Take your coat off........stay a while. Engauge.

Wire & Cable Abbreviations: Making sense of the letters

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If you work anything like we do around here, you've probably gotten into the habit of using all the wire acronyms in the book, but probably haven't spent a ton of time reflecting on what they mean in a while.

Well, we opened up our old manuals again to refresh our memories, and thought we'd remind everyone else while we were at it.

Type            Description

T                 Thermoplastic insulation
H                 75­°C
HH               90°C
N                 Nylon jacket
W                Moisture resistant
R                 Rubber insulation
U                 Underground use
USE             Underground Service Entrance
UF               Undergaround Feeder
SE               Service Entrance
-2               90°C and wet
X                Cross-linked polyethylene

Let's test it out:

RHW: Rubber insulated, moisture resistant, good up to 75°C

USE-2: Underground Service Entrance wire that can stand wet environments up to 90°C

XHHW:  Cross-linked polyethylene insulation, moisture resistant and good up to 90°C

Photo credit: Tom Magliery