Industrial cable
Tray cable and VFD cable
Cable that was specified for cable tray and for variable-frequency drives. Heavy, shielded, often ordered in a length nobody needed, and frequently left on the reel.
Tray cable: TC, TC-ER, PLTC and ITC
TC cable is a factory assembly of insulated conductors with an overall jacket, rated for use in cable tray without conduit. TC-ER adds an exposed-run rating so it can leave the tray for a distance without support. PLTC covers power-limited tray circuits such as control and instrumentation; ITC covers industrial tray cable for instrumentation.
These are the reels that get ordered for a plant expansion in one length and left in the yard when the design changes.
VFD cable is its own animal
Variable-frequency drive cable is built for the noise environment around a drive: three symmetrically spaced power conductors, a copper tape or braid shield, and often three bare ground conductors in the interstices. It is heavier and more expensive per foot than ordinary tray cable, and it holds its value better as surplus.
What we buy
Copper tray cable and VFD cable in 600V, 1kV and 2kV, shielded or unshielded, with or without ground conductors.
- Full and partial reels with legible tags
- TC-ER and TC cable in tray-rated constructions
- PLTC and ITC instrumentation and control tray cable
- Shielded VFD cable in drive-sizing conductor counts
Sizes
Common sizes we see on Idaho reels
- #18
- #16
- #14
- #12
- #10
- #8
- #6
- #4
- #2
- 1/0
- 2/0
- 4/0
- 250
- 350
- 500
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 jacket print: TC, TC-ER, PLTC, ITC or VFD
- Voltage rating
- Conductor count and size
- Shielded or unshielded
- Footage on the tag and what remains
- A photo of the reel, tag and a cut end showing the shield
Email photos to saleselectricalbuyers@gmail.com or add them to the form below. Either way, keep the tag and the jacket legend readable.
How do I tell VFD cable from tray cable?
VFD cable has a visible overall shield — usually copper tape plus braid — and three power conductors spaced symmetrically with grounds between them. A cut-end photo showing the shield layers settles it.
Do weathered tags matter?
Only in that we may need to read the jacket print instead. Faded tags are common on outdoor storage and rarely a problem.
Quote Tray cable or VFD cable
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.