Not all copper wire is created equal, but knowing when to use which type of wire and where can potentially save you a ton of time, money, and headaches.
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For the same reason you wouldn’t use a Honda Fit to tow a camper, you likely wouldn’t use THHN wire in a direct burial situation – it simply isn’t a good wire for the job. The same can be said for deciding when to use a solid copper wire versus a stranded version.
At first glance, it might seem like every type of copper cabling does the same job. However, the distinction between stranded and solid wire becomes more important when considering the application.
To make solid copper wire, rods are drawn down using a series of smaller and smaller dies to reach the gauge needed for the application it’s being used for.
As the copper is stretched out, it gets thinner and more brittle. To fix the brittleness and prepare the cable for use, it goes through a process called annealing. During annealing, the wire is heated, making it stronger and more ductile.
After the wire is annealed, it’s ready for use as a bare copper product or can be insulated and used as a telecom, pet fence, or tracer wire.
Stranded or bunched cable is multiple individual strands of smaller gauge wire twisted together to create a larger gauge product.
To make stranded copper, individual wires are drawn and annealed. Once they’re ready, they’re then run through another machine that twists them around a center wire.
Depending on the gauge needed, these strands can be composed of seven or more 30 or 34 AWG (American Wire Gauge) strands. As more strands are added, the resulting wire gains more flexibility.
It also matters how the wires are twisted. For example:
To answer this question, the first thing that needs to be done is to assess the situation.
Is the project going to be one where flexibility is crucial? Is there a threat of corrosion? How long is the run? All of these play a critical role in determining which cable is needed.
Solid copper is stronger than stranded copper. This is because the conductor is thicker and is one solid piece of metal, as opposed to a bunch of smaller cables twisted together.
Solid copper is cheaper for manufacturers to produce because the process is faster and includes fewer steps – it only needs to be drawn, annealed, and insulated (if necessary).
Stranded copper follows the same process, but the wires have to be twisted together to form the finished product. This adds more time and costs to the manufacturing process.
Solid wire is strong and rigid. Those qualities are great for applications that require strength, but not so much for pliability. Stranded wire is much more flexible, making it easier to route and work within tight spaces.
Despite the final gauge being the same, a solid wire will have less surface area than a stranded or bundled one, giving it a higher load capacity and less impedance. Solid wire also has a lower voltage drop over long runs but heats up faster than stranded cable.
Stranded has a higher surface area because it’s made up of several different wires rather than only one conductor. There is a larger voltage drop over long runs, but stranded wire doesn’t heat up as quickly because of air gaps that form as the wire is twisted together, allowing heat to dissipate along the length of it.
A single, solid wire will withstand corrosion better than a stranded one because there are fewer spots for corrosion to occur.
Remember those air gaps mentioned a few sections ago? Those same air gaps that make for a flexible, easy to bend wire also provide many more opportunities for corrosion to eat away at the individual strands. Conductors can also be tinned to impede corrosion.
Solid cable is strong, making it an excellent fit for situations where ruggedness is key. It works well in outdoor situations with approved sunlight-resistant insulation and is good for direct burial applications, including as a tracer wire.
Stranded copper is easier for installers to handle in tight areas and inside buildings because it is more flexible and faster to manually manipulate.
Cutting corners or using the wrong wire may be cheaper or faster at first, but those early mistakes have the potential to become major problems as the years wear on.
Armor-Clad (AC) Cable: AC cable includes THHN-insulated conductors with 16-gauge aluminum bond wire placed inside the armor to act as a grounding conductor.
Automotive Cable: This is a general-purpose thermoplastic (GPT) wire, also referred to as primary wire. Normal applications are within motor vehicles with limited exposure to fluids, physical wear and abuse.
Bayonet Neill-Concelman (BNC) Cable: BNC cables are small, quick-connect/disconnect radio frequency connectors used for coaxial cables.
Category Cable: This is used for systems and data networking systems. Cat 5e is the most common variety of category cable that’s used for computer networking on internet service installations. The conductor pairs are twisted together to prevent cross-talk and interference from other paired conductors in the cable, as well as external interference. The higher the megahertz (MHz) capability, the more twists per foot.
Coaxial Cable: This is a metallic cable that carries television and video signals. It connects to video equipment and features a central conductor with a dielectric insulator, metallic shield and plastic jacket.
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Doorbell Wire: Doorbell wire is used to connect a wired doorbell or video doorbell to a home’s electrical system. 18-gauge wire is the variety most often used.
Dual Armored Cable: This is a durable cable that offers protection without employing electrical conduit, elbows, offsets (which can be expensive) or conduit couplings. For areas where the cable may be exposed to moisture, metal-clad armor prevents corrosion.
Flexible Cord: Typically used for industrial machinery, washing machines and large appliances, portable tools, equipment, and extension or power cords, flexible/power cord has its own naming convention based on a letter code, with a common option being SJEOOW.
