Building wire
THHN and THWN building wire
The most common reel in any electrical warehouse: 600V thermoplastic building wire with a nylon jacket, sold by the 500 and 1000 foot reel and left half-used on almost every job.
What THHN and THWN actually are
THHN is thermoplastic high heat-resistant nylon-coated wire. THWN adds a wet-location rating, and THWN-2 carries both the heat and wet ratings at the full 90°C ampacity. In practice most modern building wire is dual-rated THHN/THWN-2 and printed that way on the jacket.
It is used for branch circuits and feeders in conduit: panel feeders, lighting circuits, receptacles, equipment connections. Because it is pulled in conduit rather than buried, it accumulates as reels rather than as long direct-burial runs.
What we buy
Full reels, partial reels, spools and cartons of THHN, THWN and THWN-2 in copper and aluminum. Solid and stranded. Every standard colour, and the less common ones. Reels with a legible tag are easiest to quote; reels with no tag can still be identified from the jacket legend.
- 500 ft and 1000 ft factory reels, complete or cut
- Contractor leftovers from a single project
- Distributor overstock in mixed colours and sizes
- Aluminum THHN in feeder sizes, often never opened
The three things that change the price
Size and conductor count. A 4/0 copper reel and a #14 copper reel are different businesses. Footage left. The tag tells us what shipped; the reel tells us what remains, and they are rarely the same. Colour and condition. Sun-bleached, crushed or wet reels are still quotable, but they are not priced like warehouse stock.
Sizes
Common sizes we see on Idaho reels
- #14
- #12
- #10
- #8
- #6
- #4
- #3
- #2
- #1
- 1/0
- 2/0
- 3/0
- 4/0
- 250
- 300
- 350
- 400
- 500
- 600
- 750
- 1000
Sizes shown as AWG and MCM. Anything between the listed sizes is still worth quoting.
What to send
Details that let us quote it properly
- The reel tag, photographed flat and readable
- The jacket legend printed on the wire
- The size, or the closest size you can read
- Copper or aluminum — the legend says which
- Footage printed on the tag and your estimate of what is left
- A wide photo showing how many reels and how they are stored
Email photos to saleselectricalbuyers@gmail.com or add them to the form below. Either way, keep the tag and the jacket legend readable.
Do you buy opened reels with wire missing?
Yes. Partial reels are the normal case, not the exception. Just be clear about what is left, or send a photo of the reel so we can judge it ourselves.
What if the tag is gone?
The jacket legend is printed on the wire for a reason. Photograph it and we can usually identify the type, size and voltage without the tag.
Is mixed-colour wire a problem?
No. Mixed colours in the same size are common in distributor overstock and we quote them as one lot.
Quote THHN, THWN or XHHW building wire
Choose the category that matches your material, then fill in the size, footage and condition as closely as you can.
Keep reading
Related categories and areas
Other wire and cable
Reels in the way? Send the tag photos.
Tell us the type, size, footage and voltage, and send a few photos of the reels, tags and jacket legend. We will review the material and talk through pricing and logistics.