The reel that fills most trucks
The 36-inch class is where truckload logistics start to matter. Sonoco's EcoReel programme lists a 36 x 24 x 17 reel as the smallest size in its truck table, at up to 200 reels per truck, which tells you this is a size that moves in bulk. In the Delaware Valley, 36-inch reels come off feeder pulls on commercial buildings, schools, hospitals and warehouses, and off communications and fibre jobs. They are the first size most yards have too many of.
Published examples
- Okonite 36 x 18 x 12 wood reel: 22½ inches overall, 64 pounds.
- Okonite 36 x 24 x 17 wood reel: 28½ inches overall, 77 pounds.
- Southwire H-13 nailed reel: 36 x 16⅜ x 18 inches, 19⅜ inches overall, 76 pounds.
- Southwire N-24 nailed reel: 36 x 28 x 14 inches, 31¾ inches overall, 83 pounds.
- Prysmian 38-inch wood reel: 38 x 27 x 20 inches, 31 inches overall, 90 pounds.
The range in overall width, from about 19 to 32 inches, is wider than in smaller classes, so a 36-inch reel can be a low coffee table or a full-height dining table depending on which one it is.
Handling a 36-inch reel
One person can roll it on a level surface; lifting it takes two, or a forklift. On a truck, 36-inch reels ride standing on their rims in rows, wedged or strapped. They are heavy enough that rolling one down a ramp needs control, and light enough that people try to carry them alone and drop them on their flanges, which is how many get broken.
Why this size gets reused
Contractors reuse 36-inch reels more than any other size because they hold a useful length of mid-size cable and still fit through a doorway. Rewinders want them in matched sets. Makers want them for tables that seat two to four. Sound 36-inch reels are almost always worth collecting.
Condition checks
- Both flanges flat and parallel; stand the reel on each rim in turn and check it does not lean.
- Drum staves tight, none missing.
- Arbor hole round, about 3⅛ inches on most nailed reels at this size.
- Bottom rim solid; push a screwdriver in where it has touched the ground.
- No lagging nails left in the rims.
Mixed makes, same size
A yard of 36-inch reels usually holds reels from several mills, with traverses from about 16 to 28 inches. If they are going to a rewinder, matching matters, so sort by traverse as well as flange when you count. If they are going to recycling or a general reuse buyer, flange size alone is fine.
In the truck table
Sonoco's count of 200 reels of 36 x 24 x 17 per truck is a useful benchmark when planning a large pickup. A yard with sixty 36-inch reels is about a third of a truckload; a yard with two hundred is a full one. See large loads for how big yards are handled.
Doorways and stairs
A 36-inch reel is about the widest that passes through a standard exterior door, and only on its rim, straight through, with no turn just inside. That matters both for collection from basements and garages and for buyers bringing one home for a table. Measure the narrowest point on the route, including stair turns and gates. Rolling a 36-inch reel down basement stairs is a two-person job with a rope, and up the stairs it is harder still. If the reel is below ground level, say so in the request and we will bring the right help.
Rewinders and matching
Because 36-inch reels are reused so much, they are the size rewinders most want in matching sets. Ten reels of identical flange, traverse and drum let a rewinder fill and ship them as a uniform order. When you count yours, note the traverse as well as the flange.
Dining tables and pub tables
A 36-inch reel lying on its flange is about the right width for a small dining or pub table for two to four people, though its height usually needs adjusting. Makers raise it on a plinth or fit a central post with a larger top, turning the reel into a pedestal base. Bars and breweries like that look on terraces and beer gardens. For that use, matched sets matter: buyers want three or six reels with the same build and wood colour, which takes a little patience to assemble.
Within reach of a pallet jack
Many warehouses move 36-inch reels on a pallet jack rather than a forklift: two reels lying flat on a pallet, or one standing reel chocked with timber. If that is how your site handles them, tell us; a liftgate truck will meet the pallet at the dock.
Cable pulls with a reel this size
Electricians often mount a 36-inch reel on jack stands beside a pull box and feed cable as a tugger hauls it through conduit.
Questions
Is the 38-inch Prysmian reel in this class?
Yes. Flanges within a couple of inches are grouped together, because they handle and sell the same way.
Can one person move a 36-inch reel safely?
Rolling on level ground, yes. Lifting, no.
Last reviewed 2026-11-09.
