Welding cable Ultimate Guide
- Chapter 1: What is a welding cable?
- Chapter 2: How do you select the proper size of welding cable?
- Chapter 3: What are the uses of welding cable?
- Chapter 4: What are some of the safety considerations when handling welding cable?
- Chapter 5: What are the properties of welding cable?
- Chapter 6: Why choose welding cable from SSG?
- Chapter 7: Welding cable at SSG Cable Inc. R&D Co., Ltd
Chapter 1: Introduction
We manufacture and distribute Welding cable and other cable solutions at SSG. We have over 30 years growing as a significant player in the cables.
Our company has an array of professionals dedicated to giving you exceptional services and products. We are situated in China with customers all over the world.
Apart from welding cables we also manufacture cables for a wide range of applications. These cables include Flexible cable, rubber cable, bulk welding cable, and flexible welding cable.
Our cables are the natural choice for applications where durability, flexibility, and safe operation are important. They can also operate under extreme environmental conditions.
Materials for constructing the cable are carefully selected to ensure safe operation in case of cable failure.
At SSG, we always work towards four goals – quality, choice, performance, and safety. We understand the risks involved in welding and the tremendous importance of welding cable.
Every product you find in our inventory complies with British international Standards of cable manufacture. Our cables have been tested for durability and have been found to perform well under extreme conditions of the welding environment.
Rest assured, we have been powering welding equipment for decades and know what it takes.
Cables might look the same on the outside but it’s the inside that counts. And that can differ enormously. We have always worked with quality as our top priority, listened to our customers and customized our cables to perfectly fit their needs.
‘Cause we have and always will continue to believe that quality pays off.
Your satisfaction is our livelihood. So it goes without saying – we tailor-make our cable solutions to fit your needs.
To make sure our offer fits the bill we have both research centers and very skilled experts at your service.
Regardless of what cables you’re looking for, we have them for sure. A full market offer ranging from 250 mcm welding cable to 500 mcm welding cable.
And if not, we’ll invent them. Plus, we provide you with all the services you might need before, during and after.
We also fix nonfunctioning, old, broken welding cables. The installation of welding cable to your system is free of charge.
We have maintained a constant upgrading system for our welding Cables and all other cables. For more details, you can go through our full guide. We have a suggestion box at the end where you can email us or make an order.
- What is a welding cable?
A welding cable is designed for use in secondary circuits of electrical welders. It typically consists of a single, finely stranded conductor that ranges in sizes from 1 gauge to 8awg as below;
| 1 gauge welding cable |
| 2 AWG welding cable |
| 3 AWG welding cable |
| 4 AWG welding cable |
| 6 AWG welding cable |
| 6 gauge welding cable |
| 8 AWG welding cable |
Welding cable is a portable cord that is used in various welding applications. It is also used to supply power to the welding machine. The welding cable is made of a thermoset jacket.
The most widely manufactured colors at SSG are black and red. We can also manufacture standards of colors upon request.
The standards temperature rating of our cable is 90 degrees. Welding cable is made to be used in applications outside of welding but it will depend on your specific requirements.
We design welding cable for use with connections from electrode holder and clamp to arc welder, welding box, bus or even transformer.
We always recommend you to be checking your welding cable ampacity chart before using welding cable for welding applications. We design some welding cable for higher voltage like 600 V welding cable and low voltages upon request.
At SSG, we manufacture durable versions of standards welding cable for extra hard usage applications. For these types of welding cables, we usually include a brighter colored jacket preferably orange.
These cables are designed to have higher strand counts for higher flexibility, higher temperature ratings, and greater industry approvals.
Be aware that these higher grade welding cables a rarely available on put-up lengths over 500. Most of our durable welding cables tend to perform best in applications such as hoist or crane.
You should always consult us for the exact requirements of your electrical job before you use a welding cable in applications outside its normal specifications.
It is important to understand the difference in strand counts on your welding cable. The stranding is what makes up the majority of the flexibility of the cable.
There are two types of stranding on our welding cable. One is class K which is offered in a black and red jacket. The other is class M which comes in a brighter fluorescent jacket due to the increase in copper involved. The latter is more expensive than the prior as it is more flexible, durable and has tough jacketing properties.
You should always ask the type of stranding on the welding cable you are about to buy to be aware of the product you are ordering.
Two types of electrical welding are resistance welding and arc welding. In both types of welding, a welding cable is used to power the electrode.
For resistance welding, the heat used to fuse two overlapping metals is generated from the resistance if the materials. The metals are placed between two electrodes and a low or high voltage passed from one point to another.
