Seller guide · Published November 2026
How to read a cable reel tag
A reel tag is the only document most surplus cable will ever have. Read correctly, it answers the three questions that decide value: what the cable is, how much of it there is, and whether it can be reused.
What a tag actually is
The tag is the manufacturer's statement of what was wound on that reel when it left the plant. It is not a certificate of condition, and it is not proof that the footage printed on it is still there. A tag saying 5,000 ft means the reel held 5,000 ft when it was new; a partial reel may carry the same tag with 800 ft left on the barrel.
That distinction is the whole game. Buyers pay for remaining length, not printed length. A tag establishes identity; the barrel establishes quantity.
Reading the printed lines
Tags vary by manufacturer, but the same information appears on almost all of them. Work down the tag in this order.
| Line on the tag | What it tells you | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer and plant | Who made it and where | Some constructions are read differently by mill; the plant also dates the reel |
| Trade size | AWG or kcmil, and conductor count | Sets the value band before anything else is considered |
| Stranding | Number and size of strands, e.g. 26/7 | Identifies overhead conductor precisely; 26/7 is not 45/7 |
| Material | Copper, aluminium, alloy, steel core | Copper and aluminium are priced on different bases |
| Insulation and jacket | THHN, XHHW-2, EPR, XLPE, PVC, nylon | Determines voltage class, environment and reusability |
| Voltage rating | 600 V, 5 kV, 15 kV, 25 kV, 35 kV and so on | The single largest driver of value per foot |
| Footage | Length wound at the plant | Compared against the barrel, not taken at face value |
| Reel number and date | Production reference and wind date | Age matters for elastomeric insulation and for warranty traceability |
If the tag is legible, photograph it flat and square before anything else. A readable tag is worth more than a paragraph of description written from memory.
When there is no tag
Tags fall off, fade, or are cut away with the outer wrap. The jacket print usually survives: the legend is printed along the cable itself at regular intervals, and it repeats the size, insulation, voltage rating and often the listing mark. Photograph two separate sections of print so a buyer can see it repeats rather than guessing at a single frame.
If there is no print either — common on old rubber-insulated cable and on conductor that has been re-jacketed — the review falls back to measurement. Diameter, strand count and a cut end photographed against a rule will usually identify the construction. Bare overhead conductor can be matched from stranding alone in most cases.
Establishing how much is left
Sequential footage marks are the reliable method. Most insulated cable is printed with a running foot count, so the mark at the exposed end tells you the length remaining directly. Photograph that mark and the next one visible on the barrel.
Without marks, count wraps across the barrel and multiply by the circumference at that layer, then add the layers. It is approximate, and buyers treat it as such, but an approximation with photographs behind it is far better than a guess with none. Weight is the third method, and only works when the construction is known well enough to look up a published weight per 1,000 ft.
Questions on this guide
The tag says 1,000 ft but the reel is clearly part-used. Which is right?
The barrel is right. Tags are printed for the full wind and are rarely updated when cable is cut off. Send the footage mark at the exposed end if there is one.
Is a missing tag a deal-breaker?
No, but it changes the review. Without a tag the lot is identified from jacket print and measurement, and quantity is estimated rather than documented, which is reflected in how it is valued.
Send the reel list, not the weight ticket
Construction, footage and condition decide a review. Photographs of tags and cut ends answer the rest.