Lamp Cord: Used with lamps, small appliances, radios and other similar products that don’t exceed 300 volts, lamp cord is available between 18- and 12-gauge sizes in a variety of colors.
Landscape Lighting Low-Voltage (LV) Cable: This underground cable is suitable for outdoor accent lighting, landscape lighting and security lighting. Applications shouldn’t exceed 150 volts. It’s used for direct burial, is suitable for sunlight and is available between 16- and 8-gauge sizes.
Metal-Clad (MC) Cable: MC cable is used heavily in commercial electrical work, for running through concrete or in other commercial environments. Individual THHN wire conductors are run through an aluminum interlocked armor. It includes a grounding wire.
Mobile Home Feeder: This connects a mobile home to a supply of electricity where permanent wiring is required, and it’s suitable for direct burial and underground service entrance cable. It includes four RHH or RHW-2 conductors, with a white stripe for neutral and a green ground conductor. It’s sunlight-resistant.
Network and Data Cable: This comes in three types — fiber-optic, twisted-pair and coaxial cable — and is used to connect multiple networking devices or computers in a network.
NM-B: This is a non-metallic sheathed cable that’s used as a residential building wire for branch circuits for outlets, lighting and other residential applications. NM-B is available between 14 AWG and 6 AWG with two or three conductors.
Preassembled Whips: These are pre-cut lengths of armored cable designed to increase jobsite productivity. Assembly comes with pre-stripped THHN conductors and pre-installed zinc die-cast, snap-in fittings.
Residential Grounding Wire: This is bare copper wire that’s available in 4-, 6- and 8-gauge solid and stranded construction. It’s used to ground the residential electrical system, usually at the meter before it enters the dwelling. It’s also used for grounding the perimeter surface around pools.
Service Entrance Cable: This includes individual conductors rated XHHW-2 or THHN/THWN and feeds power from a main breaker to a subpanel. It can be exposed to direct sunlight and used in wet or dry locations.
Speaker Wire: Made of copper and designed to transport a low-voltage electrical current, speaker wire has a variety of wiring uses, including doorbells, thermostats, home security sensors, landscape lighting and other low-current systems.
Sprinkler Wire: Multi-conductor sprinkler wire is suitable for direct burial on applications up to 30 volts. It’s used in central controls for underground sprinkler systems and is available in 18-gauge construction with up to 25 conductors.
Submersible Pump Cable: This includes THWN copper conductors that are heat-, moisture-, oil- and gasoline-resistant. It’s suitable for temperatures below 75 degrees Celsius with two or three conductors. It’s used for power and circuits for submersible pump systems.
Thermostat Wire: Used in heating and air conditioning systems, along with bell and alarm systems, thermostat wire is available in 20- or 18-gauge sizes with up to 10 conductors.
Underground (UF-B) Wire: A copper wire used for underground purposes, including direct burial, it comes in a gray jacket and can be used for deck lighting, outdoor water features, landscape lighting and air conditioner compressors.
Underground Residential Distribution (URD) Cable: Used for secondary distribution and underground service applications at 600 volts or less, it’s suitable for direct burial or placement in ducts. It’s acceptable in wet locations in triplex or quadruplex. Conductors are stranded, compressed aluminum. The neutral conductor has a yellow, triple-extruded stripe.
When completing an electrical project, it’s important to have the right tools and safety equipment to get the job done. Check out some of the most common tools for an electricians tool box.
Boxes and Covers: These are used to house outlets and adapters for operating lights, ceiling fans, kitchen appliances, etc.
Circuit Breakers and Fuses: These are two devices for preventing an electrical current from causing damage by overloading or shorting a circuit. Breakers and fuses interrupt the current during an overload or short and are housed in a breaker box or fuse box. Homes built after the s typically use circuit breakers rather than fuses.
Electrical Tape: Used for repairing electrical cords or insulating a wire, electrical tape is typically black. It can be used to identify wires and should be stretched as you apply it for better adherence.
Electrical Testers: Checking a circuit to make sure it isn’t live can be a life-saving decision. An electrical tester will quickly inform you if you’re working with live cables or not.
Outlets and Adapters: When wires are connected to an outlet or adapter, it allows the electrical current to power anything plugged into it, such as a kitchen appliance.
Plugs and Connectors: These are usually run from an appliance or a power cord and are plugged into an outlet on the wall. They allow an appliance to receive power from an outlet.
Wire Connectors: These connect two wires together with a connector: The exposed end of each wire is put into the connector and twisted so that they’re connected. Check out our DIY Basics video: How Do I Connect Two Wires?
Wire/Cable Cutters: This tool is used to cut directly through wire and cable. There are a variety of cutters for different jobs, so check that you’re using the appropriate one, whether you’re cutting through copper wire or a network cable.
Wire Strippers: This device removes the plastic casing to expose the bare wire underneath. Most strippers offer multiple slots for a variety of wire sizes, while some have an adjustment dial to set the correct size. Simply insert a wire into the correct sized slot, twist and pull it through.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of Bare Stranded Conductor. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.