Welding Cable Pricing and Specifications

We’ve been buying and selling welding cable for over 20 years and learning a lot about it along the way. There are two main types of welding cable and many similar types of flexible single conductor power cables.

Welding cable is manufactured as a single conductor wire only and usually comes in black or red. If you need a different color then most manufacturers will make it with a minimum run quantity. The second type of welding cable is much stronger, more flexible and only comes in the color orange.

It’s most commonly used on welders and power supply applications needing a 600 volt single conductor cable. It’s made with flexible 30 awg copper strands making it much more flexible than THHN electrical wire. It also has a rubber EPDM insulation which is more flexible and durable than THHN as well.

This basic welding cable comes in black or red and has a high temperature rating of 105°C. It’s rated for 600 volts and the amps for each gauge size are listed on our website to help you understand which size you need for your particular application. The sizes range from 6 awg to 500 mcm with each larger size carrying more power than the last.

The 6 awg is the smallest carrying about 75 AMPS and weighing 140 pounds per 1000 feet. THHN wire is a single conductor electrical wire and only weighs 98 pounds per 1000 feet which means the PVC insulation is much lighter than the rubber insulation because they both have the same amount of copper in them. The 500 mcm welding cable carries 695 AMPS and weighs 1960 pounds per 1000 feet. The rest of the awg sizes range in between those giving a wide range of power options.

Welding cable costs more than electrical wire because it has the rubber jacket that can withstand higher impact and a higher temperature rating. It also has more flexible copper strands that are more difficult to manufacture. THHN 6 awg has 19 strands which makes it a stiff conductor in order to push it through conduit much easier. Welding cable 6 awg has 259 strands making it more flexible to move around with the welder and coil up easily when you’re finished.

We cut each size of THHN and welding cable by the foot so that you can buy whatever you need for the job you’re doing. We also offer free shipping on orders over $250 and ship from the tax free state of New Hampshire which should each help you save money on each job.

WesBell Electronics Inc
(800) 334-8400

When Should I Buy Copper Electrical Wire?

If you have time wait before buying your copper electrical wire it might be wise to do some research first because you could save a lot of money. The price of copper goes up and down every day just like stocks or real estate which means buying at the right time saves you money.

In October 2011 copper has taken a downward turn for the first time in over a year. Since distributors and manufactures of copper wire seem to increase pricing very quickly as copper rises, consumers expect the same when copper is dropping in price. That seems like the fair way to handle it, but in this money hungry world everyone wants to get there hands on every last dime they can.

You can really start to understand your copper wire distributor during these times because it’s an easy way to find out if they’re being honest or not. We get a lot of phone calls from our website asking for pricing and we’ve heard comments from them saying their current distributor isn’t lowering their pricing at all even though copper has dropped over a $1.00 per pound.

Two things can happen from that scenario depending on the price we give them. The first thing that could happen is we could give them a much lower price and prove to them that their current wire and cable distributor is taking advantage of them. The second thing that could happen is we might give them the same pricing they’re currently getting which means the manufacturers probably haven’t lowered their pricing yet either.

So When Should You Buy Your Copper Electrical Wire?

No one can tell you exactly when to buy copper because it might lower tomorrow and give you a better price. On the other hand copper could go up which might raise your price so when is the right time? The key is to research a little bit more, make more phone calls and figure out who’s honest about their pricing and gives you the best price every time.

If time is an issue then you don’t have much of a choice about how much you’ll pay for the type of wire or cable you need because you’ll probably get similar pricing with each distributor you call. Quantity is also a good way to get distributors and manufacturers to lower their pricing because a bigger order is much more enticing to them.

We can do all of the extras for free here at WesBell. We cut electrical wire to any length you need without minimums, offer free shipping on orders over $250 and ship from the tax free state of New Hampshire saving you money on things besides just the cost of copper wire.

WesBell Electronics Inc
(800) 334-8400

Electrical and Electronic Wire Products Navigation

We decided to change the navigation on our website to better group each type of electrical and electronic wire by keyword for our customers and visitors. We know it will help our customers find what they’re looking for much faster based on how they search for wire and cable.

Before anyone gets to our wire and cable distribution website they must first type a phrase into the search engine. Once the searcher visits our website we can see the phrase that was entered into the search engine, which we then analyze, and alter our website accordingly.

If we get 100 visits based on the term “electrical wire” being typed in then we need to make sure they land on a page with multiple electrical wire items available so that they find what they need as quick as possible. We analyzed each landing page of our website so that we could offer all the products that our visitors are looking for.

We also reworked the side bar product listings because we’ve been adding more products to our website and need to organize it better. Each product is listed based on its keyword rather than our part number to allow our visitors to easily find what they need.

