Where steel reels enter the table
The 60-inch class is the first size in the catalogue where wooden and steel reels share the same dimensions. Southwire publishes both: its A-62 nailed wood reel at 60 x 28 x 28 inches, 34 inches overall, 3⅛-inch arbor hole and about 397 pounds, and its S-62 steel reel at the same 60 x 28 x 28, 34½ inches overall, a 3-inch arbor hole and 340 pounds. The steel reel is lighter here, but the important difference is ownership. Southwire's wood reels are non-returnable with no deposit; its steel reels are returnable and charged. Two reels of the same size, side by side in a yard, can have completely different answers.
Other published examples
- Prysmian 59-inch wood reel: 59 x 40 x 32 inches, 44 inches overall, 300 pounds.
- Okonite 58 x 32 x 28 wood reel: 36½ inches overall, 187 pounds.
Sonoco's truck table counts up to 39 reels of 60 x 28 x 28 per truck.
What comes on them
Medium-voltage cable for utilities and large building services, long runs of feeder for industrial plants and data-centre campuses, and heavy control cable. In the Delaware Valley that points to underground cable replacement in PECO's service area, substation work, and large construction sites such as the data-centre campus being built on the former Fairless Works site in Falls Township.
Handling
A 60-inch reel is five feet tall on its rim. It needs a forklift rated for its weight at the reel's centre, which on a wide reel sits further from the mast than a pallet load. The forks go under the drum, inside the traverse. On a truck, 60-inch reels ride on their rims, chocked and strapped. They should never be stood on a slope.
Telling wood from steel at a glance
Steel reels have welded flanges, often with spokes or a solid steel disc, and frequently steel tyres on the rims. Wooden reels show boards and nail heads, and on heavy builds tie rod nuts and a steel arbor plate. A wooden reel with a steel plate is still a wooden reel. If any part of the flange is welded steel, treat it as a steel reel.
Reuse
Sound 60-inch wooden reels go to rewinders and heavy-cable users, ideally in matched sets. They are also wanted by timber recyclers for their heavy boards when they are past reuse. A single sound 60-inch reel is worth collecting when a truck is nearby; several are worth a dedicated trip.
Arbor holes and stands at this size
The arbor hole tells you a lot at 60 inches. Southwire's wooden A-62 has the standard 3⅛-inch hole; its steel S-62 has a 3-inch bushing. Larger reels in later classes move to 5¼-inch bushings and beyond. A rewinder who wants a 60-inch reel needs to know which hole it has, because the reel stand's shaft must fit. Heavy wooden reels in this class often have a steel arbor plate bolted over the hole on each flange, which protects the wood from the shaft and makes the reel last longer on a stand.
Typical yard mix
A utility contractor's yard in Delaware County or Bucks County, after a cable replacement season, might hold a row of 60-inch wooden reels, a few steel reels of the same size, and some smaller nailed reels from service work. The steel ones go back to their maker. The wooden ones are counted, checked and collected. Matching traverses are noted, because the Prysmian 59-inch with its 40-inch traverse is a very different reel from a 60 x 28 x 28.
Weight in practice
The published weights run from 187 pounds for Okonite's 58 x 32 x 28 up to about 397 pounds for Southwire's A-62. A compact forklift handles either comfortably, but a pallet jack does not: the reel will not sit on the forks safely.
Making room in a laydown yard
Five-foot reels take space quickly. Stood on edge and lined up rim to rim, a dozen of them make a row sixty feet long, or a block that needs a forklift aisle on each side if packed in rows. Contractors who receive these regularly do best by setting aside a marked bay for empties, with timber chocks at each end, and asking for a pickup when the bay is full rather than waiting for the yard to overflow.
As landscape pieces
Large sound reels sometimes go to parks, schools and garden designers as outdoor seating, play features or bases for planters. They need careful checking for nails and splinters first.
Questions
My 60-inch reel has a maker's name but is wood. Is it returnable?
Possibly. Some makers stencil wooden reels they want back. Photograph the stencil and send it with your list.
How heavy is a 60-inch reel?
From about 190 to 400 pounds empty, going by the published examples above. Plan for the top of that range.
Last reviewed 2026-11-09.
