Selecting the Right Cable Reel for the Application

At UEA, we consider all options for each custom cable reel application. The primary requirements to consider when looking at a cable reel are the number of circuits, the amperage rating of the circuits, and the cable length.
Nathan Leonard
Application Design Engineer

When considering your cable reel needs and the size of the cable reel required, the primary requirement to consider is the cable itself. What cable length do you need? What is the outer diameter of your cable? These two numbers will provide engineers at United Equipment Accessories with the starting information to help select the best cable reel for your application.

The number of circuits and wire gauge of the cable determine the outer diameter of the cable. The current required for the application dictates the wire gauge needed. For example, if your equipment requires 13 amps and has three circuits, a 14-gauge wire is used for equipment requiring up to 15 amps of current. This means a 14/3 cable is needed because of the 14-gauge wire and three circuits required. This type of cable can range in outer diameter from roughly 0.38” to 0.52”. In this example, the customer needed 40 feet of cable extension.

UEA offers a variety of cable reel series. Our commonly used series, from lowest to highest cable capacity, includes the 8” Standard Reel, R40 series, R50 series, R70 series, R80 series, and the R90 series. Consider the previous example of a 14/3 cable with an outer diameter of 0.5”. This example’s cable length capacity and required cable diameter is indicated in orange on the below charts. As seen in the charts, the smaller 8” standard and the R40 series cable reels capacities are exceeded.

8 inch cable reel chart
R40 cable reel chart

The R50 and R70 series cable reels are the valid options.

R50 cable reel chart
R70 cable reel chart

The R80 and R90 series cable reels are over-sized for the application.

R80 cable reel chart
R90 cable reel chart

Additional larger cable reel options are available for requests that exceed the standard series capacities.

At UEA, we consider all options for each custom cable reel application. The primary requirements to consider when looking at a cable reel are the number of circuits, the amperage rating of the circuits, and the cable length. Those parameters will determine the diameter of the cable that will be used in your cable reel and help determine the size of the cable reel that is best for you. This approach allows UEA to find the best cable reel solution for the customer. Contact us for your custom cable reel needs!

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