Overhead conductor · transmission and subtransmission
ACSR conductor buyers in New York
Aluminum conductor steel reinforced is the workhorse of New York's overhead network. It is also the cable most often sold by weight to somebody who cannot read the code name on the drum.
- New York State
- Documented lots
- Reels and cut lengths
- Buyer review
Sell this cable
Send the construction, size and footage. Photographs can follow.
Prefer to talk? 614-715-3047 · saleselectricalbuyers@gmail.com
ACSR is priced on four things: the code name (which fixes the size and stranding), the condition of the steel core, the footage on the drum, and whether the reel tag survived. A tagged drum of 795 kcmil Drake is a different asset from a loose coil of the same conductor with no identification — even though the metal is identical.
What ACSR actually is
ACSR is a concentric-lay conductor: one or more layers of hard-drawn 1350-H19 aluminum strands wrapped around a central steel core. The aluminum carries current; the steel carries tension. That division of labor is why ACSR spans further than any all-aluminum conductor of the same weight, and why it became the default for overhead lines almost everywhere.
The core is normally galvanised steel. On routes where salt or industrial atmosphere attacks galvanising, aluminum-clad steel (ACSR/AW) is used instead, and the difference matters at resale: AW core material survives storage far better and is identifiable from the tag. Greased constructions also exist and hold up better in coastal yards, but the grease makes visual inspection harder.
The conductor is defined by two numbers that are usually written together: the size in kcmil and the stranding. 336.4 kcmil 26/7 means 26 aluminum strands over a 7-strand steel core. 795 kcmil 26/7 is the same geometry at a larger size. The code name — Linnet, Hawk, Dove, Drake — is shorthand for exactly that pair.
The code name is most of the price
Utilities do not order 'some ACSR'. They order Drake, or Cardinal, or Linnet, because the code name fixes the size, the stranding, the weight and the sag behavior on a given span. A buyer who knows the code name knows what the drum can be used for. A buyer who does not is guessing, and a guess is priced as scrap.
These are the code names that turn up most often on New York line work and contractor surplus. If the tag is gone, the printed legend on the outer strands, the measured diameter and a count of the outer strands will usually identify the conductor.
| Code name | Size (kcmil) | Stranding | Where it turns up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linnet | 336.4 | 26/7 | 69 kV and 115 kV subtransmission, distribution feeder |
| Hawk | 477 | 26/7 | 115 kV and 138 kV line work, reconductor jobs |
| Dove | 556.5 | 26/7 | 138 kV and 230 kV, heavier spans |
| Drake | 795 | 26/7 | 230 kV and 345 kV, bundled conductor |
| Cardinal | 954 | 54/7 | 345 kV bundles, long spans |
| Bittern | 1,272 | 45/7 | 345 kV, high-tension river and valley crossings |
| Bluebird | 2,156 | 84/19 | Large transmission conductor, rare in New York |
What decides what a drum is worth
Four things, in this order: construction and size, footage, condition, and documentation. Construction and size are fixed by the code name. Footage is on the tag, or measurable from the wrap diameter and the drum class. Condition is where lots separate — a drum stored under cover on a returnable reel is not the same as a drum that has stood in a yard through three winters.
Documentation is the multiplier. A drum tag with a running footage, a purchase order and a test certificate is worth materially more than the same conductor with a hand-written length in marker pen. Keep the tag with the drum; a tag in an office drawer is worth nothing to the material.
- Core rust — visible as brown staining at the ends or between strands. A rusted core loses tension capacity and moves the drum toward recovery value.
- Kinks and birdcaging — usually caused by poor unreeling or by a drum that was dropped. Once strands separate, the conductor cannot be restrung.
- Clamp and corona damage — burn marks or crushed sections from suspension clamps and armour rods, common on removed conductor.
- Cut lengths — clean, square-cut ends and a stated length are reusable; random cut-offs are recovery material.
- Reel condition — a sound returnable steel or wood reel is worth keeping intact; a collapsed reel often damages the outer layers.
Specification
What a buyer needs to know about this cable
Every row below changes what a lot is worth. If the reel tag is gone, the jacket print and a cut end usually answer most of it.
