Sell 14 & 12 AWG Wire in Ohio

Ohio Wire Buyers buys reusable surplus 14 and 12 AWG electrical wire and cable from businesses anywhere in Ohio, including full reels, partial reels, boxed coils and usable cut lengths. To sell 12 AWG wire or leftover 14 AWG cable, send photos and a footage list for review; we buy it as product for resale and reuse, not scrap metal by the pound.

0100 FTWhat matters besides the gauge on the label?

A gauge identifies the conductor size, not the complete product. A spool of single-conductor building wire, a coil of NM-B and armored MC cable can contain the same gauge copper but require different descriptions in an offer request. Record the wire type before combining leftovers into a lot.

Photograph the manufacturer name, AWG marking and complete type designation. Do not shorten a printed THHN/THWN designation to THWN-2: the suffix changes the product's identified rating. Our THHN and THWN-2 wire page explains that product family, while the wire sizes we buy hub covers other conductor sizes that may be mixed into your inventory.

0200 FTHow do 14 and 12 AWG specifications compare?

The ampacities below are from NEC Table 310.16, 2023 edition, reproduced in HELUKABEL's NEC 2023 tables. They apply to not more than three current-carrying conductors in raceway, cable or earth at a 30°C ambient temperature. Terminations and conditions of use govern the actual rating; these columns are not interchangeable breaker recommendations.

NEC 240.4(D) generally limits overcurrent protection to 15 A for 14 AWG copper and 20 A for 12 AWG copper, except where the Code provides otherwise. A higher-temperature insulation rating does not remove that limitation. The aluminum values are comparison data, not evidence that aluminum and copper of the same gauge serve identical circuits.

Copper weights are approximate and attributed to Southwire's SPEC 10003 sheet. Its approximate finished-wire weights, including insulation and sheath, are 16/18 lb per 1,000 ft for solid/stranded 14 AWG and 23/25 lb for solid/stranded 12 AWG. Do not confuse either figure with the gross weight of a loaded spool; packaging examples come from Southwire's circuit-wire product listings.

0300 FTShould solid and stranded wire stay separate?

Yes. Southwire lists both solid and stranded copper constructions in these gauges; the stranded version in the cited sheet uses 19 strands. Record the construction as well as the gauge, even when color and type markings match. A contractor specifying stranded conductors cannot identify an acceptable substitute from a gauge-only inventory list.

Photograph an existing cut end closely enough to distinguish a solid conductor from a stranded bundle. Avoid cutting a usable length merely to make a sample. Where an end is hidden or the tag is unreadable, label the construction unknown and send the available evidence rather than guessing from how flexible the coil feels.

0400 FTWhat helps you sell 12 AWG wire as reusable product?

Keep color quantities separate. Southwire's circuit-wire listings include black, red, blue, white, green, brown, orange and gray, among other colors and striped versions. A reel's color is part of its identity, but it does not prove gauge, conductor metal or insulation rating.

List a mixed color assortment by reel, not as one combined footage total. Describe a stripe explicitly and photograph it. The wire color-code guide provides more identification context; for selling, the important task is recording what you actually have rather than assigning a previous circuit's function to every piece.

Readable tags, intact insulation and continuous lengths make the material easier to evaluate. Keep cartons with their contents, and do not transfer leftovers onto a labeled spool containing a different product without documenting the change.

0500 FTHow should partial spools and loose lengths be listed?

An original put-up is not a remaining-length measurement. A tag showing 500 ft describes the factory quantity; once wire has been pulled, record the balance as measured, estimated or unknown. The same distinction applies to larger spools and boxed coils.

For loose wire, list each continuous length separately. Combining several disconnected pieces does not create a single usable run, and hiding that distinction makes the lot harder to assess. Our guide to measuring wire left on a reel explains ways to document the balance without presenting an estimate as exact footage.

Keep insulation intact and secure loose ends without crushing the wire. Separate pieces with visible cuts, heat damage or badly kinked sections from apparently sound material. If the wire is not reusable, we say so; the surplus-versus-scrap comparison explains why a scrap recycler may then be the right buyer.

0600 FTHow are NM-B 14/2, NM-B 12/2 and MC 12/2 different?

Southwire's NM-B specifications show solid copper in both gauges, with a bare grounding conductor. In a 14/2 or 12/2 cable with ground, the designation describes two insulated conductors; the ground is additional. Keep the jacket intact so the entire assembly remains identifiable, and list NM-B cable and boxed coils separately from individual building-wire spools.

NM-B is for dry locations, and its ampacity is limited to the 60°C conductor rating even though the individual insulation is rated 90°C. Southwire specifically says the conductors inside its NM-B are not separately listed as THHN for independent installation. Do not strip the cable and describe the recovered wires as surplus THHN.

Southwire's cited 12/2 MC product has aluminum interlocked armor around copper conductors, including an insulated green ground. Aluminum armor does not mean aluminum conductors. Its listings include 250 ft coils and 1,000 ft reels; photograph the label and visible armor condition when submitting surplus MC cable.

0700 FTWhat should you send for an offer on small-gauge surplus?

Start with a whole-lot photo showing the spools, cartons and coils together. Then photograph each distinct label, readable jacket print and accessible cut end. For MC, show any crushed or opened armor; for NM-B, show jacket damage rather than photographing only the undamaged side.

Use a short inventory list with these fields:

Include the Ohio pickup location, loading access and whether the material is on shelves, pallets or reel carts. Send an invoice, purchase order, closeout paperwork or company letter supporting ownership. If the legend is difficult to interpret, use the cable jacket-print guide to identify the details worth photographing.

0800 FTWhat happens after the lot is reviewed?

Ohio Wire Buyers reviews the photos and footage, then replies with questions or a written offer before pickup. Payment method and timing are confirmed in writing before pickup. We verify the seller and proof of ownership, keep a written purchase record, and arrange collection at the seller's jobsite, warehouse, plant or yard anywhere in Ohio.

The count is checked against the written terms at pickup. We have no Ohio street address, office, yard or drop-off; the selling process explains how an arranged pickup works.

Ready to clear labeled spools or boxed branch-circuit cable? Request an offer for your 14 and 12 AWG surplus with photos and available footage, or call 951-403-5738 to discuss the lot before moving or cutting it.