Building Wire Buying guide
Chapter 1: Introduction
SSG manufactures and supplies building wire and other cable types. With more than decades of experience in the cable industry, you can rely on the quality of SSG Cable products. Our commitment to superior customer service is the number one reason customers keep coming back.
Our building cables are manufactured in accordance with British and other international standards. We follow strict IEC rules in our manufacture.
Our team is committed to a partnership approach that supports our customers. We offer product innovation, solutions and customer training on the use of building the cable. Our delivery services are fast and effective.
Our building cables are packed on barcoded coils for ease of material handling. Our cables have helped supply communities with power at a cost-saving price across the continent.
At SSG Cable, we provide an extensive range of stock building wire products. Our ordering procedure is computerized with an inventory tracking technology.
Our customer services are available 24/7 for any inquiries please conduct us. We have our sales team standby to receive your order. We deliver even when others can’t.
If you are in need of a building wire send us an invoice. Send us your project description and leave the rest to us. To know more about our building cable, we have prepared this outline for you.
We offer a wide variety of both copper and aluminum building wire. Our building wire is available in multiple color types and constructive types.
Our building wire is designed for an application that may involve wet or dry locations. Our building wire comes in armored and unarmoured versions.
SSG Cables ensures safety and efficiency when installing building wire in residential houses or apartment buildings.
We are confident we can continue being your successful partner now and in the future.
What is a building wire?
Building wire is used to carry electricity into or within buildings and structures. Building wire is used in the construction of every commercial, residential or industrial property all over the world. Building wire must be sized and installed correctly to keep the electricity running.
Building wire is applied in electrical wiring systems, power generators, motors, and electrical lights. Some of the building wire construction we have include ACWU and NMWU which are well suited for direct earth burial. ACWU wiring is best suited for hazardous conditions.
Generally, building wire is designed to be used in;
- Power distribution activities
- Service entrance
- Branch circuit application
Make your construction project successful by using building wire from SSG Cable. We offer 24/7 customer support.
Chapter 2: What are the types of building wire?
Our building wire ranges from 300 to 2 kV consisting of both copper and aluminum product lines. Each building wire is available in various constructive types. Welcome to SSG Cable and select your building wire which suits your applications.
Knowing the basic wire types is essential to almost building a project around the house.
When examining the existing wiring in your home the wire type can tell you about the circuit the wiring belongs to. For instance, when you open a junction box it can tell you which wires are going where.
Choosing building wires for modern houses is quite standard. Any new electrical installation requires new wiring that conforms to modern building codes.
- Building wire terminology
Most wiring terminologies helps you to understand a few basic terms used to describe wiring in constructions. Building wire is made up of aluminum or copper conductor.
The purpose of the conductor or material is to conduct electricity. The conductor should be solid metal or stranded wire.
Most building wires are insulated meaning they are wrapped in a nonconductive plastic coating. Ground wires are typically made of solid copper insulated with a green sheathing or sometimes left bare.
Most of the modern houses use building cable in the form of nonmetallic cable. This NM contains two or more individual wires wrapped inside a protective plastic sheathing.
NM cable usually contains one or more current-carrying wires. That is a neutral wire and a ground wire.
We can also have individual wires replacing the NM cable. Individual wires can be installed inside a rigid or flexible tubing called conduit. Conduit is typically used where the wiring will be exposed and not hidden inside walls, floor or ceilings.
These larger wires you see in your home carry circuit voltage and they are very dangerous to touch with bare hands. There are also a number of wires in your home which carry a lesser amount of current or voltage.
These ones are lesser dangerous hence no shock can happen once you touch them. Until you know exactly what kind of wires you are dealing with, it is best to treat them dangerous.
- Nonmetallic cable( NM cable)
This is a type of circuit wiring designed for interior use in dry locations. Most NM cable has a flattened tubular shape and runs invisibly through the walls and floor cavities of your room.
Almost all of the wiring in outlets and light fixtures are NM Cable. NM cable is sold in different sizes depending on your order. We now sell NM cable with a color-coded outer jacket to indicate its wire gauge.
- White sheathing indicated NM cable with 14 gauge conductors
- Yellow sheathing indicated NM cable with 12 gauge conductors
- Orange sheathing indicates NM cable with 10 gauge conductor
- Black sheathing is used for both 6 and 8 gauge wire
- Gray sheathing is preserved for underground UF cable.
It is important to note that NM cable is dangerous to handle while the circuits handle are carrying voltage and current.
- UF cable
Also called underground feeder cable. It is a type of nonmetallic cable designed for wet locations and direct burial in the ground. It is commonly used for supplying outdoor fixtures such as lamppost.