For arc welding, a welding power supply is used to create an electric arc between the base material and the electrode. The electric arc melts the electrode and the remaining metal is used in welding. The arc is sustained by blowing an inert gas between the electrode and the weld surface.
Chapter 2: How do you select the proper size of welding cable?
A welding cable is an electrical conductor for the welding current. It consists of a series of fine copper strands wrapped inside a non-conductive durable jacket.
The fine copper strands give welding cable more flexibility than other types of electrical conductors. The insulated jacket is designed to hold up to repeated movement over rough surfaces.
As the current level increases, the diameter of the welding cable and the resulting cross-sectional area also of the copper also increases. This concept is similar to the flow of water through a horse. A larger diameter of the horse is needed to carry a greater volume of water.
Welding cable ampacity is the maximum amount of electrical current that a cable can safely conduct. The ampacity of a welding cable is affected by the cross-section area, length, resistance rating, the temperature rating of the insulating material and ambient temperature.
The shorter cable can carry more current than longer cable of the same diameter. We use copper in our welding cable because it can handle higher temperatures generated during welding.
Our welding cable sizes are usually categorized by AWG that is American Wire Gauge. Where you find that smaller diameter able has a large AWG number. Also, cable sizes can be expressed in square millimeters.
- Some of the welding cable sizes available at SSG with a rating of AWG include the following;
- 1 gauge welding cable
We manufacture 1 AWG welding cable at SSG. It contains stranded 767/30 bare copper conductors that help with the cable flexibility.
This copper also increases the conductivity of the cable needed in welding applications.
This cable is normally rated for power supply applications up to 600 V. At SSG we can sell 1 gauge welding cable for your applications.
As a leading manufacturer and distributor of welding cable, we can provide several value-added services for this product. Our 1 AWG welding cables are abrasion resistance, flexible and great color retention.
Color retention is important in a welding cable especially when you want to differentiate between the positive and negative and negative cable ends.
If you need this size of welding cable let us know.
Our 2 gauge welding cable features a flexible black or red jacket made of EPDM insulation with 0.07 thickness.
This 2 AWG welding cable contains stranded 624/30 fully annealed bare copper conductors. The copper helps with the flexibility of the wire and adds to the conductivity that is needed in welding applications.
This cable is rated for power supply applications up to 600V. Get to enjoy value-added services once you purchase our 2 AWG cable. Our 2 AWG welding cables are abrasion resistance, flexible and great color retention.
Color retention is important in a welding cable especially when you want to differentiate between the positive and negative and negative cable ends.
If you need this type of cable make your order now!
SSG caries welding cables in several sizes. Our 3 AWG welding cable features a flexible jacket made of EPDM insulation. It may be black or red.
This 3 AWG welding cable contains stranded 1547/30 fully annealed bare copper conductors. The copper helps in the flexibility of the cable as well as increasing conductivity. This 3 AWG cable is rated for power supply applications of up to 600 V.
At SSG, we manufacture 3 AWG welding cable which suits your electrical applications. If you need a customized solution it is also available upon request.
As a leading distributor of welding cable, we provide value-added services for every single order you make. We are also available for consultation about welding cable sizes.
Our 4 gauge welding cable features a flexible black or red jacket made of EPDM insulation with 0.06 thickness.
This 4 AWG welding cable contains stranded 364/30 fully annealed bare copper conductors. The copper helps with the flexibility of the wire and adds to the conductivity that is needed in welding applications.
This cable is rated for power supply applications up to 600V. If you need a 4 AWG cable that can handle lower voltages we can also design it for you. Get to enjoy value-added services once you purchase our 4 AWG cable. Our 4 AWG welding cables are abrasion resistance, flexible and great color retention.
Color retention is important in a welding cable especially when you want to differentiate between the positive and negative and negative cable ends.
Order or no order we are always here for you!
Our 6 AWG welding cable is best used for power supply applications, welding applications, and battery cable up to 600V. This welding cable has an insulation of a thickness of 0.065 inches.
It also contains stranded 260/30 insulation of fully annealed copper conductors. These conductors are covered further by a highly flexible, abrasion resistance jacket made from ethylene propylene.
The rubber jacket also holds the color well as it’s an important requirement that all cable colors remain bright for ensuring safety.
By having a clear vision of positive and negative ends, this 6 AWG cable can be used much more safely. The covering makes our cables temperature resistance is rated to work in conditions between -50 degrees and +105 degrees Celsius.
This type of welding cable is available in black and red colors. We offer infinitFlex 6 AWG welding cable at SSG.
Work with us today and let us know how best we can help you.
SSG caries welding cables in several sizes. Our 8 AWG welding cable features a flexible jacket made of EPDM insulation. It may be black or red.