We’ve also added more pictures so that it reassures our customers that they’re buying the correct product online. Sometimes it can be hard to realize you’re buying the right type of electrical wire online because all you can see is the vender part number and about a million different products to choose from.

When you’re on WesBell’s website you’ll find that every page is unique and specific to one item only. You’ll be able to see all of the spcifications, approvals and guage sizes of that type of wire or cable. Please call when you have any questions because we openly give out our phone number instead of hiding it in one of the back pages.

Electrical wire is the biggest product listing on our website including Romex®, UFB, SER, SEU, THHN and MC wire and cable. Each type of electrical wire has similar characteristics and most commonly used in the electrical field carrying current from your electrical panel to all of the lights, outlets and appliances in your home. Bigger awg sizes of electrical wire are used to carry current from the street to your electrical box, which is then distributed throughout your home with smaller types of wire and cable.

Electronic wire and cable includes hook up wire, high temperature wire, multiconductor cables, fire alarm cable, shielded and unshielded cables. Electronic cables are used mostly with indoor electronics such as stereos and appliances. When you take off the back panel of anything electronic you’ll see wires harnesses and cables that need to each have specifications to meet for that application.

Some electronic cables can be basic PVC / PVC cables, some need higher voltage, some need a shield, some need higher temperature and some need to be more flexible than others in order to be approved for that application. These are the types of keywords we like to list our products under because our customers don’t know our part numbers or the manufacturers part numbers. All they know is that they want a “high temperature cable with 3 conductors and a shield” so we list our products accordingly.

Take a walk through our website to see the difference because you’ll find it’s much easier to use than other wire and cable websites that list their products by their own part number. Call us if you have any questions so that we can help make sure you have the best type of wire or cable for your application at the cheapest price possible.

WesBell Electronics Inc
(800) 334-8400

Copper Pricing Is Going Down?!

Over the last few days, near the end of September 2011, copper has been volatile to say the least. It’s been from $4.00/lb down to $3.20/lb and today it’s back up to $3.50/lb. We can’t predict what’s going to happen to copper over the next week, month or year but we can help you understand the pricing as it is today.

When copper goes up it seems like pricing changes very fast so it’s important to check competition to keep everyone honest before buying any type of copper electrical wire. However, when copper is going down it doesn’t seem to adjust as fast because of how far into the process the copper already is.

If copper drops $1.00 per pound in one day I highly doubt manufacturers or distributors are going to immediately start selling all of their wire and cable at a loss. Copper is bought by the manufacture, then spends about 4-5 weeks in manufacuring to be sold to a distributor who stocks and sells it in smaller quantity.

That’s about 6 weeks worth of time for that particular copper wire to change pricing up and down nevermind one day. So now that copper has taken a down turn how long will it take to really adjust to the new pricing? Probably slightly less than the 6 week cycle because the manufacturers want to rid of their current stock before charging lower pricing for what they have.

Buying a stock on the NYSE low and selling high is the same thought process for a distributor who buys copper and sells it over time. They like to buy low and sell high whenever possible but predicting that process is impossible. Offering your customer the lowest price all the time is a great thing to be able to do, but it’s not always that easy.

In the business world, companies like Home Depot get better pricing on plywood than a small contractor because their volume is so much higher. In the wire and cable world the big guys get better tear pricing, however if they buy at $4.00 copper and the small business buys at $3.00 copper then they can compete much easier.

Always check around for the best price when dealing with any commodity because companies buy at different times so you’ll never know who might have the best pricing.

WesBell Electronics Inc
(800) 334-8400

Copper Wire Being Stolen and People Are Actually Dying

People are stealing copper wire like actual dollar bills lying on the ground but they’re starting to get caught more and more. This news show discusses the amount of people stealing copper wire in order to turn it into cash at a local metals scrap yard.

They researched it and found that it’s costing tax payers over $50,000 per year to replace the amount of copper wire that’s being stolen. The problem is that the stolen electrical wire will be scrapped for about 1/5 the replacement cost for the company or person that needs to buy it and install it all over again. So for every $100 stolen it costs %500 to replace.

Copper items currently being stolen include copper roofs, copper wire from businesses, copper wire and piping from local homes, outdoor wiring along the side of buildings and even copper scrap piles businesses hold on to in order to legally scrap for cash themselves.

Even the uneducated folks are attempting to cut into live wires and being electrocuted to death. That creates an even bigger problem for the business because it shorts the connection which means it will cost an arm and a leg to replace the electrical unit and wiring that was damaged in the process plus the installation costs to do so.