UF cable contains insulated hot and neutral wires plus a bare ground wire. The sheathing of UF cable is solid plastic that surrounds the wire completely.
We normally sell UF cable with grey outer sheathing. Get yourself UF cable today and use it for outdoor applications. We can install the UF cable for you also.
For major circuit wiring, you can also use UF cable. A lot of care must be taken as UF cable carries a dangerous amount of voltage as long as the circuits are turned on.
- Low voltage wire
This type of wire we recommend it to be used for circuits requiring 50 volts or less.
We have several types of this wire including;
| Sprinkler system connection wire |
| Doorbells wire |
| Speaker system wires |
| Thermostat wires |
| Landscape lighting wire |
We have wire sizes ranging from 22 gauge to 12 gauge.
This wire is insulated and contained in cable twisted pair. This wire must be used for low voltage applications only. No serious shocks occurring on this type of wire.
- Phone and data wire
Telephone and data wire are low voltage wires used for landline telephones and the internet. For a telephone cable, it may contain four or eight wires.
We have also category 5 cable which is used for household data. It contains eight wires wrapped together in four pairs. It can be used for both phone and data transmission. It offers greater capacity and quality transmission than standards phone wires.
Data wiring carries a small amount of voltage hence not dangerous for household application. You should always make sure your data wiring does not come into conduct with household wiring. Also, avoid touching bare wires. Keep out away from the reach of children.
- THHN/THWN wire
These are two types of insulated wire used inside the conduit. THHN and THWN are single conductors each with its own color-coded insulation. They are4 protected by tubular metal or plastic conduit.
Conduit issued for short exposed runs inside the building such as wiring connection for garbage disposers and hot water heaters.
The T stands for thermoplastic, H for heat resistance, HH for high heat resistance, W for wet locations and N for nylon coated for added protection.
These wires carry high voltage which should never be handle once circuits are turned on. We have black, red and orange colors for hot wires. Neutral wires are normally white or brown. Ground wires are green-yellow.
Copper is viewed to be the most efficient, strongest and most reliable metal. It is also one of the most economical conductor money can buy. For these reasons, we manufacture building wire with copper properties. Some of the copper building wire we have at SSG include;
This may be a solid or stranded bare copper conductor. The conductor is made of cross-linked polyethylene insulation. The copper bonding wire can be bare or stranded. It is made following the international electrical cable standards.
The conductor is soft annealed bare copper.
Chapter 3: Why copper is the most preferred building wire?
Copper is more efficient than any other electrical conductor. Copper also provides more current than aluminum for a given diameter of the wire. Copper conductors used in building wire often have a conductivity rating of 100% and above.
Copper building wire requires less insulation and smaller conduits than aluminum. Copper contains copper oxide which is a good conductor of electricity. Copper also contains superior thermal conductivity which saves energy and accelerates heat dissipation.
- Copper is compatible with connectors and other devices.
All your connections will be solid with corrosion-resistant copper. Copper building wire is compatible with brass and other quality plated screws. Copper wires can be installed easily, no special tools are required for installation.
Being flexible it’s easy to connect wires around your building and also the hardness helps keep the connection secure.
We have copper building wire available with us. If you also need an aluminum building wire it is also available. Make your order today.
- Copper is corrosion resistance
Copper gives your building wire a corrosion resistance often referred to as a noble metal. Copper is not subject to galvanic corrosion when connected to other less corrosive metals and alloys.
Copper building wire also resists corrosion from moisture and other atmospheric influences. Get yourself a corrosion-free building wire from SSG Cable.
Being strong copper is able to resist stretching and breaks. Our Copper building wire does not undergo breaks and cracks easily. This property has made our copper building wire to remain the conductor of choice in the most building industry.
Copper wires also resist creep. Creep is the gradual deformation of metal unfair stress.
- Copper is easy to install
The flexibility of copper building wire makes it very easy to install in buildings. When you pull it through a conduit, it resists stretching or breakage. You can bend it or twist it easily and still, it will not break. You can also strip it and terminate it during installation with far lesser danger of breakage.
Over the life of your building, superior performance translate into the real economy. With copper, you get superior current carrying capacity for narrower conduits.
No extra maintenance and repair call due to poor performance and breakdowns. With copper building wire you are assured of extra protection against liability for possible problems in service. Over the life of your system, the strength and performance of the copper conductor always make it the most cost-effective wiring.
Aluminum building wire is mostly used for bulk power distribution. You can also use aluminum conductor for larger feeder circuits with heavy current loads due to the various advantages they offer.
