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Product Glossary

S - Heavy-duty, rubber-insulated portable cord. Stranded copper conductors with separator and individual rubber insulation.
Two or more color-coded conductors cabled with filler, wrapped with separator and rubber jacketed overall. 600V.

SJ - Junior hard-service, rubber-insulated pendant or portable cord. Same construction as Type S, but 300V. Jacket                               
thickness different 

SJO - Same as SJ, but oil-resistant compound outer jacket. Can also be made water-resistant. 300V, 60˚ C.

SJOO - Same as SJO but inner conductor insulation as well as the outer jacket is oil-resistant.

SJOOW - Same as SJOO but also water- and weather-resistant.

SJT - Junior hard-service thermoplastic or rubber-insulated conductors with overall thermoplastic jacket. 300V,
60˚ C to 105˚ C.

SJTO - Same as SJT, but oil-resistant thermoplastic outer jacket. 60˚ C.
 
SO - Hard-service cord, same construction as Type S, except oilresistant jacket. 600V, 60˚ C to 90˚ C.
 
SOO - Same as SO, but inner conductor insulation as well as the outer jacket is oil-resistant.
 
SOOW - Same as SOO, but also weather-, water- and sunlight- (UV) resistant.
 
SP-1V - All-rubber, parallel-jacketed, two-conductor light-duty cord for pendant or portable use in damp locations. 300V
 
SP-2 - Same as SP-1, but heavier construction, with or without third conductor for grounding purposes. 300V.
 
SPT-1 - Same as SP-1, except all-thermoplastic. 300V. With or without third conductor for grounding.
 
SPT-2 - Same as SP-2, except all-thermoplastic. 300V. With or without third conductor for grounding.
 
ST - Hard-service cord, jacketed, same as Type S except all-plastic construction. 600V, 60˚ C to 105˚ C.
 
STO - Same as ST, but with oil-resistant thermoplastic outer jacket. 600V, 60˚ C.
 
SV - Vacuum cleaner cord, two- or three-conductor, rubber insulated. Overall rubber jacket. For light-duty in damp
locations. 300V, 60˚ C.
 
SVO - Same as SV, except oil-resistant jacket. 300V, 60˚ C.
 
SVT - Same as SV, except all-plastic construction. With or without third conductor for grounding purposes only. 300V, 60˚ C         
to 90˚ C  

THHN - Thermoplastic High Heat Resistant Nylon Coated

THWN - Thermoplastic Heat and Water Resistant Nylon Coated

XLP - Crosslinked polyethylene.
 
XLPE - Crosslinked polyethylene
 
RHH - Rubber-insulated, heat resistant building wire, 90° C, dry locations.
 
RHH-2 - Rubber-insulated, heat resistant building wire, 90° C, wet or dry locations.
 
USE - Underground service entrance cable.
 
XHHW - Heat and moisture resistant cross linked polyethylene insulated building wire, 75° C wet.
 
XHHW-2 - Heat and moisture resistant cross linked polyethylene insulated building wire, 90° C wet or dry.
 
American Wire Gauge (AWG) - The standard  system used for designating wire diameter. The lower the AWG. number, the larger the  diameter. Also called the Brown and Sharpe  (B&S) Wire Gauge.
 
Ampere - The unit of current. One ampere is the current flowing through one ohm of resistance at one volt potential.
 
Anneal - Relief of mechanical stress through heat and gradual cooling. Annealing copper renders it less brittle.
 
Direct Buriel Cable - A cable installed directly in the earth without use of underground conduit. 
 
Building Wire - Wire used for light and power, 600  volts or less, usually not exposed to outdoor environment. 
 
CSA - Abbreviation for Canadian Standards Association, a non-profit independent  organization which operates a  listing service for electrical and electronic materials      and equipment. The Canadian counterpart of the Underwriters Laboratories.
 
Circuit Sizes - A popular term for building wire sizes 14 through 10 AWG

Conductor - A wire (or combination of wires not insulated from one another) suitable for carrying electric current.

Conductor Shield - An extrusion of black semi-conducting thermoses material over the conductor to provide a smooth interface with the insulation for even distribution of electrical stress.

Conduit (Electrical Raceway) - A rigid or flexible metallic or non-metallic raceway of circular cross section through which wire and cables can be pulled or housed.

Cord - A small, very flexible insulated cable constructed to withstand mechanical abuse

Direct Current (DC) - An electric current which flows in only one direction.
 
