What makes a reel VFD cable
VFD means variable frequency drive. This cable carries power between a drive and an AC motor. Its insulation, metallic shield and grounding construction are designed for the drive's switching output. Common applications include pumps, fans, compressors and conveyors. A black jacket or three conductors alone does not identify it.
We buy shielded VFD cable, new, leftover or used. A product number helps us identify the construction. XLPE means cross-linked polyethylene insulation. The following constructions appear in manufacturer specifications, but they are not interchangeable just because each is sold for motor drives.
| Construction or marking | What it tells you | What to record for an offer |
|---|---|---|
| Foil-and-braid shield, XLPE insulation, TPE jacket | One flexible design uses tinned copper phases, three symmetrical grounds and shielding beneath a thermoplastic elastomer jacket | Phase size, ground sizes, strand class and exact part number |
| Copper-tape shield, XLPE insulation, PVC jacket | A tray-rated design uses bare copper phases and three grounds arranged around them | Tape-shield construction, conductor count and marked voltage |
| Dual copper-tape shield with segmented grounds | Some larger flexible designs use tinned copper phases and three bare copper grounds whose combined area forms the stated ground size | Individual ground sizes as well as the phase-conductor size |
| TC or TC-ER | Power and control tray-cable listing; ER identifies exposed-run suitability under applicable installation rules | Complete listing and voltage together, not the letters alone |
| Flexible Motor Supply Cable or WTTC | Additional listings can appear on a VFD product with application-specific ratings | Each listing with its own voltage and temperature marking |
UL 1277 covers power and control tray cable. UL 2277 covers flexible motor supply cable and wind turbine tray cable. Neither a lone UL mark nor a tray listing proves the complete VFD construction. Keep other surplus wire and cable types separate when making your inventory.
Sizes, conductor metals and voltage ratings
We buy surplus VFD cable with bare or tinned copper conductors. Tinned copper may look silver at an exposed end, so use the tag or specification rather than color alone. Record the power conductors separately from the smaller ground conductors.
VFD product families include 14, 12 and 10 AWG, larger AWG sizes, 1/0 through 4/0, and 250, 350 and 500 kcmil. For mixed lots, group 14, 12 and 10 AWG cable, 8 AWG through 1 AWG sizes, and 250 to 500 kcmil cable by the phase size. The cable's outside diameter is not its conductor size.
Send 600 V, 1000 V and 2000 V VFD products for review with their complete markings. A cable can carry different voltage ratings under different listings. Do not describe a 600 V tray listing as 1000 V simply because its motor-supply listing carries that rating. Common specifications show 90°C wet and dry ratings, but report what your cable actually says.
We also buy aluminum surplus wire in our wider range. If your lot has aluminum phase conductors, send its exact product documentation so we can identify it. An aluminum foil shield over copper phases does not make it aluminum-conductor cable.
Read the jacket print and reel tag together
Photograph enough of the jacket to capture a complete repeated print line. Typical fields include the manufacturer, product family or part number, conductor size, conductor count, type letters, voltage and temperature ratings. Look for the UL listing mark or file number, sunlight or oil-resistance markings, sequential footage marks and any date or production code. Field order varies; not every cable prints every field.
The tag may provide the conductor metal, shield description, original reel length, reel number and manufacturing lot. Match its part number to the manufacturer's specification. A marking such as 3/C identifies three listed conductors, but grounds may be described separately. Do not assume the ground wires are the same size as the phases.
Original tag footage is not remaining footage after cuts. Record accessible sequential marks and state whether your remaining length is measured or estimated. Keep date codes and lot codes as printed instead of guessing their meaning. Our reel-tag and jacket-print guide explains how to preserve those details in your photos.
Photos that let us identify the motor cable
Use real photos of your material, not catalog pictures. For each different part number, send:
- The whole reel, showing its flanges, winding and packaging.
- A readable reel tag, including the product and reel numbers.
- A close jacket photo showing the complete listing and ratings.
- Accessible footage marks, with a note about cuts already taken.
- An existing exposed end, if available, showing phases, grounds and shielding. Do not open a protected end just for a photo.
- Any jacket cuts, flattened areas, damaged flanges or signs of outdoor exposure.
Give each reel a simple inventory label so its photos match its footage entry. Include the Arizona pickup location with your VFD cable offer request. We confirm who is selling and keep simple paperwork with each purchase. We review the lot and send a written offer; a form submission is not a binding offer.
What helps or hurts a VFD cable offer
Continuous footage affects the offer, along with the length of each separate piece. We buy full reels, partial reels and cut lengths. Matching full reels, readable product numbers and clear remaining lengths help us assess the lot. List each piece's footage rather than adding separate lengths into one total.
For VFD cable, the shield and ground arrangement matter alongside gauge. Two reels with identical phase sizes may have different shielding, flexibility or ratings. Keep part numbers separate, including any version with an additional signal pair. List that pair separately from the power conductors.
Sun exposure, water, unreadable markings, jacket damage and broken reel flanges affect the offer. Disclose storage history, including outdoor storage in Arizona heat and sun. Do not treat a sunlight-resistant marking as proof that a weathered reel is undamaged. Send clear photos of the condition so we can review your cable and make an offer.
Arizona cooling and plant projects that leave unused reels
For data-center cable sellers, motor-cable leftovers can arise when cooling equipment layouts change or a planned run uses less cable than ordered. Southland describes chilled-water systems and computer room air handling units at Vantage AZ1 in Goodyear, with completion scheduled for 2028.
Chandler's semiconductor construction is another relevant setting. Intel describes two new factories and modernization of an existing fab at its Ocotillo campus. Pump, fan and compressor work in industrial facilities can leave unused motor-cable reels after routing changes, phased installations or equipment substitutions. Keep the associated purchase order or closeout records when selling plant and facility surplus cable.
These projects illustrate potential sources of unused cable, not confirmed surplus lots or customer relationships.
Mistakes to avoid before selling
Do not relabel ordinary tray cable as VFD cable without the matching product specification. Likewise, shielded control and instrumentation cable is not motor-power cable merely because it has a shield.
Do not cut back a jacket to expose shielding for identification if the reel already has readable documentation. Leave usable lengths intact. Avoid tight re-coiling to make a large cable easier to move; follow the manufacturer's bend-radius requirements.
Finally, share the name of the person authorized to release company-owned reels. We keep simple paperwork, such as an invoice, purchase order, job closeout paperwork or company letter. This helps us confirm who is selling and record the purchase.