30-inch flange reels
A 30-inch reel holds building wire, control cable and small feeders. About 189 fit on a 53-foot flatbed, laid flat three high, and Okonite lists the standard 30 inch reel at 39 lb empty. We collect them from contractors and plants across the four counties.
- Empties per 53 ft deck (est.)
- 189
- Empty weight
- 39 lb
- How it loads
- 3 across, 3 high
- Form answer
- 30 to 47 in
What ships on a 30 inch reel
The 30 inch size is the workhorse of building wire: THHN on a reel for a commercial job, MC cable, multi-conductor control cable and small feeders. Okonite's table lists it as 30 x 18 x 12, with a 22 inch overall width and a capacity of about 950 lb of cable. The neighbouring 27 and 32 inch builds turn up in the same stacks.
To tell a 30 from a 36 at a glance, stand beside it: a 30 inch flange comes to about the top of an adult's thigh, a 36 to the hip. A tape across the flange settles it.
How 30 inch reels load
Thirty inch reels also load flat. Three fit across a 102 inch deck and twenty-one along a 53 foot one, and at 22 inches wide they stack three high inside our 72 inch planning limit, which makes 189 per deck. At 39 lb each, a full deck weighs under four tons. Most 30 inch stops are a dozen or two reels, which is a ride-along on any lane.
Resale or recycling
Sound 30 inch reels resell to contractors who wind cable of their own, to makers who want a larger table top, and to growers. Nailed flanges that have pulled loose can sometimes be repaired; split ones are recycled.
How we grade a reel is on resale or recycling; what makes one worth more is on what reels are worth.
Staging and lifting 30 inch reels
Thirty inch reels are light enough to roll and lift by hand, but stacking them flat four or five high on the ground invites a collapse. Stand them on edge in a row, or stack them flat no more than three high, and keep the arbor holes clear so the driver can check them. If they came off a reel stand, look for an oval arbor hole: it is the first thing a buyer checks.
What buyers do with them
At 30 inches a reel makes a good coffee table or a low outdoor table, and growers use them as benches for trays and pots. Contractors who buy cable in bulk and cut it to length themselves buy sound 30s to wind short lengths onto.
Where 30 inch reels pile up
These are the area pages where 30 inch reels are among the usual sizes we see:
- VernonLos Angeles County
- Santa Fe SpringsLos Angeles County
- ComptonLos Angeles County
- El SegundoLos Angeles County
- Huntington ParkLos Angeles County
- Northeast Los AngelesLos Angeles County
- Sun ValleyLos Angeles County
- ChatsworthLos Angeles County
- Van NuysLos Angeles County
- PomonaLos Angeles County
- Santa AnaOrange County
- IrvineOrange County
- Garden GroveOrange County
- FullertonOrange County
- Costa MesaOrange County
- Buena ParkOrange County
- RiversideRiverside County
- Moreno ValleyRiverside County
- PerrisRiverside County
- TemeculaRiverside County
- Jurupa ValleyRiverside County
- OntarioSan Bernardino County
- San BernardinoSan Bernardino County
- Apple ValleySan Bernardino County
Pickup maths for 30 inch reels
On our lanes, 30 inch reels come from building sites and contractor yards more than anywhere: housing in Ontario Ranch and Santa Clarita, offices and apartments in Warner Center and the Irvine Business Complex, and tenant fit-outs in warehouses along the 60. Distributors' branches, which cut wire to length, empty them too.
| 30 in reels | Share of a 53 ft deck | What it looks like | Empty weight, lb |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | 10% | Ride-along | 741 |
| 38 | 20% | Ride-along | 1,482 |
| 95 | 50% | Part load | 3,705 |
| 189 | 100% | Full run | 7,371 |
| 378 | 200% | More than one deck | 14,742 |
Computed by the load planner from the planning count of 189 per deck. Estimates, not promises.
Mixed stacks: try the planner
Most yards have more than one size. The reel load planner adds 30 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.
30 inch reel questions
How many 30 inch reels make a full truck?
About 189 on a 53 foot flatbed, laid flat and stacked three high. That is an estimate.
Are 27 and 32 inch reels handled the same way?
Yes. They load flat and sort with the 30 inch reels.
What do 30 inch reels usually carry?
Building wire and control cable, mostly for commercial jobs.
Are 30 inch reels easy to sell?
Sound ones, yes. They are a popular coffee-table size and contractors reuse them.
How should I stack 30 inch reels?
On edge in a row, or flat no more than three high, with the arbor holes clear.