Used cable reels, by the handful or the trailer
Used cable reels, empty and sorted by flange size, for contractors who wind their own cable or hose, growers and nurseries, pallet and crate makers, and resellers. Buy a handful or a trailer. We grade each reel for flat flanges, a sound drum and a round arbor hole, and tell you the grade before you agree.
Grades we use
| Grade | What it means | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Used, sound | Flat flanges, every stave in place, round arbor hole, dry | Winding cable, hose or rope again; tables; displays |
| Used, cosmetic | Sound but stained, painted or with surface splits | Gardens, farm use, rustic builds, parts |
| Damaged | A split flange, missing staves or a torn arbor hole | Parts and salvage only; most go to recycling |
In the request form these map to the condition options: Used for the first two, Damaged for the third. New reels are rarely available from us; ask a reel maker for those.
How many come on one delivery
| Flange | A full deck (est.) | A quarter deck (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| 24 in | 416 | 104 |
| 30 in | 189 | 47 |
| 36 in | 102 | 25 |
| 42 in | 60 | 15 |
| 48 in | 26 | 6 |
| 60 in | 24 | 6 |
| 72 in | 20 | 5 |
| 84 in | 18 | 4 |
| 96 in | 16 | 4 |
Planning counts for a 53 ft, 102 in flatbed: small reels flat and stacked, large reels on edge in two staggered rows. Estimates.
Who buys reels by the load
Electrical and irrigation contractors who buy cable, wire or poly pipe in bulk and wind their own lengths. Nurseries and growers who use reels as tables, cable guides or plant stands. Pallet and crate shops that break reels down for lumber. Resellers who sell single reels to makers and event planners. Landscapers who use the big ones as features. Each wants a different grade and a different size, so the request asks for both.
How a trade order works
- You tell us the sizes, counts and grade, and where the reels go.
- We tell you what we have or expect from the next runs, and quote per reel or per load.
- Reels are set aside at sorting as they come in, checked against the grade.
- Delivery rides a run toward you, or comes as a full run of its own if the order fills a deck.
Mixed loads
A reseller buying for makers might want twenty 30s, ten 42s and a pair of 60s. That is a part load, about 36% of a deck, and it travels with the lane run that passes you. A contractor buying sixty 48 inch reels for winding duct is more than two decks and needs three trips or a longer wait while enough come in. The load planner works for buyers too: put in what you want and it shows the share of a truck.
Where to collect
We do not run a public yard. Orders are delivered, or for small quantities arranged for collection at a place and time we agree when we reply. That keeps the cost of a reel to what it costs to sort and move.
Before you reuse a reel for cable
Check the arbor hole fits your stand or payoff, and that the traverse is wide enough for what you will wind. Okonite's reel table gives traverse and drum diameters for standard sizes; a quick tape measure on the reel itself is better. A reel whose drum is too small for the cable's bending radius will damage it.
Words on this page
- Flange
- The round end of a reel; its diameter (24 to 96 inches and up) is how reels are sized, sorted and loaded.
- Traverse
- The inside width between the flanges; with the flange size it sets how much deck a reel takes up.
- Drum
- The barrel between the flanges that the cable winds on; its diameter sets how much cable a reel holds.
- Arbor hole
- The centre hole a reel stand's spindle goes through; a torn or oval arbor hole takes a reel out of service.
- Deck
- The flatbed or step-deck trailer floor; 102 inches wide on a California legal trailer.
- Part load
- A stop that takes a real share of a deck, roughly a quarter to most of it, so the run is planned around it.
- Full run
- A pickup that fills a 53 foot deck on its own.
Read next
Trade buying questions
Can I reserve every 36 inch reel that comes in for a month?
Ask. Standing orders for a size are possible when it is a size that comes off the runs steadily. We will say if it is not.
Do you sell reels with cable still on them?
No. We collect and sell empty reels only.
Can you deliver a full trailer?
Yes, a full deck is the easiest delivery there is: one truck, one stop. You need a forklift or dock to unload the large sizes.
Are your reels treated?
Not by us. Some cable makers ship on reels made from treated wood. If that matters for your use, such as growing food, ask and we will say what we know about a batch.