This could be the cause of the 2011 economy, because of all the Americans without jobs, or it could simply be money hungry people looking for the quick buck. Either way businesses and police are cracking down on these wire and cable thieves with video surveillence and news castings to display those who were caught in the act.

Hopefully this will make the copper crooks think twice before attempting their next “job”. In the video it says that copper scrap yards are paying up to $1.15/lb for copper scrap but that’s quite low. Copper is currently at $4.00 per pound and scrap yards offer about 75% which gives them roughly $3.00 per pound of copper wire.

We know this as a wire and cable distributor because we actually have scrap yards knocking on our door for the waste that we incur each month. With all the short lengths, scraped insulation and accidents that happen with our wire and cable we end up having a large scrap pile each month.

Maybe it’s the uneducated people taking whatever they can get for it as quick as possible. It seems that once it’s out of their hands and melted down at the scrap yard there isn’t much anyone can do unless there’s a video of them stealing it.

WesBell Electronics Inc
(800) 334-8400

Buying Electrical Wire From WesBell Electronics

Here at WesBell Electronics you can call at any time to speak to our knowledgeable sales staff about the type of electrical wire or cable you’re looking to buy. We’ll help you find the best fit for your application whether it’s indoors, outdoors, in conduit or underground.

Over the years we’ve helped many customers spend as little as possible by finding cheaper alternatives, offering free shipping over $250, shipping from the tax free state of New Hampshire and cutting the exact length you need for the job to minimize waste. We’ll also drop ship, cut multiple lengths and manufacture wire and cable assemblies to specification as an ISO 9001 certified company.

We continue to find new ways to save our customers money which builds trust in the relationship and keeps long lasting customers. In fact, we have a long list of customers that have been buying all of their electrical wire and cable from us since day one about 25 years ago. Those same customers have also gained more business because we work as a team to get new business for the both of us.

We learn something new with every phone call we get. Then we document it, analyze it and figure out how we can help the next customer with that new information. We improve everyday because we enjoy helping our customers get exactly what they want.

We got many phone calls in the past asking for 120′, 125′, 80′, 40′ and many more lengths of wire that most distributors won’t cut because it might give them an odd spool length. After analyzing that we started offering the “per foot price” on almost all of our wire and cable and we’ve had nothing but tremendous feedback since the implementation.

WesBell is also a customer of many large wire and cable manufacturers which helps us learn how to help our customers better. Some vendors treat us like gold, thank us for every order and even follow up to make sure everything went smoothly. Other venders act as if we should do them a favor for letting us buy from them. Needless to say we like to be treated like gold.

If you’re spending money at WesBell for your wire and cable needs then you’ll be treated like any other customer we already have. If you spend more than $250 we’ll ship your wire for free whether you live next door or out in California.

Take a look at us on Ebay to see the amount of positive feedback we have. Give us a call if you need a quote on any type of electrical or electronic wire and cable.

WesBell Electronics Inc
(800) 334-8400

Electrical Wire Questions and Answers

We get a lot of phone calls and emails with questions about many different types of electrical wire and cable. Since some of them are repeated we’re going to put them on our website so that people can find the answer before they need to make a phone call.

What type of electrical cable do I use to run electricity to my barn or garage?

If it’s above ground or in conduit you can use SER (Service Entrance Cable). Talk to an electrician first to check the gauge of the cable you’ll need. The electrician will do a calculation based on the length of the cable, the amount of amps you need and the voltage.

If you want to run the cable directly underground then you need to use UFB cable or Tray cable. UFB cable is an underground feeder that has added protection to be used underground. If you need something bigger than 6 awg then you’ll need to use tray cable which can also be used directly underground. Tray cable gets as big as 750 mcm with 4 conductors plus a ground wire.

Can I use Romex wire if it’s only going to be outdoors for 10 feet?

No matter how long I work for a wire and cable company I know this question will continue to come up. Romex can NOT be used outdoors because the jacket insulation isn’t manufactured with enough protection to resist any moisture, gas, oil or solvents. Anything that penetrates the jacket could hit the bare copper ground wire and short the connection.

Can I use THHN as dog fence wire?

Only if you keep the wire above ground. Usually dog fence wire is buried in the ground so you’ll need a wire that has enough protection to be used directly underground. THHN wire is used indoors, outdoors and in conduit only. The manufacturer states that THHN can not be used underground so that’s the message we pass along.

What type of wire do I use if I need high temperature?

Standard PVC hook up wire is rated for 105C with a few different voltage ratings available. If you need higher temperature then you should use teflon wire which is rated up to 200C. It’s silver plated copper with a PTFE insulation and it’s getting more expensive by the minute. Copper is rising, silver is rising and PTFE compound is also rising to give teflon wire 3 possible inceases each day.

