Electrical Wire and Electronic Cable; What’s the difference If They’re All Bare Copper?

There are many different types of electrical and electronic wire and cable available. They range from single conductor to multi-conductor cable. The amount of conductors that fit in one cable is almost unlimited seeing as there are 300 pair cables available. The single conductor wires are usually made with bare copper, but can also be made with aluminum. The aluminum wires are less of a conductor so you would need a bigger size to get the same thing done.

The single conductor wires are also known as hook up wire. Some have PVC insulation and are rated for only indoor use and some Electrical Wire has a nylon coating over it for weather protection against rain, gas and solvents. There is also a teflon wire used for high temperature applications in the 200 degrees Celsius range. All single conductor wires have different stranding options available because the stranding determines the flexibility. A solid strand of copper will be stiffer which is highly recommended for electrical use when running through conduit. That way it will push through easier and wont bunch up along the way. The higher strand counts have much better flexibility where the wire needs to be wrapped around a few corners or in a circle. Most stranded hook up wires can just about wrap around your finger.

First of all, I want to explain the difference between multi-conductor and multi-paired cables. A 5 conductor cable is made up of 5 wires with and over all jacket. A 5 pair cable is made up of 5 twisted pairs, which is actually 10 wires broken up into pairs and twisted together. The main use for that is when an electrical contractor is wiring a home with a 10 pair cable he/she starts with the 10 pairs at the electrical box and begins breaking off from there. They will run the cable to the upstairs and bring 2 pairs to one bedroom, 2 pairs to another bedroom and so on. The stranding for electronic cables are usually as many as possible without being excessive. They want it to be flexible to go around corners and make its way through the walls.

Wire is made to be a conductor of electricity, but there’s also a lot to think about when discussing the insulation as well. Some are weather resistant, high temperature or high voltage. PVC Hook Up Wire is the cheap stuff that is made for indoor use only. They can also add to PVC and make it rain, gas and solvent resistant which would be good for outdoor use along the side of a building or in conduit. Then they make a rubber jacket which has the rugged build to it for ware and tare reasons. Sometimes you’ll need a long cable to run across a job site that can be stepped on, dragged, scraped against a building and even run over by machines. Welding Cable rubber jacket is also completely weather resistant.

Sometimes insulation is perfectly flexible in the summer but very stiff when the cold weather comes. They’ve made an insulation that pin points that issue and keeps the full flexibility even if you left the cable in the snow for a week (once you get the ice off of it of course). You’ll see this more in the extension cord products because they’re run outdoors quite often and need to maintain flexibility.

As you can see, there are many different variations of wire and cable available. So you should talk to an expert to make sure you’re getting exactly what you need for the application that you have. Let them know what you’re using it for and they should be able to give you some pointers as to what the best options are. Then you can make your choice based on price and delivery time.