Cable reel sizes by flange

How a reel size is named

Three numbers, always in the same order. The first is the flange, the diameter of the two end discs. The second is the traverse, the clear width between the flanges where the cable winds. The third is the drum, the diameter of the barrel. A 54x32x26 is a 54-inch flange, 32 inches between flanges and a 26-inch drum. That convention is set by NEMA WC 26 / EEMAC 201, the US and Canadian standard for wire and cable packaging, and it is what Okonite stencils on its reels: flange x inside traverse x drum.

The chart is arranged by flange because flange is the number that sets handling and freight. It decides whether a reel rolls by hand or needs a forklift, how tall it stands on a flatbed and how many fit in a van. But the flange alone does not tell you capacity. Within one flange you will find reels with quite different drums and traverses, and their footage differs accordingly.

The chart at a glance

This table pulls one published example per flange from the cable makers' own reel tables, the NEMA-based footage Anixter prints for a reel at or near that flange, and Sonoco's count per 53-foot van where it lists one. Use it to see how the sizes step up. The individual flange pages go further.

Anixter capacities use its clearances: 1 inch for flanges up to 28 inches, 2 inches for 30 to 48, 3 inches for 54 to 96. Sonoco's column labels are read here as flange x traverse x drum, matching the makers' tables.

Choosing a size, in four checks

1. 01

   Drum first

   The drum has to meet the cable's bend limit. Anixter's table of NEMA multiples gives 10 times the outside diameter for nonshielded cable up to 2,000 volts, 14 for lead sheath and interlocked armor, 16 for wire armored and 20 for fiber, with a 12-inch floor for fiber.

2. 02

   Footage next

   Run the capacity formula on reels with a suitable drum and find the flange and traverse that hold your length with clearance.

3. 03

   Weight

   Check the cable weight against what the reel is rated for. Okonite rates a 36x24x17 for 2,000 pounds of cable and a heavy-build 72x36x36 for 8,000.

4. 04

   Fit and freight

   Out-to-out and arbor hole must suit your stand or trailer. Then the smallest size that passes is usually the cheapest to move.

Why one flange holds many sizes

Cable plants order reels to suit their product, so a single flange comes in several shapes. Okonite's table alone lists 72-inch reels as 72x36x36, 72x36x40, 72x42x36 and 72x48x36, several of them in a lighter and a heavier build. Southwire's 66-inch reels include a 66x28x30. Superior Essex ships fiber on a 72x36x37.5.

For a buyer that is good news: if you need a 72-inch reel, there is a fair chance one of the common variants suits you. For a seller it means we need all three numbers, not just the flange, to place your reels. A lot written up as 20 pcs 72-inch reels could be any of five quite different things.

Small, mid and large: where the trade sits

Below about 30 inches, reels are light and cheap to make, many are plywood, and freight per reel is the main cost unless they move in big numbers. From 30 to 48 inches is the busiest part of the used trade: nailed wood reels that carry building wire feeders, fiber, rope and re-spooled cable, light enough to handle with a pallet jack or small forklift and still around 100 to 200 per van. From 54 to 72 inches, reels carry power cable and wire rope and need a forklift; counts per van drop to a few dozen. At 84 and 96 inches, every reel is a handling job, and the 8 or 9 that fit a van carry most of the price in freight.

Our chart runs from 18 to 96 inches because that covers most of what comes up for sale. Ely Reel builds nailed wood reels from 14 to 120 inches and Sonoco from 14 to 116, so larger and smaller exist; ask if you need one.

What the size line leaves out

Three numbers do not describe a whole reel. Arbor hole diameter decides which shafts fit; Southwire's wooden reels use 3.125 inches and Okonite's common reusable reels 3 inches, while small plywood spools drop to 2 or 1 1/2. Overall width decides which stands and trailers take it. Build decides strength: Okonite's table shows a 54x32x26 at 164 pounds rated for 3,000 pounds of cable and another at 234 pounds rated for 6,500, and its stencils name a class, Class 1 for standard duty and Class 2 for heavy duty.

So when you ask for a size, add anything that matters to your equipment. When you sell, add the arbor size and whether any reels carry steel hubs or plates. Our lot sheets record all of it next to the three numbers.

Sizes we are asked to convert

Some reels arrive from overseas plants marked in millimeters. Divide by 25.4 for inches: a 1,250 mm flange is about 49 inches, a 630 mm drum about 25. Others are written in a different order, or with two numbers instead of three. When in doubt, measure the reel yourself with the method in our measuring guide; it takes a tape and a few minutes.