We buy surplus portable cord
A mixed cord lot is totaled, not itemized. Sort by configuration, add the footage, and the whole cage becomes one review instead of fifty.
Send the lot
Six details are enough to start: what the cable is, how much there is, where it is and what condition it is in. Photos can follow by text or email.
Prefer to talk 954-740-1983A working cage of cord is rarely tidy. SJOOW, SOOW, STOW and SEOOW collect in bundles by configuration, from 18 AWG through 6 AWG, 2 to 5 conductors, with the common sizes going from 16/3 and 14/3 up through 10/4 and 6/4, and the small sizes carrying most of the footage.
Cord arrives in bulk or not at all. A single twenty-five-foot length is not a lot, but a venue cage or a rental house shelf holding several hundred lengths in four configurations is. The work is in the sorting, and the sorting is what makes the lot readable.
Configurations and how to group them
Group by configuration first: 16/3, 14/3, 12/3, 10/4, 6/4. The gauge and the conductor count together identify what a length can do, and a cord that is the wrong configuration for a job is no use however long it is.
Then separate new from used. A coil still in its wrap is read as new. A coil that has been in service is read as used, and the two should not be in the same box, because the mixed read is always the lower one. That single step does most of the work.
Cut cord and what it is worth
Cut cord is not scrap and it is not new material. It sits in between: too short for a long run, long enough for a spider box, a light tree or a short tie. Most of the cord in a venue cage is this, and a lot of it is still good.
We read cut cord on configuration, jacket condition and total footage. A hundred lengths of 12/3 at fifteen feet is fifteen hundred feet of 12/3. Because the number is what matters, band the lengths by configuration and write the count on the bundle.
Totaling a mixed cage without counting every cord
Nobody wants to measure a cage of cord one length at a time, and nobody has to. Bundle by configuration and gauge, write the count and a typical length on each bundle, and the total comes out close enough to review against. Precision comes later if the lot warrants it.
Where the bundles are already mixed beyond sorting, say so and send a photograph of the cage. A bulk lot can be reviewed on the cage, the rough count and the mix of configurations. It is a rougher read, but it is a real one, and it beats leaving the cord on a shelf.
What this page covers
The rows a buyer would fill in when reviewing this kind of lot. If your cable matches most of them, the submission is ready.
| Voltage rating | 600 V |
|---|---|
| Configurations | 2 to 5 conductor |
| Sizes reviewed | 18 AWG to 6 AWG |
| Condition accepted | New surplus, used, cut |
| Site type | Venues, maintenance rooms, rental houses |
Seasonal cord from Austin venues and rental houses
Austin's event and hospitality trade runs on portable cord. Clubs on Red River and Sixth Street, the festival sites along the river, hotel ballrooms and the rental houses that serve them all hold cord in quantity, and the mix changes with every season.
The same material sits in maintenance cribs across the metro, from the plants in Taylor to the school districts in Round Rock and Kyle. When a rental house buys new cord or a venue changes its rig, the old cord comes out in a batch, and batches are what we buy.
Sellers ask
Do I have to count every length?
No. Bundle by configuration, write the count and a typical length on each bundle, and the total will be close enough to review. A cage can also be read as a bulk lot from a photograph, which is rougher but faster.
Is used cord bought?
Yes, and it is the bulk of what comes in from venues. It is read on jacket condition and configuration rather than on age. Cord that has gone hard or worn through to the conductors is separated out, and the rest is totaled.
What about cord with molded ends?
Molded ends are fine and often add usefulness, since a cord with a sound plug is ready to put back in service. Note how many lengths in each bundle still have both ends. Cut cords are bought too, but they are read separately.
Send the reel list
Six details are enough to start: what the cable is, how much there is, where it is and what condition it is in. Photos can follow by text or email.
Prefer to talk 954-740-1983