This 8 AWG welding cable contains stranded 147/30 fully annealed bare copper conductors. The copper helps in the flexibility of the cable as well as increasing conductivity. This 3 AWG cable is rated for power supply applications of up to 600 V.
At SSG, we manufacture 8 AWG welding cable which suits your electrical applications. If you need a customized solution it is also available upon request.
8 AWG welding cable is designed for use as welding leads from the secondary side of the power source.
When selecting the proper cable size for your welding it is best to choose the one that can handle the maximum output of the welder.
You need to determine the following factors when selecting your welding cable
The total length of the welding circuit- This is the total path in which the electricity travels. It includes the power source, electrode cable, and electrode holder. To determine the proper size of the welding cable, you need to add together the full lengths of the electrode cable and the work cable.
The rated output of welding power source- this is simply the maximum current in which the machine indented to be used. It is usually incorporated into the machine name.
The duty cycle of the welding power source- this is simply the capacity rating of a welding power source. It is the percentage of a ten minute period that the power source can operate at a given output. As the output levels decrease the duty cycles increases.
It is important to note that in addition to selecting proper cable size it is very important to maintain the welding cable connections in good condition. Any cracks in the welding cable can decrease its current-carrying capabilities and create hot spots.
Chapter 3: What are the uses of welding cable?
Arc- welding –Welding cable is used in arc-welding due to its durability and flexibility.
Welding cables can be used as entertainment or stage lighting cables for movie theaters, lighting sound systems, and communication vans.
You can also use a welding cable in car batteries and inverter cables. Welding cables can also be used in hoists and cranes.
Many solar power installations use welding cable extensively to connect solar panels, battery banks, and inverters.
Welding cable can be used as a battery cable. You need to be careful to get the right kind of insulated welding cable.
For applications outside welding, you need to conduct us to guide you.
Chapter 4: What are some of the safety considerations when handling welding cable?
Safety is a critical consideration for any welding project. If safety measures are ignored the welder is at risk of electric shock, fire, and explosions among others. You need to read and understand manufactures instructions before using any of our welding cables.
Electric shock is one of the risks that welders are likely to face if they don’t follow instructions to the latter. It can lead to severe injury or even death.
Electric shock occurs when welders touch two metal objects that have a voltage between them. The most common type of electric shock is secondary voltage shock from an arc welding circuit.
It is important to remember to never touch the electrode of the welding cable with bare hands. Always use a welding cloth that will insulate yourself from the work and ground.
You should also inspect the electrode holder for damage before beginning to weld. Always keep the welding cable and electrode holder in good condition.
Always be sure to repair damaged insulation before use. Welding areas require adequate ventilation and local exhaust to keep fumes and gases from the breathing zone.
Stay safe by using carefully selected standard welding cables from SSG.
Chapter 5: What are the properties of welding cable?
Our cable is characterized by the following properties;
Length- make sure that when you measure the distance your cable will have to run, that you make considerations for the flexibility of the cable. Always order an extra cable length unless you have incredibly restrictive special limitations.
Gauge- The gauge of your cable will depend on the strength that the cable will carry. The stronger the current the lower the gauge. If you are not sure of the current you will be running it is best to consult with us before buying.
Insulation- make sure when you are planning your purchase you consider all possible hazards that could come into contact with the cable. It is important to double-check and purchase cables with better insulation.
Coloration- Some welding activities require more than one cable. In this case, it is important that you can differentiate one cable from another. For this solo-coding is very important. If you need more than one cable you should buy different colors.
Chapter 6: Why choose welding cable from SSG?
You might ask yourself why you should choose welding cables from us, and not from somewhere else. It is a fair question. There are many very good reasons.
First of all, we are based in China and we have been producing cables for over 30 years now. We know what it takes to deal with the many different challenges that our customers have.
Second of all, we combine this local knowledge with the strength of being a global market leader.
Being the world’s largest producer of power and telecommunication cables means we have the muscles to innovate and customize our solutions to perfectly match your needs.
Also, we co-operate with universities, scientific institutions and, perhaps most importantly with you.
Your satisfaction is our livelihood.
Based on your needs and your feedback we constantly improve our cables to make sure our offer fits your bill.
No matter what kind of cable you need, we have it. And if not, we will invent it.
That is why doing business with us pays off.
Chapter 7: Welding cable at SSG Cable Inc. R&D Co., Ltd
SSG can research and design independent cable solutions at high levels due to its professional and efficient R&D systems.
Adhering to the business philosophy of total quality control, SSG promotes the stability and development of depth for the independent market.
The west manufacturing area workshop covers 20000sqm. It mainly produces special cables including marine cable, mining cable, flexible cable, wind cable, wire conductors etc.