Missing detail is not a problem — say what is missing and the review works from photographs.
| Standard | ASTM B232 (concentric-lay stranded aluminum conductor, coated steel reinforced) |
|---|---|
| Aluminum strands | 1350-H19 hard-drawn aluminum |
| Steel core | Galvanised steel, or aluminum-clad steel (ACSR/AW) for corrosive routes |
| Size range | No. 6 AWG through 2,156 kcmil; New York line work clusters around 336.4, 477 and 795 kcmil |
| Stranding | 26/7 and 54/7 are the common transmission arrangements; 6/1 and 12/7 appear on distribution |
| Drum lengths | Typically 2,500 to 15,000 ft depending on size and reel class; 10,000 ft is common in distribution sizes |
| Identification | Code name stamped on the reel tag, plus the printed legend and a footage count |
| Condition signals | Kinks, birdcaging, crushed strands, rust staining from the core, corona or clamp damage |
Constructions
ACSR we review in New York
The same conductor behaves very differently depending on where it came from and how it was handled.
Tagged reconductor surplus
Whole drums left from a reconductor project, still banded, with tags and running footage. The best category: it can go straight back into a line store.
Cut and spliced lengths
Conductor removed in sections, with compression splices or automatic splices in place. Valued on usable length and the number of clean ends, not on the original drum.
Weathered yard stock
Drums that have stood outdoors for years. Outer strands oxidise, the core rusts at the ends, and the reel itself may be failing. Reviewed as recovery material unless the tag and footage justify reuse.
Coastal and industrial exposure
Long Island and harbor-side yards see salt attack; industrial corridors see chemical attack. Aluminum-clad core and greased constructions are the ones that survive it.
Damaged and storm conductor
Conductor with kinks, birdcaging or clamp damage from storm restoration. Usable sections are cut out; the rest is recovery.
Mixed line-crew surplus
Part drums of several code names, plus OPGW, grounding wire and jumpers. Separated by code name it is worth considerably more than as one pallet.
New York
ACSR in the New York market
New York runs a 345 kV bulk network with 230 kV and 138 kV beneath it, 115 kV on Long Island, and 69 kV subtransmission feeding distribution substations almost everywhere. ACSR appears at every one of those levels, which is why it is the single most common overhead conductor in the state's surplus stream.
Reconductoring is the main engine. Upgrading a line to carry more current, or replacing conductor that has reached the end of its corrosion life, produces surplus drums and removed conductor in the same project. Storm restoration produces damaged conductor in volume, usually mixed and usually undocumented.
What helps a New York lot move
- Drum tag, running footage and purchase order kept together
- Code name stated plainly — Drake, not 'big ACSR'
- An honest note on storage: covered, open yard, or on the ground
- Whether the reel is returnable and sound enough to move
- For removed conductor: where it came from and why it was taken down
Seller questions
Questions sellers ask
How do I identify ACSR if the tag is gone?
Measure the outside diameter, count the outer aluminum strands and note whether the core is visible at a cut end. Those three facts plus a strand count usually resolve the code name. The printed legend on the outer layer — size, stranding and the standard — is the fastest route when it is still legible.
Do you buy ACSR that has been in service?
Yes, once it is de-energised, down and released. Served conductor is valued on remaining usable length, core condition and clamp damage. Conductor that has been on a line for decades is usually recovery material; a drum removed from a line after a short service life can still be reused.
What length of conductor is worth a truck?
It depends on the code name more than the length. A partial drum of 795 kcmil Drake can justify a run at a few thousand feet; 336.4 Linnet usually needs a full drum or several part drums together. Freight is the deciding factor, not a fixed minimum.
Do you take mixed drums of different code names?
Yes, but they are reviewed and priced individually. A mixed line-crew lot that has been separated by code name is worth materially more than the same material on one pallet, because each drum can then be matched to a use.
What about the steel core — does rust matter that much?
It matters more than most sellers expect. The core carries the tension, so corrosion at the ends or between strands reduces what the conductor can safely be used for. Light surface oxidation on the aluminum is normal; brown staining from the core is a value signal.
Keep reading
Related pages
- Overhead conductor buyersThe wider bare conductor category
- AAAC conductor buyersAll-aluminum alloy alternative
- ACSS conductor buyersAnnealed aluminum for high-temperature operation
- Transmission line cable buyersThe full line-material picture
- OPGW fiber buyersThe shield wire that runs above it
- Reconductor project cable buyersWhere most surplus drums originate
City pages
Where this turns up in New York
Next step
Send the lot details
Include the storage city, how it is stored and what can reach it. If you have photographs of reel tags or jacket print, send them with the enquiry.
Send the lot
One desk reviews every lot that arrives.
Prefer to talk? 614-715-3047 · saleselectricalbuyers@gmail.com