ALUMINUM BUILDING WIRE, AA-8000 ALLOY, 12 AWG TO 1000 MCM
Aluminum is not a cheaper copper. It is a different conductor with its own alloy, its own terminations and its own market.
Aluminum carries most of the heavy current in Kansas. Service entrances, subpanel feeders, shop services and utility distribution are aluminum far more often than copper, and the reason is weight and cost rather than fashion. A 500 MCM feeder is a hard pull in copper and an ordinary one in aluminum.
We buy aluminum building wire from 12 AWG through 1000 MCM, in XHHW-2, THHN, SER, SEU, URD and medium voltage, on full reels, part reels and coils. The alloy and the tag decide the value. Send the alloy marking, the size and the footage, all three of which are printed on the product rather than guessed.
Why Aluminum Carries the Big Feeders
Aluminum conducts at about 61 percent of copper's conductivity, so a conductor of the same ampacity needs roughly 1.6 times the circular mil area and weighs about half as much. That trade is why aluminum took over large feeders and service entrance work: the same job with a lighter conductor that costs less per foot.
The weight difference is what matters on a roof, in a riser or on a pole. A 500 MCM aluminum conductor weighs about a third of the copper conductor of the same size, and a set of parallel aluminum feeders can be pulled by a crew that would need equipment for the copper equivalent.
- Service entrance and feeder conductors from 1/0 through 1000 MCM, the bulk of the market.
- Aluminum SER and SEU for panels, subpanels and single-phase services.
- XHHW-2 and THHN/THWN-2 in compact stranded aluminum.
- URD and USE-2 for underground and utility work.
- 15 kV and 25 kV concentric neutral cable with aluminum phase conductors.
AA-8000 and the Alloy Question
AA-8000 series alloy is what the Code calls for in aluminum building wire, and it exists because the earlier EC grade failed in small branch circuits. The failures of the 1960s and 1970s were in 12 and 10 AWG aluminum with terminations never designed for it. The remedy was a harder alloy and better connectors.
The alloy matters at the termination more than in the middle of the run. AA-8000 is stiffer and holds torque better than EC grade, and it is compact stranded so the conductor fits a standard lug. A reel marked AA-8000, 8030 or 8176 is a modern product. A reel marked EC is older stock and is priced accordingly.
Where Aluminum Shows Up
Aluminum appears at the heavy end of almost every category on this site, which is why it earns a page instead of a footnote. The same metal turns up as a 4/0 SER subpanel feed, a 500 MCM XHHW-2 service, a run of URD to a shop and a 15 kV line to a pad-mounted transformer.
Ampacity is read from the aluminum column, and it is lower than copper for the same size. A 4/0 aluminum conductor carries 180 amperes at 75 degrees where 4/0 copper carries 230. The 90 degree column reads 205 for that aluminum conductor, and the termination still governs what the circuit can be.
| Type | Construction | Voltage | Common sizes | Packaging |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XHHW-2 | Thermoset XLPE, compact stranded | 600 V | 12 AWG-1000 MCM | 500-5,000 ft reels |
| THHN/THWN-2 | Thermoplastic, nylon jacket | 600 V | 12 AWG-1000 MCM | 500-2,500 ft reels |
| SER | 3 insulated plus ground, round | 600 V | 2 AWG-4/0 | 125-1,000 ft coils |
| SEU | 2 insulated plus bare concentric neutral | 600 V | 2 AWG-4/0 | 125-1,000 ft coils |
| URD | Twisted, bare concentric neutral | 600 V | 2 AWG-750 MCM | 500-5,000 ft reels |
| USE-2 | Single conductor, direct burial | 600 V | 8 AWG-1000 MCM | 500-2,500 ft reels |
| MV concentric neutral | 15 kV or 25 kV shielded | 15-25 kV | 1/0-1000 MCM | 1,000-5,000 ft reels |
Pricing Aluminum Against Copper
Aluminum is priced differently from copper for three reasons. The metal is worth less per pound, the metal is a smaller share of the finished cable's cost because insulation and shielding dominate, and the buyer pool is narrower for small aluminum lots that a contractor would rather not stock.
