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600 Volt Wire Types and Labeling

21st Sep 2020

There are many, many different types of 600-volt wire on our site, and their numbers and uses can be intimidating. Wires rated to 600 volts are used in a number of different settings and for different uses, made from different materials, and sometimes have labeling that is somewhat less than intuitive.

In this blog, we’re going to go over some of the terms and labeling that you are going to come across when you shop through the 600-volt wire on our website, but first, we’ll give you a little background on why so many wires are rated to this voltage and what types of wire there are. You can learn more about the applicability of 600 volt rated wire in our blog, but here is a condensed form.

For the most part, you are going to come across wires and cables in aluminum and copper. Wires are single-stranded conductors whereas cables are many thin stranded conductors braided together, which makes the cable more flexible, all other things being equal.

Most wires are copper because copper wire is an excellent conductor with relatively low resistance and high ductility. However, aluminum cables are still sometimes used and they were widely used in the past. Aluminum is cheaper than copper, has a higher ductility and a comparable conductivity, and is significantly lighter as well.

With that in mind, many wires are rated to 600 volts for the simple matter that there are a lot of domestic applications in this country where the power supply is rated to 120 volts. Therefore, many building wires are rated to 600 because they can safely work with this level of electrical voltage.

Let’s get into some of the labelings that you are liable to see on some of the wires and cables here on our website at EWCS Wire.

AWG - AWG stands for American Wire Gauge and is a measurement of the thickness of wire or cable. Without getting into the details of how it is calculated, what you should know is that it is an inverse measurement. Therefore, a smaller AWG corresponds to a larger wire and vice versa.

MCM - While most wires use American Wire Gauge, some larger wires use MCM, which is a measurement of the cross-sectional area of the wire in thousands of circular mils.

SER - SER stands for Service Entrance Reinforcement cable. These types of cables are typically used to connect sub-panels to main distribution panels.

THHN - THHN, like the other terms explored here, is an acronym for Thermoplastic High Heat Resistant Nylon coated wire or cable. There are many different types of thermoplastic, but what you need to know is that this is a type of insulation that protects the cables, typically in the event of a fire.

That makes the “high heat” resistant portion of the acronym more understandable. As for the nylon, this is an additional coating over the wire or cable that gives it some additional protection, particularly against petrochemicals like oil or gas.

THWN - THWN is similar to THHN wire and cable but not the same. Like THHN, it has thermoplastic insulation to protect it against heat; however, THWN wire is not as heat resistant as THHN. As for the W, this stands for wet and signifies that these wires or cables are approved for use in wet locations. As above, these wires are coated in nylon for the same reasons.

TFFN - TFFN stands for Thermoplastic Flexible Fixture Nylon. These wires are coated in nylon as well as a thermoplastic, but the key difference is that these wires are designed to be more flexible.

XHHW - The X in XHHW stands for XLPE (Cross-linked Polyethylene) which is a tough insulative material with which these wires are coated. As about, HH stands for High Heat and W stands for water, signifying that these wires are resistant to high temperatures and use in wet locations.

VNTC - VNTC stands for Vinyl Nylon Tray Cable. These cables are insulated with vinyl and nylon and may variously be resistant to sunlight, heat, chemicals, and more, but to be sure, check the specific product. In addition, they are approved for use as tray cables, as trays have been replaced conduits in many areas.

These are some of the labels you are going to come across when you search through our collection and come across 600-volt wire. However, they are far from the only labels you will come across and if you want to learn more, we would be glad to help.

Give us a call whenever you have any questions on our products at 800-262-1598 and we’ll shed some light on some of the finer points of our wires and cables. Alternatively, you can reach us at sales@EWCSWire.com. Let us know what you’re looking for even if you don’t have questions but are shopping through our site. We’d love to hear from you.