24-inch flange reels
A 24-inch reel is the smallest wooden reel we collect and the one we see most often. It carries control cable, data cable and small building wire. About 416 of them fit on a 53-foot flatbed laid flat and stacked four high, and each weighs only 23 to 24 lb empty.
- Empties per 53 ft deck (est.)
- 416
- Empty weight
- 23 to 24 lb
- How it loads
- 4 across, 4 high
- Form answer
- Under 30 in
What ships on a 24 inch reel
Twenty-four inch reels carry the light end of the trade: control and instrument cable, Cat 6 and other data cable, thermostat and alarm wire, small building wire and short lengths of fibre. Okonite's table lists two 24 inch builds, both on a 10 inch drum, with an inside traverse of 12 or 18 inches and a cable capacity of about 350 lb. Labs, electronics makers, alarm and data installers and small electrical contractors empty them constantly.
How 24 inch reels load
Reels this small are not stood on edge. They are laid flat on a flange and stacked, four across the 102 inch deck and twenty-six along a 53 foot one, four layers high on the 15 inch build. That puts a full deck at about 416 reels and roughly ten thousand pounds, far under any weight limit. In practice a 24 inch stack almost never fills a truck on its own; it rides along with bigger reels.
Resale or recycling
Clean 24 inch spools are among the easiest reels to resell. Makers turn them into side tables and plant stands, crafters and shops use them for displays, and event planners buy them in sets. Plywood flanges hold up well if they have been kept dry. Ones with water-swollen plywood or broken staples go to recycling.
How we grade a reel is on resale or recycling; what makes one worth more is on what reels are worth.
Staging and lifting 24 inch reels
Stage 24 inch reels in a stack or on a pallet near the gate or dock. A pallet of them can be forked straight onto the deck; loose ones are passed up by hand. Keep them dry: the plywood flanges common at this size swell and delaminate if they sit in puddles, and a swollen flange is the most common reason a small spool is recycled instead of resold.
What buyers do with them
Small spools become side tables, plant stands, bedside tables, shop displays and props. Event planners like them as risers and cake stands, and schools and makerspaces use them for projects. A matched set of the same build, cleaned and sanded, is worth more to a buyer than a mixed pile.
Where 24 inch reels pile up
These are the area pages where 24 inch reels are among the usual sizes we see:
- City of IndustryLos Angeles County
- TorranceLos Angeles County
- El SegundoLos Angeles County
- Huntington ParkLos Angeles County
- Northeast Los AngelesLos Angeles County
- PacoimaLos Angeles County
- ChatsworthLos Angeles County
- Canoga ParkLos Angeles County
- Santa ClaritaLos Angeles County
- PalmdaleLos Angeles County
- AnaheimOrange County
- Santa AnaOrange County
- IrvineOrange County
- Huntington BeachOrange County
- Garden GroveOrange County
- FullertonOrange County
- OrangeOrange County
- Costa MesaOrange County
- TustinOrange County
- CoronaRiverside County
- TemeculaRiverside County
- Rancho CucamongaSan Bernardino County
- ChinoSan Bernardino County
- RedlandsSan Bernardino County
- HesperiaSan Bernardino County
- AdelantoSan Bernardino County
Pickup maths for 24 inch reels
Around Los Angeles, 24 inch spools come mostly from the light trades: data and alarm installers fitting out offices in Irvine and El Segundo, electronics and medical-device makers in Chatsworth, Anaheim Canyon and Temecula, and small contractors everywhere. They rarely come in big numbers from one place, so they nearly always ride along.
| 24 in reels | Share of a 53 ft deck | What it looks like | Empty weight, lb |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | 10% | Ride-along | 966 to 1,008 |
| 83 | 20% | Ride-along | 1,909 to 1,992 |
| 208 | 50% | Part load | 4,784 to 4,992 |
| 416 | 100% | Full run | 9,568 to 9,984 |
| 832 | 200% | More than one deck | 19,136 to 19,968 |
Computed by the load planner from the planning count of 416 per deck. Estimates, not promises.
Mixed stacks: try the planner
Most yards have more than one size. The reel load planner adds 24 inch reels to the rest of your counts and shows how much of a 53 ft deck they take, and whether that is a ride-along, a part load or a full run.
24 inch reel questions
Are 24 inch reels worth picking up?
Yes, as a ride-along. A few dozen take very little deck space and many of them resell.
Can I hand-load 24 inch reels?
Easily. One person can lift a 24 lb reel; the driver stacks them flat.
Do you sell single 24 inch spools?
Yes. Ask on the buy side with the count you want.
Can 24 inch spools go out on a pallet?
Yes. Palletised spools are the fastest to load; shrink-wrap is welcome but not needed.
Do you take plastic 24 inch spools?
Some plastic spools are returnable to their maker. Tell us the brand and we will say whether to send them back instead.