The practical result is that footage, alloy and construction count for more than weight. A 1,000-foot reel of 500 MCM aluminum XHHW-2 is a good lot. Forty feet of 2 AWG aluminum is not, even though both are the same metal. We will say so rather than make the short piece sound like a prize.
- Alloy and temper, marked on the tag or in the print.
- Compact versus compressed stranding, which changes diameter and lug fit.
- Neutral size on SER, SEU and URD assemblies.
- Whether the reel is full, part or a remnant.
- Terminations left on the cable, since aluminum lugs are AL/CU rated and worth identifying.
Photograph and Note
Photograph the tag and the print. Aluminum is identified by the print on the insulation and the tag on the reel; metal color alone is not enough, because tinned copper and aluminum photograph alike under a work light.
The offer is wire and cable, with no equipment attached to it. Transformers, switchgear, breakers, motor control centers, generators, chillers and machinery stay with the seller. Copper building wire is covered under building wire, service assemblies under SER, SEU and URD, and single-conductor ratings under THHN and XHHW. The quote form takes the tag details.
- The reel tag, showing alloy, size and footage.
- The print on the insulation, showing type and any aluminum marking.
- A cut end, showing compact stranding and the metal color.
- The neutral on SER, SEU or URD, since its size affects value.
- The reel flange and what equipment can reach it.
Send the tag, the print and a cut end. Aluminum is a good conductor with a specific set of rules, and the tag says which rules apply. We price it as aluminum, not as copper under another name.
Related buying pages
Other wire families we buy
Building Wire
Copper and aluminum branch, feeder and service wire, boxed coils or full reels.
Open pageTHHN, THWN and XHHW
The everyday conduit wire, including THWN-2 and XHHW-2 in wet and dry locations.
Open pageMC, AC and Tray Cable
Armored and corrugated cable, tray cable, VFD cable and PLTC, cut lengths included.
Open page
Straight answers
QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS CABLE
Is aluminum wire safe?
AA-8000 alloy, in the sizes and terminations it is listed for, is a standard product used on services and feeders every day. The failures people remember were small branch circuits in older alloy with incompatible terminations. Modern aluminum needs a listed connector and the specified torque.
Why is aluminum cheaper than copper?
The metal costs less per pound and the conductor is lighter, so a service can be built for less. The trade is a larger conductor for the same ampacity, and terminations that must be rated for aluminum rather than copper.
Do you buy 12 and 10 AWG aluminum?
Yes, though it is uncommon in new work and the lots are usually small. It is priced as its own product, and the alloy marking matters more at that size than it does at 4/0, because the terminations are less forgiving.
How do you price aluminum against copper?
From the tag rather than the metal market alone. Alloy, size, insulation, footage and reel condition set the number. Short pieces of aluminum are worth less per pound than a full reel of the same conductor.
What about aluminum URD and medium voltage?
Both are in scope. URD is covered on the service and underground page, and 15 kV and 25 kV concentric neutral cable with aluminum conductors on the medium voltage page. Photograph the tag either way, since the neutral size is easy to miss.
Request a quote
TELL US WHAT YOU HAVE
Send the details and photos of the reels. A tag photo and a jacket photo answer most of our questions, so you do not have to measure anything twice.
- Wire and cable only: no transformers, switchgear, breakers, MCCs, generators or machinery.
- Full reels, partial reels, spools, coils and boxed stock all welcome.
- Statewide Kansas pickup arranged after we agree on the load.
- Prefer to talk it through? Call +1 (614) 715-3047.
SELL YOUR SURPLUS WIRE IN ALUMINUM WIRE
Send the tag photos and we will price the lot, partial reels included.