Read the size marking before measuring the cable
Look for AWG, kcmil or MCM on the reel tag and jacket print. These describe conductor size, not the outside diameter of the insulated cable. A thick jacket or shield can make a smaller conductor look larger. Do not identify the gauge from a photo of the cable alone.
AWG means American Wire Gauge. Within the numbered range, a smaller number means a larger conductor. The sequence continues from 1 AWG to 1/0, 2/0, 3/0 and 4/0. Contractors often call these one aught through four aught. Above 4/0, common building-wire sizes use kcmil.
Kcmil means thousands of circular mils, a measure of conductor area. MCM is another notation for the same unit. A tag reading 350 MCM identifies the same size as 350 kcmil. For an AWG-to-kcmil comparison, 4/0 is approximately 211.6 kcmil, smaller than 250 kcmil. It is not 400 kcmil.
Match the size family to your material
Use this table to place the lot in a size group. The uses are identification clues, not instructions for choosing wire for an installation. Actual use depends on the complete cable specification and circuit design.
| Size family | Typical uses or material to check | Detail to record |
|---|---|---|
| 14, 12 and 10 AWG | Branch-circuit building wire, NM-B and MC cable | Single conductor or complete cable, conductor count and color |
| 8 AWG through 1 AWG | Feeders, equipment circuits and grounding conductors | Copper or aluminum, solid or stranded, insulation type |
| 1/0 through 4/0 AWG | Larger feeders, service entrance and flexible power cable | Exact aught size and each conductor size in an assembly |
| 250 through 500 kcmil | Commercial and industrial feeder reels | Listing, metal, footage per reel and matching colors |
| 600 through 1000 kcmil | Large feeder and power-distribution cable | Continuous length, voltage marking and complete reel tag |
For branch-circuit leftovers, use the 14, 12 and 10 AWG guide. Equipment-feed lots marked 6 AWG or 2 AWG belong with 8 AWG through 1 AWG material, not the aught sizes.
Keep 1/0 through 4/0 reels separate from numbered AWG in your inventory. Tags reading 250, 350 or 500 MCM fit the 250 through 500 kcmil group. For 600, 750 or 1000 markings, see the large kcmil reel guide.
Compare bare-conductor weight, not total reel weight
These representative weights are pounds per 1,000 feet of one bare conductor. Copper figures come from Southwire's bare-copper table. Aluminum figures come from Priority Wire's stranded 1350-alloy AAC table. They are approximate product examples, not exact weights for every construction at that gauge.
| Size | Copper, lb per 1,000 ft | Aluminum, lb per 1,000 ft |
|---|---|---|
| 14 AWG | 12 | Not listed in the cited AAC table |
| 12 AWG | 20 | Not listed in the cited AAC table |
| 10 AWG | 32 | Not listed in the cited AAC table |
| 6 AWG | 81 | 24.6 |
| 4 AWG | 128 | 39.2 |
| 2 AWG | 204 | 62.3 |
| 1/0 AWG | 326 | 99.1 |
| 2/0 AWG | 410 | 124.9 |
| 4/0 AWG | 653 | 198.6 |
| 250 kcmil | 771 | 234.7 |
| 350 kcmil | 1,080 | 328.6 |
| 500 kcmil | 1,544 | 469.4 |
| 750 kcmil | 2,316 | 704.5 |
| 1000 kcmil | 3,088 | 938.7 |
The omitted aluminum weights reflect the source table, not a buying restriction. AAC is an overhead-conductor product; its weight is a reference, not a specification for aluminum building wire.
Do not use these figures as gross pickup weights. Insulation, shields, armor and packaging are excluded. Stranding and alloy can also affect weight. The wire weight chart explains how to separate conductor weight from complete cable and reel weight.
Which sizes make useful resale lots?
There is no fixed ranking of wire sizes by offer. Full reels are generally more useful than short cut lengths because they preserve continuous footage for another installation. A large conductor does not overcome missing identification or unusable length.
For 14, 12 and 10 AWG, keep boxed coils intact and separate single-conductor reels by gauge, type and color. For 8 AWG through 4/0, list how many reels share the same specification and the footage remaining on each. Matching reels are easier to describe than a combined footage total.
For 250 through 1000 kcmil, continuous length deserves particular attention. One long piece and several disconnected pieces of the same combined footage are different lots. Never combine them into one reel entry. A partial reel can qualify if the remaining material is unused and long enough to install.
Readable tags, intact insulation and protected ends help us review the lot. Jacket damage, water exposure, damaged reel flanges and uncertain footage can lower an offer. Current demand for that specific product also matters; a gauge-only description leaves too much unanswered.
Size is only one part of the specification
Copy the full marking, including manufacturer, conductor metal, wire type and voltage rating. Keep CU and AL entries separate. Copper and aluminum at the same AWG or kcmil size are not interchangeable specifications.
Record solid, stranded, compact or fine-stranded construction if the tag states it. Do not rename flexible welding cable as building wire just because both pieces say 2/0. For product identification beyond gauge, use the wire and cable families we buy.
On NM-B cable, 14/3 describes three insulated 14 AWG conductors; the ground is separately identified. Keep the conductor count and ground size in the lot description. Service entrance and other assemblies may contain different conductor sizes, so photograph the entire size string instead of reporting only its largest number.
Arizona closeouts can contain very different size groups
A residential lot may have branch-circuit coils alongside larger feeder cable. A commercial closeout may contain several colors and sizes for separate pulls. Keep those groups distinct even if everything came from one Arizona job.
Solar and battery work also spans different cable families. SRP's October 2024 announcement describes the Eleven Mile Solar System near Coolidge in Pinal County, combining solar generation with battery storage. That is project context, not evidence of surplus available from the project. If your solar closeout includes smaller PV wire and larger feeder reels, identify each by its actual marking rather than calling the entire lot solar cable.
Include any known outdoor storage or sun exposure in the inventory notes. Photograph exposed wraps, fading and damaged packaging without trying to repair or conceal them. On medium-voltage cable, show the end seals as well as the size marking. We pick up anywhere in Arizona.
Make a size inventory that matches the photos
Give each reel or coil an identifier, then list its gauge, metal, product type, color, remaining footage and condition. Separate confirmed footage from estimates. An original full-reel label does not prove that amount remains after a pull.
Photograph the reel tag close enough to read, a full section of jacket print and the whole lot. If a label is missing, include the manufacturer part number from purchase paperwork and clear print-line photos. The reel tag and jacket print guide shows which details to capture.
Send that inventory through Get an Offer, with your Arizona location and ownership records. We do not buy wire pulled out of service, burned or damaged material, short chopped pieces, or material you cannot show you own. Preserve usable lengths and original packaging while the lot is reviewed.