600 V cross-linked polyethylene wire
XHHW and XHHW-2 wire buyers in New York
Cross-linked polyethylene changed industrial wiring because it holds its rating when wet. That one property is why XHHW-2 has displaced thermoplastic wire on so much new plant work, and why the aluminum sizes are worth separating.
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XHHW is a 600 V thermoset wire: cross-linked polyethylene over copper or aluminum. XHHW holds 90 C dry but only 75 C when wet; XHHW-2 keeps the 90 C figure wet or dry, and that is the version specified on most new industrial work. Aluminum from 1/0 to 1000 kcmil is where the weight and the money sit. Reel tags, the alloy marking and jacket condition decide reuse; sunlight and water damage decide scrap.
What cross-linking actually does
Polyethylene on its own softens and deforms when it gets warm, which makes it a poor insulation for anything carrying load. Cross-linking ties the polymer chains together chemically, so the material keeps its shape and its dielectric strength at temperatures that would soften ordinary polyethylene or PVC. The result is a thermoset insulation that can run at 90 C and, in the XHHW-2 version, do it in a wet location as well.
That is the whole argument for the family. A thermoplastic insulation may be perfectly adequate in a dry ceiling, but a plant with washdown, condensate, buried conduit or a wet pit needs an insulation that does not absorb water and does not soften. XLPE also has higher dielectric strength than PVC, so the wall is generally thinner for the same voltage rating, which matters when a conduit is already crowded.
XHHW against XHHW-2, and where each is used
The two designations differ only in the wet-location temperature. XHHW keeps its 90 C figure only while dry and drops to 75 C in a wet location; XHHW-2 holds 90 C in either condition. In practice almost all wire made today is dual-marked XHHW-2, and the -2 is what a specifier writes when the conductor will sit in a wet location at full load: a wastewater aeration blower, a chiller plant, an outdoor feeder in buried conduit, a food plant washdown area.
New industrial work in New York has largely standardised on XHHW-2 for feeders and services, in both copper and aluminum. Aluminum in the large sizes is the reason the family matters commercially: 500 kcmil aluminum carries 310 A at 75 C and 350 A at 90 C, and it costs a fraction of the copper equivalent in both money and weight. A plant feeder in 500 or 750 kcmil aluminum is a normal thing to find on a surplus pallet, and it is a normal thing to sell back into a project.
| Size | Aluminum, 75 C | Aluminum, 90 C | Copper, 75 C |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 AWG | 90 A | 100 A | 115 A |
| 1/0 AWG | 120 A | 135 A | 150 A |
| 2/0 AWG | 135 A | 150 A | 175 A |
| 4/0 AWG | 180 A | 205 A | 230 A |
| 250 kcmil | 205 A | 230 A | 255 A |
| 350 kcmil | 250 A | 280 A | 310 A |
| 500 kcmil | 310 A | 350 A | 380 A |
| 750 kcmil | 385 A | 435 A | 475 A |
Condition, and the photographs that settle it
XLPE is a durable insulation and it survives storage far better than PVC, but it has two weaknesses that show up in surplus lots. The first is ultraviolet light: unless the jacket is marked sunlight resistant, a reel that has stood outdoors for years will chalk, craze and eventually crack at a bend. The second is water at the ends. A coil stored with open ends on a wet floor will pull moisture into the stranding, and aluminum in particular will form oxide that has to be cut back before the conductor can be terminated.
Mechanical damage is the third issue and the easiest to see. A reel that was dropped has a flat spot and often crushed insulation on the inner layers; a cable pulled around a corner without a sheave has a kink that will not straighten; a conductor dragged over concrete has scuffed insulation that fails a visual inspection even though the copper is sound. All of these are visible in a photograph if the photograph is taken in the right place.
- Jacket print showing size, type, voltage and any sunlight-resistant marking
- Reel tag, footage and the alloy designation on aluminum lots
- A cut end, square, showing conductor color and whether oxide is present
- The outside of the coil where UV damage and scuffing show first
- The storage surface, so a buyer can see whether the reel sat in water
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 44; NEC Article 310 |
|---|---|
| Voltage rating | 600 V |
| Insulation | Cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE), a thermoset rather than a thermoplastic |
| Temperature rating | XHHW 90 C dry and 75 C wet; XHHW-2 90 C dry and wet |
| Size range | 14 AWG through 1000 kcmil |
| Conductors | Copper to ASTM B3 and B8; AA-8000 series aluminum, compact stranded to ASTM B801 |
| Typical markings | Size, type, voltage, sunlight-resistant marking where applicable, alloy and footage |
| Common New York sizes | 350, 500 and 750 kcmil aluminum feeders; 6 to 2 AWG copper for equipment |
Constructions
XHHW lots we review
The family splits cleanly into reusable feeder stock and recovery material, and the split is usually about water and sunlight.