Please email or call us with any questions you might have about electrical wire and cable.

WesBell Electronics Inc
(800) 334-8400

Tray Cable – Underground Multi-Conductor Electrical Wire

Tray cable has become a very big seller over the past year for WesBell Electronics. We started selling all types of electrical wire over 5 years ago to compliment our already booming electronic line. Tray cable has been a very easy sell for many reasons in the electrical industry.

Our type TC-ER tray cable is manufactured with THHN wire conductors and a PVC water tight jacket which makes it available for direct burial in the ground. It’s round with a black jacket and all black conductors that are numbered for easy installation. It ranges in awg sizes from 18 to 750 mcm with up to 4 conductors and a ground wire.

The reason it’s such an easy sell is that it has all the bells and whistles with out the outragous pricing. Copper still weighs heavily on the price because it’s so high right now but other cables manufctured for the same undergound use have a higher expense.

Type MC cable is slightly cheaper because it can only be used in conduit. If you want an MC cable that can be direct buried you’ll need the additional PVC jacket over the metal clad armour. That makes for a very expensive cable but it can also be used in concrete which tray cable cannot.

Many of our customers call and want to use Romex® for their application. Then they say it’s only going outside for a few feet so it should be fine for this situation. Well that’s not true. Romex® doesn’t have the protection that UFB cable and tray cable have because it’s only made to be used for indoor applications. That’s why it’s cheaper and that’s probably why they want to is it over the more expensive cable, but getting tray cable first is better than replacing the Romex® later.

WesBell Electronics Inc
(800) 334-8400

WesBell Electronics – Electrical Wire and Cable Products

WesBell Electronics has been in business for over 20 years servicing electrical contractors, OEM’s and many other companies using wire and cable products.

Our products list starts with electrical wire and cable including THHN wire, Romex, UFB Cable, Tray Cable and many types of copper and aluminum MC cables. Each of these electrical wire products have their own specifications to be used in certain environments and we, at WesBell, can help you figure out which is best for your application.

Next is hook up wire and PVC electronic cables for appliances and small electronics. These include different voltage levels, temperature ratings and strand counts for flexibility. Of course the pricing will be different for each depending on the difficulty to manufacture.

About 2 years ago WesBell became ISO 9001 complient to be sure we follow strict procedures to best satisfy our customers. We cut and strip hook up wire and manufacture cable assemblies to specification.

Power cable is usually known as portable cord or rubber cables. SOOW cable, Type W and welding cable are all examples of rubber cables with high flexibility. These power cables use very fine copper strands to increase the flexibility and soften the cable. The rubber jacket has more protection than PVC and also helps with the flexibility.

Heat shrink tubing has become another big item here at WesBell Electronics because it goes hand in hand with many electronics projects. The heat shrink tubing is used to cover connections that could get in contact with the wrong things. So a piece of shrink tubing is placed over the connection and shrunk down to adhere to the wire. There is also adhesive shrink tubing available that has an inner lining of glue to make it more permenant.

If you have any questions about electrical or electronic wire and cable please give us a call and we’ll help you with your project.

Toll Free – (800) 334-8400

Why Romex© Can’t be Used Outdoors

Romex© is a type or electrical wire used indoors only for a few reasons. We get this question a lot since it has THHN THWN wires inside it that are allowed to be used outdoors.

Yes, THHN THWN wire can be used outdoors but not directly underground. Romex©, however has a bare copper ground wire inside the cable that is NOT fully protected by the PVC jacket covering all of the conductors. So when Romex© wire is used outdoors and gets wet with water, gas, oil or any type of solvent it could penetrate the jacket and ruin the connection by getting in contact with the bare copper ground wire.

What should you use instead?

MC cable can be used indoors and outdoors because the ground wire is an insulated THHN THWN wire as well. The common use for MC cable is indoors because it can be used without conduit for a much easier installation. However, even if the metal clad jacket doesn’t fully protect the THHN THWN wires they already have the approvals alone to withstand outdoor environments. Copper and Aluminum MC cable can also be used in conduit.

Why not just run THHN THWN wires individually?

You can. Depending on the current copper prices we’ll sometimes push our customers in that direction because the cost of all 4 electrical wires are cheaper than the cable. However, sometimes the cable is cheaper as well. There’s also the added labor involved in pushing each individual wire through conduit or tying all four together to push them through as a group.

We have a highly trained staff here at WesBell Electronics and are here to help you. We’ll give you the cheaper option before you ask and help you find the correct cable by the installation it’s going in. If you have questions please ask and we’ll gladly help you through the process and explain what we’re saying to help you understand.

Toll Free – (800) 334-8400