We manufacture both types of wire conductors at SSG. Send us your project details and we will recommend the best building wire for you.
Chapter 4: How do you install building wire?
Installing building wire might be a challenge to many. Installing building wire in every construction site needs expertise attention.
At SSG Cable, we ensure that our building wires area PVC insulated and has copper conductors installed in every gauge steel. This is essential for the safety of those living in the building.
We have a license in building wire installation hence we assure you no risk of electrical fire from faulty wiring. We have a team of licensed, highly trained electricians who can do the installation for you. We also check for any troubleshoot with your home wiring systems. Call us today and you won’t be disappointed in the future.
For those who like to wire their own house, below are safe steps to follow when doing so.
- Design a wiring diagram
You need to design a wiring diagram that shows the location of the breaker box and the path of the wires to each outlet.
- Install conduits
Start each wire upstairs and pull it through the basement. You need to start by running the longest wire first to avoid wastage of conduits in walls. In this way, you do not use a ladder to push the wire up between the floors.
You should also leave at least one foot of extra wire at each end just in case you need to move things around later.
- Know outlet count
You need to determine how many outlets and switches will run on one circuit. Normally six outlets per a 110 voltage circuit are advisable in a living area. For your kitchen use about 2 per circuit. Appliances use more wattage.
- Drill wire holes
First, before drilling any hole, you need to know what is on the other side of the wall. This is to avoid drilling through any water pipes or ductwork.
Drill holes of 1 inch bit in the middle of the studs where your wires will travel. The more outlets you have, the safer your home.
- Set a breaker
Set your breaker box where you can easily access it in the future. A location in a basement or a utility room is desirable.
- Pull the wires to the outlets
Place the roll of wire next to the breaker box and pull the wire according to your diagram to the outlets for each switch. You can also run the wires straight through the box.
Use a wire stripper to remove the outer plastic coating from the ends of the wire. Attach them according to the instructions we have provided you in the box at each outlet.
- Install the circuit
Install individual circuits for each wire set. The circuits must match the amperage of the wire and the intended purpose of the outlet.
Follow the above steps of achieving a successful installation process. In case of any challenge in installation don’t hesitate to call us.
Chapter 5: What are the types of circuits used for building wire?
A closed-circuit has a complete path of current to flow. A closed-circuit is the best for building wires.
You might think an open circuit is best since its open. An open circuit is functionless and doesn’t allow current to flow.
A short circuit is a low resistance path that bypasses part of a circuit. Fuses and circuit breakers automatically open the circuit when there is an excessive current.
Use a closed circuit for your home wiring system.
Chapter 6: What are the properties of building wire?
While selecting a building wire most customers look at the properties of the wire. Our building wires have the following properties;
- Electrical conductivity
Electrical conductivity is the measure of how well a material can transport an electric charge. This is an essential property in wiring systems. Copper has the highest electrical conductivity. Our building wire is made of copper conductors.
- Tensile strength
This is the force required to pull an object to the point where it breaks. Our building wire has high tensile strength.
- Ductility
This is the ability to deform under tensile strength. This property is very important in building wiring because the wire cannot be hammered or drawn.
- Corrosion resistance
This is the unwanted breakdown of a wire due to chemical reactions. Our wire is made of copper which is a good resistance of moisture, humidity, and industrial pollution.
- Thermal conductivity
Thermal conductivity is the ability of a wire to conduct heat. In wiring systems, high thermal conductivity is important for dissipating waste heat. The presence of copper in our building wire helps in reducing thermal hot spots in electrical wiring systems.
For this and other properties, our building wire performs best as per most of our customer’s feedback. Work with us today and let us be the reason behind your successful wiring systems in your building.
Chapter 7: Where can I order building wire?
Right here!
If you are looking for a building wire to accomplish your project you are in the right place. SSG Cable is a certified company that follows every standard of building wire manufacture.
Our Building wire has been recognized by customers from China, the USA, the Middle East, and other Asian countries.
We supply other types of cable. We also offer training for our customers before any purchase to know how to handle the wire.
Everything you need for your building wiring system we have it. We have also electrical experts to help you with the installation process. Our shipping services are trustworthy.
You can email us or call us today. We have our sales team standby tom receive your orders.
Chapter 8: Building wire at SSG Cable Inc. R&D Co., Ltd
SSG Cable is developing market-leading products. Our key research areas include securing core technologies for customer value maximization. R&D on integrated SWS wiring system development. Our research involves developing excellent human resources and existing human resources into excellent professionals.
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