch reel down for disposal?
Yes, as part of recycling, once its owner has released it. Steel parts are separated.
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 96-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.