We Buy Surplus THHN and THWN Building Wire in Ohio
THHN and THWN are the workhorses of Ohio building wire, and surplus reels of both sit in plant storerooms, contractor shops and warehouse racks across the state. We buy that material: copper and aluminum conductors, full reels and partials, from #14 up through 1000 kcmil. Send the reel tags and jacket legends and we will review the lot.
The jacket legend sorts the category
THHN is thermoplastic, high-heat-resistant, nylon-coated wire. A thin nylon jacket over the PVC insulation is what carries the 90°C dry-location rating at 600 volts. That dry rating is the boundary: THHN by itself is not a wet-location conductor.
THWN adds the wet rating at 75°C. THWN-2 carries 90°C in both wet and dry locations, which is why so much modern building wire ships with a combined legend printed on one jacket. Read the print before you describe the reel. A single length can satisfy two or three of these designations.
The nylon jacket also resists abrasion and gives the conductor a low-friction surface, which matters when a long length is pulled through a route. Dual-rated THHN/THWN-2 is the most common thing we see. Single-rated THHN still turns up in older stock and in sizes pulled from long-running jobs.
- Reel tag, jacket print, or both
- Gauge, conductor metal, voltage class and footage
- Full reels, partial reels, coils or cartons
Copper and aluminum, side by side
Copper is standard for branch circuits and smaller feeders. Aluminum building wire, drawn from an AA-8000 series alloy, dominates the larger feeder and service sizes where weight matters. Both are reviewed on the same facts: metal, gauge, insulation system, voltage class and footage.
The size spread is wide. We see #14 and #12 on small branch reels and 500, 750 and 1000 kcmil on feeder reels that never left the pallet. Stranded construction is normal above #10, and compact or compressed strand is common in the larger aluminum sizes. Above 4/0 the material usually arrives on wooden reels rather than in coils, so reel condition becomes part of the description. Matching color sets are easier to place as a group than single colors.
What to send with a building-wire inquiry
Start with the reel tag. It usually carries the manufacturer, the size in AWG or kcmil, the conductor material, the insulation legend, the voltage class and the length. If the tag is missing, photograph the jacket print close enough to read and note what remains on the reel.
Then give us the count. How many reels, how many are full, and roughly how many feet are left on the partials. Describe condition in plain terms: new surplus in original packaging, unused but opened, overstock, or material that was pulled and returned. Add the Ohio city where the wire is stored, because pickup planning starts there. If several buildings or storerooms are involved, list each one separately with its own reel count.
Quote this material
This form is routed with the category already noted, so the buyer knows what they are looking at before opening the photos.
Full reels, partial reels, coils and cartons are all reviewed. Condition changes the number, not the eligibility.
Quote THHN / THWN Building Wire
Tell us what you have and attach photos of the reels, tags and jacket legends. Fields marked * are required.
THHN / THWN Building Wire questions
Can THHN be used in wet locations?
No. THHN carries a dry-location rating only. Wet locations call for THWN at 75°C or THWN-2 at 90°C, and many conductors carry the dry and wet designations together on one jacket.
Do you buy partial reels of building wire?
We review partials alongside full reels. Remaining footage, the reel tag and the condition of the outer wraps all affect whether a partial fits what we are buying.
Is aluminum building wire of interest?
Yes. Aluminum building wire in an AA-8000 series alloy is common in feeder and service sizes. Send the tag so the alloy, gauge and insulation legend can be confirmed.
Selling thhn / thwn building wire?
Send the wire type, footage, condition and photos of the reels and tags. We review it and come back with pricing and pickup logistics.