Portable cord and temporary power
SOOW and portable cord buyers in New York
Portable cord is the least reusable cable in the building and one of the most common things a contractor asks about. Knowing why it resists reuse is the difference between a fair price and a disappointment.
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Prefer to talk? 614-715-3047 · saleselectricalbuyers@gmail.com
Portable cord is a flexible assembly of two to five insulated conductors under a rubber or thermoplastic jacket, covered by UL 62 and NEC Article 400. SOOW is 600 V with oil-resistant insulation and jacket; SJOOW is the 300 V junior version; STOW is the thermoplastic equivalent. Sizes run 18 AWG to 2 AWG. Cord is usually cut to length, end-damaged and safety-retired, so it is mostly recovery material.
Reading the letter code
Portable cord designations are built from a code, and once it is decoded the product is easy to place. S means a 600 V service cord; SJ means junior, rated 300 V and made in smaller sizes. The first O means oil-resistant insulation, the second means an oil-resistant jacket, so SOOW has both. W means water-resistant and suitable for outdoor use. T means thermoplastic jacket, E means elastomer, and the combination tells you whether the cord stays flexible in cold or stiffens with age.
The code matters commercially because a buyer for a construction site wants SOOW, not STOW, in most cases, and a buyer for a small bench tool can use SJOOW. A spool of 12/3 SOOW is a recognisable product with a known market. A spool of unmarked cord is a guess, even when the copper is identical.
Why cord resists reuse
Cord is bought as a finished product and consumed as a length. An electrician cuts 25 ft for a tool, fits a plug and a connector, and the rest of the spool stays on the van. The pieces that come back are the ones that failed: jacket cut through by a door, a plug pulled off, a cord run over by a lift, or a length that got hot enough to harden the insulation. Those pieces are removed from service for good reason, and no responsible buyer will sell them back as portable cord.
The arithmetic is unforgiving too. A portable cord carries a heavy jacket, fillers and, in the smaller sizes, a lot of insulation relative to copper. A 16/3 cord is mostly jacket by weight. That is why cord is near the bottom of the value table per pound even though the copper inside is the same copper as anywhere else, and why a load of cut cord is priced as recovery rather than as cable.
| Designation | Voltage | Typical use | Reuse outlook |
|---|---|---|---|
| SOOW | 600 V | Temporary power, tools, equipment drops | Good when on a spool and undamaged |
| SJOOW | 300 V | Small tools, bench equipment | Limited; small sizes have little copper |
| STOW | 600 V | General temporary power | Fair; thermoplastic jacket hardens with age |
| SEOOW | 600 V | Cold-weather and outdoor use | Good if the jacket is still flexible |
| SJTOW | 300 V | Light-duty tools and appliances | Rarely worth reuse |
| Cut and end-damaged cord | Any | Retired from service | Recovery only |
Where cord still has value
There are two situations worth a proper look. The first is a full or part spool of unopened cord, usually from a cancelled project, a rental company clearing stock, or a contractor who over-ordered for a fit-out. A 250 ft spool of 12/3 SOOW with the label on it is a saleable product and can go back into a supply chain.
The second is large-gauge cord: 8, 6, 4 and 2 AWG in three and four conductor constructions, used for generators, temporary distribution and heavy equipment. At those sizes the copper dominates the weight, the jacket is proportionally thinner, and the material holds real value even as recovery. Small-gauge cut cord is a different matter, and it is usually only economic as part of a larger mixed load.
