Reels from data-centre construction
A data centre is mostly power: feeders, busway, generator and switchgear cable, and miles of data cable. Building one empties hundreds of reels, from 24 inch data spools to 96 inch medium-voltage reels. Vernon has two large projects, and El Segundo and other cities host more.
- Usual flanges
- 24 to 96 in
- Areas it fills
- 4
- Lanes
- 2
Data-centre construction around Los Angeles
Vernon has become one of the region's data-centre locations. Prime Data Centers opened its LAX01 building there in November 2024: three storeys, 242,495 square feet and 33 MW of critical IT power at full build-out. Goodman Group broke ground in 2025 on a 49.5 MW data centre on part of the former Farmer John site. Both sit on a city with its own electric utility and plenty of industrial land.
Data centres take cable in huge quantities. Medium-voltage cable brings power in from the utility; feeders and busway carry it through switchgear, UPS systems and generators to the halls; and data and fibre cable connects the racks. Each kind comes on its own reels, and the empties come off the job steadily as each phase is fitted out.
Data-centre construction also runs in phases long after the shell is finished: each new data hall, generator yard or power upgrade is fitted out in turn. A building that is already open may still be emptying reels for years.
Where the reels pile up
On site, in the electrical contractor's laydown area, and later in the contractor's own yard. In our area that means Vernon above all, with El Segundo's office and data buildings on the South Bay lane and data rooms in business parks across Orange County and the Inland Empire.
What kind of reels
Every size. Data cable on 24 and 30 inch spools; feeders on 36 to 48 inch nailed reels; medium-voltage cable on 60 to 96 inch bolted reels, often returnable.
How a pickup fits the work
Data-centre sites are strict about access, so pickups are booked through the contractor with gate times, badges and safety orientations. We clear laydown areas between phases, in full runs for the big reels, with the small spools riding along.
Where the reels go next
Data-centre reels tend to be in good condition because the work is indoors and the sites are tidy. That makes them easier to resell: data spools to makers, nailed feeder reels to contractors and growers, and one-way medium-voltage reels to ranches and heavy users. Returnable reels go back to their owners first.
When the reels come off the job
Timing follows the build. Medium-voltage cable and switchgear go in early, and the biggest reels come off then; feeders and busway follow as halls are fitted out; data cable comes last and keeps coming as tenants move in. A contractor who tells us the phase plan up front can have the laydown area cleared as each stage ends, without waiting on a full yard.
The usual mistake on data-centre jobs is mixing returnable and one-way reels in the same laydown row. When the truck comes, someone has to read every stencil before anything loads. Keep a separate row for each owner's returnables from the start, and keep data spools on pallets under cover.
A pickup, stop by stop
Book through the contractor
Site access, badges and gate times come from the electrical contractor.
Split returnables
Medium-voltage reels are often stencilled and returnable; set them aside.
Count by flange
Small, medium and large reels load differently; counts by size let us plan the deck.
Clear by phase
We clear each phase's empties so the laydown area is free for the next.
Reel sizes from data-centre construction
Lanes that serve data-centre construction
Other industries that empty reels here
Questions from data-centre construction
Do you work inside data-centre sites?
Only under the site's rules, booked through the contractor, with the badges and orientation it requires.
Which data-centre reels resell?
Sound one-way reels of all sizes; data spools especially.
Do you name data-centre owners as customers?
No. We name projects only as places where reels come from.
How many reels does a data-centre phase empty?
It varies widely. Send counts by size and we will plan the runs.
Do El Segundo data buildings produce reels?
Yes. Fit-outs and power upgrades there go out on the South Bay run.
What is the biggest reel on a data-centre job?
Usually 72 to 96 inch medium-voltage reels, often bolted and returnable.
Can a data-centre contractor set up recurring pickups?
Yes, phase by phase, on the lane the site is on.