Scrap weight or surplus value?

Some cable has no realistic future as cable, and pretending otherwise wastes everyone's time.

• Insulation is cracked, brittle or missing along most of the length.
• The conductor is corroded, welded together, or chopped into short unidentified pieces.
• There is no identifiable construction and no length worth measuring.
• The cable has been wet, oil-soaked or heat-damaged through its whole run.
• Only a fraction of the reel remains, and the remainder cannot be re-reeled.

Other lots are cable first and metal second, and they should be reviewed as cable before anyone considers cutting them.

• The reel tag is legible and matches the jacket print.
• The length is substantial and continuous, even if the reel is partly used.
• The jacket is intact and the cable has been stored under cover or out of direct sun.
• The construction is a standard one — THHN, XHHW, MC, SER, tray, MV shielded — that has a use elsewhere.
• Factory test records or project paperwork still exist for high voltage lots.

Cutting is the one decision that cannot be undone. A 600 ft remainder cut into six 100 ft pieces is no longer a feeder reel; it is six short lengths, and short lengths are much harder to place. The same applies to removing terminations, cutting back damaged ends or stripping the jacket to check the conductor.

If a lot might be surplus, get it reviewed before it is cut. If it is already cut, say so, because that changes the review rather than ending it.

Stripping cable to inspect the conductor destroys the insulation rating and turns a cable lot into a metal lot. Do not strip anything before a buyer has seen it.

A scrap route is fast and weight-based. A surplus route takes longer because it involves identification, measurement and a view on condition, but it is the route that rewards keeping a lot intact.