- The spool label and the jacket print, showing the full letter code and gauge
- A cut end showing conductor count and color
- The jacket surface, showing cracks, cuts, burns or oil swelling
- Whether the cord is on the original spool or loosely coiled
- The ends, showing whether plugs and connectors are fitted or cut off
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 | UL 62; NEC Article 400 |
|---|---|
| Voltage rating | 600 V for S, SO, SOO and ST constructions; 300 V for the SJ junior versions |
| Size range | 18 AWG through 2 AWG |
| Conductor counts | Two, three, four and five conductor assemblies are standard |
| Letter code | S service cord, SJ junior, O oil-resistant insulation, second O oil-resistant jacket, W water-resistant and outdoor, T thermoplastic, E elastomer |
| Jacket materials | Thermoset rubber for SOOW, thermoplastic elastomer for STOW |
| Temperature | Typically 60 C to 90 C depending on the compound and the listing |
| Common New York sizes | 12/3 and 10/3 for tools and temporary power, 16/3 and 18/3 for small equipment |
Constructions
Portable cord lots we review
Spools, cut lengths and retired cord are three separate conversations, and only one of them is usually a cable sale.
Unopened spools
250 and 500 ft spools with labels, usually 12/3 or 10/3 SOOW. The only category that reliably sells as portable cord.
Part spools
Spools with 50 to 200 ft left, stored indoors. Saleable if the jacket is sound; priced down for handling.
Large-gauge generator cord
8 to 2 AWG in three and four conductor constructions. Heavy copper, thinner jacket ratio, and worth a proper review.
Retired and damaged cord
Cord removed from service after a jacket failure. Recovery material, and correctly so, because it is not safe to resell as cord.
Mixed cut lengths
Bins of short whips from a job site. Copper value only, and usually only economic within a larger load.
New York
Portable cord in the New York market
Cord is consumed by every trade. Construction sites, concrete and masonry crews, rental yards, marinas, wastewater pumping, entertainment and stage work, and every maintenance shop in the state buy it by the spool and retire it by the armful. The supply is therefore constant and the average quality is low, because the material that comes back is the material that failed.
The commercial reality is that cord is a freight problem more than a value problem. It is bulky, it tangles, and a gaylord of cut cord holds far less copper than the same volume of building wire. That is why cord lots are usually combined with other material or collected as part of a larger clear-out, and why a single spool of 12/3 is worth a conversation but rarely a dedicated truck.
What helps a New York lot move
- The full letter code and gauge, read from the print rather than guessed
- Whether the cord is on an original spool with a label
- Total length and the number of separate pieces
- Jacket condition, and whether any of it has been in standing water
- Whether the cord is new surplus or has been in service
Seller questions
Questions sellers ask
What does SOOW stand for?
The letters describe the construction: S for a 600 V service cord, the first O for oil-resistant insulation, the second O for an oil-resistant jacket, and W for water-resistant and outdoor use. SOOW is the standard heavy-duty portable cord for temporary power and equipment connections.
What is the difference between SOOW and SJOOW?
The voltage rating and the size range. SOOW is a 600 V cord made in larger gauges, while SJOOW is the junior version rated 300 V and made in smaller sizes. A junior cord is not a substitute for SOOW on a 480 V temporary distribution run.
Why is used portable cord worth so little?
Because it is cut to length, the ends are damaged, and the pieces that come back are usually the ones that failed inspection. Add a heavy jacket and fillers relative to the copper, and the value per pound is low. Cord that is still on an original spool is the exception.
Can damaged cord be repaired and sold?
No. Cord removed from service for jacket damage, heat damage or a pulled plug is not something that should go back into circulation as portable cord. It is bought as recovery material for its copper content, which is the honest and safe way to handle it.
Do you buy large-gauge generator cord?
Yes. Sizes from 8 AWG down to 2 AWG in three and four conductor constructions carry enough copper to be worth a review on their own, particularly when the lengths are long and the jacket is intact. Those are also the cords most likely to be reusable.
Keep reading
Related pages
- Welding cable buyersThe other flexible single-conductor family
- Copper wire buyersWhere retired cord ends up
- Submersible pump cable buyersAnother wet-location flexible cable
- Contractor leftover buyersJob-end cord and cable together
- Mixed pallet cable buyersCord is usually part of a mixed load
- Partial reel buyersPart spools and how they are priced
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