Thermoset building wire · Georgia
We buy XHHW and XHHW-2 wire in Georgia
Cross-linked polyethylene insulation on a copper or aluminum conductor, rated for wet locations at 90°C. It arrives as feeder stock, rooftop and gutter wire, and obsolete warehouse inventory reviewed on size and insulation.
- XLPE thermoset insulation
- Wet and dry locations
- Copper or aluminum
01Overview
Why XHHW is its own review
XHHW is the cross-linked polyethylene member of the building wire family: a thermoset insulation rather than a thermoplastic one, thicker than a nylon-jacketed wall and rated 90°C in both wet and dry locations. Because it takes moisture and heat at the same time, it is the wire specified for feeders in wet areas, for rooftop conduit, for underground runs in raceway and for a good deal of industrial work.
That specification is also what makes a leftover reel worth a conversation. A contractor holding four part reels of 4/0 XHHW-2 in aluminum has feeder stock, not scrap, and the difference between the two is whether anyone can identify it. The insulation surface carries the answer: type, size, temperature rating, voltage class and the manufacturer, printed in a repeating legend.
02Specification
What identifies an XHHW reel
- Types
- XHHW and XHHW-2, single conductor; often dual-marked RHH, RHW-2 or USE-2
- Insulation
- Cross-linked polyethylene, thermoset, applied over the conductor
- Temperature
- 90°C dry and wet for XHHW-2; the earlier XHHW is 75°C wet
- Voltage
- 600 V standard; 2,000 V and 5,000 V versions for industrial work
- Sizes
- 14 AWG through 1,000 kcmil, with 1/0 and larger stranded
- Conductor
- Soft-drawn copper, or AA-8000 series aluminum on feeder sizes
- Reels
- 500, 1,000 and 2,500 ft spools; 10,000 ft and larger on feeder sizes
- Marking
- Surface print; sunlight-resistant and direct-burial suffixes where rated
The suffix on the print is the part sellers miss. XHHW-2 without a sunlight-resistant marking is not the same product as XHHW-2 with one, and the two are reviewed differently when the reel has stood outdoors.
03Stock we review in this family
Stock we review in this family
XHHW-2 feeder in copper
Sizes from 1/0 up to 1,000 kcmil, usually on 1,000 ft spools or larger. The high-value case in this family, and the one where a surviving reel tag does the most work, because footage on a 1,000 kcmil spool is hard to estimate by eye.
XHHW-2 feeder in aluminum
AA-8000 series aluminum, common on service and feeder work where weight and cost drive the design. Reviewed on conductor metal first and insulation second, since the two metals carry very different outcomes on the same reel.
Dual-marked RHH, RHW-2 and USE-2
One construction printed with several ratings so it can serve in conduit, in a cable tray or direct buried. A dual print widens where the wire can go back into service and is worth pointing out when the legend is photographed.
Small sizes and control-gauge stock
14 through 10 AWG in many colours, often left over from industrial panel work. Reviewed as a group by size and colour, and best presented as a written list rather than a photograph of a shelf.
04Evaluation
How an XHHW lot is reviewed
Insulation condition leads here, ahead of footage. Cross-linked polyethylene is tough, but it is not indestructible: a reel that has been dragged across gravel shows gouges that go deeper than they look, and a spool stored on its flange in standing water can wick moisture along the conductor strands from an open end. Both are visible at the cut end and at the outer wrap.
The second question is whether the reel is feeder stock or remnant stock. A full 10,000 ft spool of 500 kcmil is a different conversation from six 40 ft tails, and mixing them in one description slows the review without improving the result. List the large spools separately and let the tails travel with them.
Aluminum changes the calculation. An aluminum XHHW reel is reviewed on metal and termination condition, because oxide on the strands and a chewed end are real deductions, while a copper reel of the same size is judged mostly on insulation and length. Say which metal you have before anything else.
Cross-linked polyethylene hides strand damage well. A conductor that has been nicked by a knife or a fish tape can carry current and still fail later at the nick, so a reel with cut or stripped ends is not treated as new stock even when the insulation looks untouched.
05Seller terms
Before you sell: how it works
Four things a seller should be able to pin down before a truck is booked.
Verification
Footage is checked against the reel tag, the sequential marks on the jacket, the wrap count against the barrel, or a published weight per 1,000 ft — whichever the reel actually supports.
Payment
Payment method and timing are agreed in writing for the specific lot before anything is loaded or moved. No verbal number is treated as an agreement.
Paperwork
A bill of sale for the lot, and for utility material the owning utility’s release reference. Neither is optional and neither is created after the fact.
Freight
Collection is arranged as part of the terms. Say what can lift the reels and whether a 53-foot trailer can reach them, and the pickup is planned around that.
Sending a reel list and photographs costs nothing. A review is not a purchase, and nothing is bought, moved or scheduled until written lot terms are agreed for that material. Request a pickup when the lot is ready.
07Questions
XHHW wire questions
How do I tell XHHW from THHN on the reel?
Read the print and look at the wall. XHHW carries a single thicker thermoset wall; THHN has a thin PVC wall with a glossier nylon jacket over it. The legend on the insulation settles it either way.
Do you take XHHW that has been in service?
Yes, when it has been removed and is no longer connected to anything. Pulled feeder is reviewed on insulation damage at the bends and on the condition of the cut ends.
Is aluminum XHHW accepted?
Yes. It is reviewed on its own terms, on the alloy marking and on the condition of the strands at the ends. Copper and aluminum reels of the same size are not interchangeable lots.
What if the reel tag is gone?
The surface print still identifies type and size, and a wrap count against the barrel diameter gives a working footage. A reel with neither print nor tag is reviewed on measurement instead.
Send the legend and the spool size
Type, size, metal and the number of spools are the four facts that start a review. Photograph the print where it is clearest, usually a few feet in from the outer wrap.