Aluminum feeder reels
350 to 750 kcmil aluminum XHHW-2, often left from a plant or service upgrade. The highest-value category in this family when the reel tag survives.
Copper equipment wire
6 to 2 AWG copper, used for motor drops, panel ties and small feeders. Comes as part reels and short coils; valued on gauge and length.
Wet-location service cable
XHHW-2 run in buried conduit or outdoors. Reusable if the jacket is intact and the ends were sealed; recovery material if water reached the stranding.
Sun-degraded yard stock
Reels that have stood outside long enough for the surface to chalk and craze. Sometimes the inner layers are still sound, which is established by a bend test on a sample.
Mixed plant surplus
Part reels of several sizes plus cut lengths from a shutdown. Worth separating by size, because a 500 kcmil part reel and a 6 AWG coil are not the same conversation.
New York
XHHW in the New York market
Upstate New York is where most XHHW surplus originates. Wastewater and water treatment plants, paper mills, food and dairy processing, chemical plants and the hydro and nuclear stations all run wet or damp processes, and all of them specify XHHW-2 for feeders. When a plant replaces a motor control center or rebuilds a process line, the feeder cable that comes out is often large aluminum XHHW with years of life left in it.
Downstate the family appears in a different form: buried conduit feeders, garage and plaza services, and the mechanical plants of large buildings, where wet-location cable is specified because the conduit will be wet whether anyone admits it or not. In both cases the value question is the same, and it is about the ends and the jacket rather than the metal.
What helps a New York lot move
- Whether the cable is copper or aluminum, stated plainly
- Size in kcmil or AWG, and the number of conductors if it is a multi-conductor assembly
- Type as printed, including whether it says XHHW-2
- How the ends were sealed and where the reel was stored
- For aluminum: whether the conductor is bright or heavily oxidised
Seller questions
Questions sellers ask
What is the difference between XHHW and XHHW-2?
The wet-location temperature rating. XHHW manages 90 C dry and 75 C wet, while XHHW-2 keeps 90 C in both conditions. Almost all wire manufactured today is dual-marked, and the -2 version is what industrial specifications call for when a feeder will operate wet at full load.
Why is XHHW-2 so common on new industrial work?
Because it holds a 90 C rating in wet locations, resists moisture absorption and has a thinner wall than a thermoplastic insulation of the same rating. That combination suits plants with washdown, condensate, buried conduit and high ambient temperatures, which describes most process industry in New York.
Is aluminum XHHW worth selling?
Yes, and in the large sizes it is the more valuable half of the family. A 500 or 750 kcmil aluminum feeder reel carries a lot of metal and can often be reused on another project. It needs to be identified as AA-8000 series alloy and the cut ends need to be bright rather than heavily oxidised.
How can you tell if XHHW has been damaged by sunlight?
The surface chalks, changes color and develops fine crazing that becomes visible when the cable is bent. If the jacket is marked sunlight resistant it will survive far longer outdoors. A sample bent around a mandrel tells a buyer more than any description.
Does XHHW come in multi-conductor cable?
The wire itself is single conductor, but XHHW conductors are used inside tray cable, MC cable, service entrance cable and medium voltage assemblies. When a lot is described as XHHW, check whether it is single conductor on a reel or a multi-conductor cable with XHHW conductors inside, because the two are priced differently.
Keep reading
Related pages
- THHN and THWN wire buyersThe thermoplastic wire this family replaces in wet areas
- Feeder cable buyersWhere the large aluminum sizes usually belong
- Aluminum wire buyersThe metal side of an aluminum lot
- Tray cable buyersMulti-conductor cable built on XHHW conductors
- Medium voltage cable buyersAbove 600 V, where XLPE is standard
- Water damaged cable buyersWhen the ends were left open
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