![]() ![]() Particularly in network transmission applications, fiber offers a number of distinct advantages over copper. The graph below demonstrates the sharp decrease in the Product Price Index (PPI) for the manufacturing of fiber optic cable: Historically fiber has been more expensive than copper, but with the rising costs of copper and the decreasing cost of installation of fiber, it is now a much more cost-competitive alternative. Fiberįiber has emerged as another alternative to copper. IEWC maintains stock of THHN and XHHW-2 building wire and has identified sources that stock and produce aluminum stranded products. Since aluminum is more brittle than copper, it is most often used in large-gauge building wire, as the applications for these products do not often require a great deal of flexibility. No More Than 3 Conductors in Raceway/CableĬORRECTION FACTORS FOR VARIOUS AMBIENT AIR TEMPERATURES ![]() SUGGESTED AMPACITIES (All Types of Insulations) COPPER Consequently, more aluminum must be used to pass the same current as copper, which results in larger cables. The main disadvantage of aluminum compared to copper is that while it offers the same ampacity, it is less conductive, and it is more brittle. As a result of its density, more cable can be produced from a metric ton of aluminum than copper. Most importantly, it is much lighter and denser. ![]() $8,477/tonne for copper).Īluminum differs from copper in a number of ways. Aluminum is a lower cost alternative to copper, and while the aluminum market has also seen volatility during the last year, it has only increased 24% from the first quarter of 2020 to the first quarter of 2021 and remains much cheaper than copper ($2,091/tonne for aluminum v. This begs the question as to what, if any, alternatives to copper stranding are available for purchasers of wire and cable? The answer is aluminum. Costs have increased 50% from the first quarter of 2020 to the first quarter of 2021 and market experts believe that the cost of copper will continue to increase over the next year. Copper Conductor Alternatives Copper price increases show no sign of slowing, but wire & cable purchasers have alternativesĬopper costs have gone up at an exponential rate since the beginning of 2020. ![]()
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