Wire Types ยท VFD Cable
We buy VFD cable.
Drive cable is bought on its construction rather than its gauge. Three symmetrical grounds and a shield make it a different product from three-conductor tray cable.
Call or text the buying desk954-740-1983
ConstructionThree symmetric grounds
Voltage class600 V to 2 kV
Sizes14 AWG to 500 kcmil
Common lotPart reels and motor tails
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 · VFD Cable
Reviewed by a buyerTell us what you have and where it sits. Nothing is moved until written lot terms are agreed.
VFD cable connects a variable-frequency drive to its motor. The construction is the point: three power conductors, a copper shield, and three symmetric ground conductors spaced around the core so the return current has a balanced path. From 600 V to 2 kV, 14 AWG to 500 kcmil, and it costs more than ordinary tray cable for a reason.
Pumps, fans, conveyors and compressors in plants and water works produce most of what we see. A drive replacement leaves the old cable behind when the motor run is re-made, and a new installation leaves part reels when the drive rating changes.
01
Where drive cable is used here
Any motor that needs to run at something other than line speed has a drive, and the drive has cable. Pump stations, cooling towers, process fans, conveyors and packaged compressors all use it. In plants it usually runs in tray from a drive lineup to a motor, which makes it visible, heavy and easy to identify.
- Pump and fan motors on drives
- Conveyor and sortation drives
- Compressor and chiller packages
- Water and wastewater pump stations
- Crane and hoist drives
02
Three grounds and a shield
The symmetric grounds are what make the product. They give the high-frequency return current a balanced path back to the drive, which keeps noise out of the control system and current off the motor bearings. An ordinary cable with one ground cannot be substituted, which is why the construction is worth more than the copper.
The shield only works if it is terminated properly at both ends, which is why a reel with the shield cut back hard is a compromised reel rather than a bargain.
03
What a drive replacement leaves
Drive upgrades are usually partial: one line, one motor, one section of tray. The cable that comes out is short and specific, and the cable bought for the new drive is often ordered with slack that nobody uses.
- Part reel from a drive upgrade
- Motor tail cut at the peckerhead
- Cable pulled when a motor was relocated
- Reel with the shield cut back
- Older drive cable from a decommissioned line
04
Cut ends, damaged shields and short runs
Most drive runs are short, so most drive cable lots are short. A thirty-foot motor tail with clean ends is a normal item and worth pricing. A tail cut at the drive end and left open to the weather for a year is a copper lot.
Check the shield before anything else. If the foil or braid has been torn back more than a few inches at either end, say so, because that fact moves the reel from cable to conductor and the difference is significant.
| Product | Range | Condition we take |
|---|---|---|
| VFD cable, 600 V | 14 AWG to 4/0 | Full reel, part reel |
| VFD cable, 1 kV | 8 AWG to 350 kcmil | Reel with tag |
| VFD cable, 2 kV | 2 AWG to 500 kcmil | Tagged reel, long cut |
| Motor tails | Above 20 ft | Coiled, ends taped |
| Shield-damaged cable | Any | Priced on copper |
Questions
Answers before you send anything.
If your question is not here, call the desk. A buyer answers, not a call centre.
Is VFD cable different from ordinary tray cable?
It is. Drive cable carries three symmetric ground conductors and a shield designed for high-frequency return current, where tray cable has one ground and no such shield. The two are not interchangeable, and they are not valued the same.
Do you buy short motor tails?
Yes, from about twenty feet. Drive runs are often short, so a motor tail is a normal item rather than a remnant. Clean, dry ends and an intact shield matter more than length on this family.
What happens if the shield is damaged?
The cable stops being drive cable and becomes conductor. A torn shield cannot be repaired in the field to the standard the product was made to, so it is priced on copper content and gauge. Photograph the damage before the reel moves.
How is footage checked when the reel tag is gone?
By turns, by weight and by print. We count the wraps on the drum, weigh the reel against an empty one, and read the remaining jacket print for the size. Where the three agree, the estimate is close enough to work from.
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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