Reel build
Steel reels
Steel reels carry heavy power cable, utility cable and wire rope. They cost far more than wooden reels to make, so almost all of them belong to a maker, a utility or a reel rental company, and they go back.
How it is built
Steel flanges, often spoked or ribbed, welded or bolted to a steel drum, with a heavy arbor and drive-pin holes. Some are collapsible for return shipping. Southwire, for one, ships cable on both steel and wooden reels.
Who owns them
Almost always somebody other than the contractor. Steel reels carry a maker's or utility's name, a reel number and often a deposit or rental term. Keeping one can cost the contractor money.
What we do with them
We don't buy, sell or recycle steel reels that carry an owner's claim. At a pickup we list them with their numbers so the owner can collect them. Truly abandoned steel reels, with written release, go to scrap-metal recycling.
Big cable, long life
Steel reels earn their cost over many years of trips. They don't rot, they hold their shape under very heavy cable, and their arbors and drive-pin holes are machined to fit heavy payoff equipment. Utilities and big cable makers keep fleets of them, tracked by number.
Some steel reels are collapsible: the flanges unbolt or fold so a return truck can carry many more. Others are fixed and travel back assembled. Both are tracked, and a missing reel is followed up.
For a contractor, the cheapest steel reel is the one returned quickly. Keep the paperwork that came with the cable, note reel numbers on delivery, and call for collection as soon as the cable is pulled.
Paperwork worth keeping
- The delivery ticket showing the reel number beside the cable order.
- Any rental start date printed on the invoice.
- A photo of each reel number on arrival at your site.
- The pickup receipt when the hauler signs for the return.
Spotting one in a yard
Unmistakable: metal flanges, often spoked or with lightening holes, welded or bolted to a steel drum. They are usually painted in a maker's or rental company's colours, with a stencilled reel number and a contact for return. Some fold flat.
What it costs to keep one
Many steel reels are on deposit or rental terms, so the contractor's account is charged until the reel goes back. A steel reel standing in a yard for months can be expensive. Call the number on the reel, or ask the branch that sold the cable, to arrange its return.
Who uses them in Chicagoland
Utility contractors working for ComEd and NIPSCO, heavy industrial plants, and large data-centre and substation projects.
Safety around steel reels
Steel reels are heavy, their flange edges can be sharp, and they roll as readily as wooden ones. Chock them on both sides, keep hands clear of spokes when moving them, and never stand downhill of one. Collapsed reels should be strapped together so parts don't slide.
A rusted steel reel is still the owner's; corrosion doesn't transfer ownership.
Found an old steel reel?
Old steel reels sometimes turn up on farms, behind buildings or in scrapyards, long separated from their owners. If it still carries a name or number, contact that company first; many will collect or release it. If the name is gone and no owner can be found, a scrap-metal yard is the usual destination, and the reel should be weighed and documented there.
- 1. Buyback Sound one-way reels, paid for.
- 2. Maker take-back Returnable reels, routed home.
- 3. Recycling Past reuse, broken down.
- 4. Resupply Checked reels to new owners.
Questions
Can I scrap a steel cable reel?
Only if its owner has released it. Most steel reels belong to a maker, utility or rental company and carry deposits or rental terms.
Do you collect steel reels?
We list them for their owner. We collect steel reels only with written release, for scrap-metal recycling.
How do I find the owner of a steel reel?
Read the stencils and plates for a name, reel number or phone number, or ask the branch that sold the cable. Utilities and rental firms mark their reels clearly.
Are collapsible steel reels different?
They fold for cheaper return shipping, but ownership is the same: they go back to the maker or rental company.
Can a steel reel be bought from you?
No. We don't buy or sell steel reels that carry an owner's claim.
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.
- Drive hole
- A smaller hole off-centre in the flange that a drive pin uses to turn the reel.
- Lagging / staves
- The boards nailed around the drum, and the protective boards sometimes nailed across the flanges over finished cable.
- Nailed vs bolted
- Nailed reels are held together with nails and built for one trip; bolted reels have through-bolts and steel plates for many.
- Returnable reel
- A reel its maker expects back, usually stencilled or tagged to say so.
- One-way reel
- A reel nobody is collecting. Once empty, it belongs to whoever holds it.
- Reel tag
- The label or plate carrying the maker, the reel number and sometimes the return terms.
- Payoff
- The stand or trailer a reel turns on while cable is pulled off it.
Got steel reels to clear?
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.