Drain Wire - The uninsulated wire in contact with an electrostatic shield throughout its length, in an instrumentation or control cable, used to discharge unwanted signals. Also provides a means of terminating laminated shields. 

EPDM - Ethylene-propylene-dene monomer rubber. A material with good electrical insulating properties.

EPR - Ethylene-propylene copolymer rubber. A material with good electrical insulating properties.

Flame Resistance - The ability of a material not to propagate flame once the heat source is removed.

Flame Retardance - Ability of a material to p revent the spread of combustion by a low rate of travel so the flame will not be conveyed.

Flexible Cable - A cable containing one or more cores, each formed of a group of wires, the diameters of the wires being sufficiently small to afford flexibility

Foil - A thin, continuous sheet of metal.
 
Gauge - A term used to denote the physical size of a wire.

Ground Conductor - A conductor in a transmission cable or line that is grounded.

Heat Resistance - Ability of a substance to maintain physical and chemical identity and electrical integrity under specified temperature conditions.

High Temperature Wire and Cable - Electrical wire and cables having thermal operating characteristics of 150°C and higher.

High Voltage (HV) - Cables rated over 35Kv. The National Electrical Code defines any cable over 600 volts as High Voltage for the purposes of Article 710. However, Article 326 delineates the generally accepted parameters of Medium Voltage and High Voltage .

Hook-up Wire - A single insulated conductor used for low current, low voltage (usually under 600 volts) applications within enclosed electronic equipment.
 
Jacket  - A material covering over a wire insulation or an assembly of components. 

Lamp Cord - Flexible stranded paralleled 2-conductor cord, rubber or plastic insulated. Used for speaker cord, fans, lamps, etc., where not subject to hard usage.
 
Lead - A wire, with or without terminals, that connects two points in a circuit.
 
Mining Cable - A flame retardant cable especially constructed to withstand long time immersion or exposure to moisture for underground use in the environment of a mine or tunnel.
 
OSHA - Abbreviation for Occupational Safety and Health Act. Specifically the Williams-Steiger law passed in 1970 covering all factors relating to safety in places of employment.
 
Parallel Stripe - A stripe applied longitudinally on a wire or cable parallel to the axis of the conductor.
 
Plenum Cable - A cable that meets the most stringent flammability and smoke-generating tests and is approved by a recognized agency such as UL for installation in plenums without the need for conduit.

Polyethylene (PE) - A family of insulating materials derived from polymerization of ethylene gas. They are basically pure hydrocarbon resins with excellent dielectric properties.
 
Polyvinylchloride (PVC) - A thermoplastic material composed of polymers of vinyl-chloride which may be rigid or elastomeric, depending on specific formulation.
 
Portable Power Cable - Flexible, all rubber insulated for hard usage. Some cables have shielded conductors (metallic or non-metallic) and can have neoprene sheath overall.
 
Power Cables - Cables of various sizes, construction and insulation, single or multi-conductor, designed to distribute primary power to various types of equipment .
 
Put-Up - Refers to the packaging of wire and cable. The term itself refers to the quantity of product that is ready to be stored or shipped.
 
PVC - Abbreviation used for polyvinyl chloride. Polyvinyl chloride is a plastic material that is widely used as a jacketing material in indoor cables.
 
Rated Temperature - The maximum temperature at which an electric component can operate for extended periods without loss of its basic properties.
 
Rated Voltage - The maximum voltage at which an electric component can operate for extended periods without undue degradation or safety hazard.

Riser Cable - The vertical section of a building cable extending from one floor to another.
 
Shield - A metallic layer placed around an insulated conductor or group of conductors to prevent electrostatic or electro magnetic interference between the enclosed wires and external fields. This shield can be braided or served wires, foil wrap, foil backed tape
 
Tinned Copper - Tin coating added to copper to aid in soldering and inhibit corrosion.
 
Tinned Wire - Copper wire that has been coated with a layer of tin or solder to simplify soldering.
 
Tray Cable - A factory-assembled multi-conductor or multi-pair control, signal or power cable specifically approved under the National Electrical Code and/or the Canadian Electrical Code for installation in trays.
 
UL - An abbreviation for Underwriters' Laboratories, a non-profit independent organization, which operates a listing service for electrical and electronic materials and equipment. (Canadian counterpart is CSA).
 
Voltage Drop - The voltage developed across a component or conductor by the current in the resistance or impedance of the component or conductor.