Wire we buy / URD and USE-2
URD and USE-2 cable buyers in Virginia
Direct-burial cable is exposed to the two things that end a reel's useful life: water and sunlight. A sealed URD reel is easy to review; one that has stood in a muddy yard for two summers usually is not.
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URD and USE-2 cable is installed underground for services, outbuildings, lighting and utility work. In Virginia it turns up as leftover reels from utility projects, co-op and municipal contracts, and contractor service work in rural counties.
Constructions reviewed
- Single-conductor USE-2 and dual-rated USE-2/RHW-2 in aluminum or copper.
- URD triplex and quadruplex assemblies with a bare or insulated neutral.
- URD with a concentric neutral for utility distribution.
- Submersible pump cable and direct-burial feeder in factory packaging.
- Dual-rated cable marked for both conduit and direct burial.
Sunlight and water are the deciding factors
Most URD jackets are not sunlight resistant, which is why a reel left on a pallet in the weather for two years fails before its wire does. Check for a chalky surface, fine surface cracking when the jacket is bent, and water inside the end cap. USE-2 is rated for wet locations, but that rating assumes an intact jacket, not one that has been cut and left open.
Neutral configuration changes the buyer
A triplex with a full-size insulated neutral and a triplex with a reduced bare neutral are not interchangeable for every installation. Record the print, including the neutral size if shown, and photograph the exposed end where the neutral and phase conductors are visible.
Utility surplus often has paperwork. If the cable came from a co-op, municipal utility or contractor contract, purchase records and reel tags usually exist. Include them; it turns an unidentified reel into a documented one.
Submitting underground cable
Size, conductor count, neutral configuration, footage per reel, jacket condition and storage history. Add the city or ZIP and how the reels would be moved — URD reels are often heavy enough that a trailer and a winch are needed.
Questions sellers ask
Questions about this material
Can weathered URD reels still be reviewed?
Yes, with the jacket condition documented. Surface chalking is common; cracking, exposed conductor or water inside the jacket is a different situation and is usually reviewed as recoverable rather than reusable.
Do you buy URD with a concentric neutral?
Concentric neutral utility cable is reviewed as its own construction. Send the print, the conductor and neutral sizes, and whether the reel is factory sealed.
Is triplex the same as URD?
Triplex is a conductor arrangement often used with URD cable. The review needs both: the arrangement you have and the jacket print that identifies the cable type.
Keep reading
Quote request
Sell your surplus wire — request a quote
Describe the lot as it actually sits. Photos of the reel tag and jacket print do more than any description, and mixed or unidentified cable can still be submitted for review.
Submitting URD and USE-2 cable in Virginia for review.