Wire Types ยท TC / TC-ER
We buy tray cable.
Tray cable arrives on the heaviest reels in the yard, and a part reel of twelve-conductor is one of the better lots a plant can hand over.
Call or text the buying desk954-740-1983
Voltage class600 V to 2 kV
Conductors2 to 37, shielded or not
Common findPart reels off a skid
First questionConductor count and gauge
Get a buy quote
Send the reel list. A buyer reads it.
Six details are enough to start. Tags and photos can follow by text or email once a buyer has looked at the basics.
- A buyer reviews the lot: construction, footage and condition, not only metal weight
- Copper and aluminium, 600 V building wire through 345 kV cable
- Full reels, partial reels, cut lengths, pallets and truckloads
- No fee, no obligation, and no automatic pickup
Reel list · Tray Cable
Reviewed by a buyerTell us what you have and where it sits. Nothing is moved until written lot terms are agreed.
TC and TC-ER are the multi-conductor cables that run in open tray. From 600 V to 2 kV, PVC or XLPE insulation, shielded or unshielded, from two conductors up to several dozen. The exposed-run rating lets the cable leave the tray for a short distance without conduit, which is why plants and packaged skids use it so freely.
It turns up in the hangars at Port San Antonio, in the warehouses along the I-35 corridor and in any plant that has added a conveyor or a skid. Sellers usually hold a part reel from a package that shipped long, plus cut lengths from a tray run that was reworked.
01
Where tray cable lives here
If a building has tray, it has tray cable, and the two arrive together. Process plants use it for instrument and motor circuits, warehouses for conveyor controls, and skid builders for everything inside the package. Because it is ordered per project, it is ordered with slack, and the slack comes back on a reel.
- Conveyor and sortation controls in distribution buildings
- Skid and package wiring at fabricators
- Motor and instrument circuits in process plants
- Hangar equipment feeds and lighting control
- Portable power distribution on temporary work
02
TC and TC-ER are not the same lot
The exposed-run rating is what a buyer checks first. TC-ER can leave the tray and travel without conduit support for a limited distance, which makes it the cable most plants actually want. Plain TC cannot, and a reel of plain TC is a slower item even when the conductor and the footage are identical.
03
Conductor count is the first question
Tray cable is priced from the inside out. Count, gauge and shield decide most of the value, and voltage class and jacket come after. A reel of twelve-conductor 16 AWG is a modest lot; a reel of four-conductor 4/0 is a heavy one, and the two can sit side by side looking identical from the flange.
- Conductor count and gauge
- Shielded, braided or unshielded
- Voltage class and jacket print
- Footage remaining against the tag
- Reel sound enough to travel
04
Reels, cut lengths and the weight problem
Tray cable comes on wooden reels that were never meant to be handled twice. A part reel that sat on a damp floor will have a soft flange, and a drum that has swelled will not run on a jack. We re-reel when that happens, and the footage gets verified in the process.
Cut lengths from a reworked tray run are worth taking above fifty feet with readable print. Below that they join the copper pile with everything else.
| Product | Range | Condition we take |
|---|---|---|
| TC, unshielded | 600 V, 16 AWG to 500 kcmil | Full reel, part reel |
| TC-ER, exposed run | 600 V to 1 kV | Reel with tag |
| Shielded tray cable | 600 V, 14 AWG to 350 kcmil | Reel, long cut |
| Medium voltage tray cable | 2 kV to 5 kV | Tagged reel |
| Cut lengths from a tray run | Above 50 ft | Coiled and labelled |
Questions
Answers before you send anything.
If your question is not here, call the desk. A buyer answers, not a call centre.
Do you buy TC with the shield damaged?
Sometimes. A crushed or torn shield ends the cable's use in a drive or instrument circuit, but the conductors inside are still copper, and the gauge is known. Send a photo of the damage and the print, and the lot is priced for what it still is.
Can you take a part reel with no tag?
Yes, with more work. We count the turns, measure the coil and weigh the reel against an empty reel of the same size. A part reel without a tag is valued slightly below one with a tag, because the footage is an estimate.
What is the smallest tray cable lot worth a pickup?
Roughly one part reel, or a pallet of cut lengths. A single fifty-foot cut is not a trip on its own, but it belongs on the pallet with the reels you are already sending, and it rides along at no extra trouble.
Does the condition of the wooden reel matter?
It does. A soft flange will not survive a forklift, and a drum that has swollen will not turn. If the reel is failing, say so, and we will plan to re-reel on your site rather than on the highway.
Keep reading
Related pages
No fee · no obligation
You have the cable. We have a scale and a check.
Send the reel list, the tags or a photograph of the pallet. A buyer comes back with what the lot is worth and how pickup would work, before anything is moved.
954-740-1983 Call or text
- Reel tags, or the print on the jacket
- Reel count and footage, even roughly
- Where it sits and what can reach it
- Whether the cable is still energised