Columbus cable that was ordered twice and used once

A metro that buys in phases

Columbus builds in phases: a data hall first, then a second, then a power upgrade that was scheduled for later and got pulled forward. Each phase carries its own cable order, and when the schedule moves, the reels that were staged for the old sequence stay wrapped in the yard.

That pattern produces very clean surplus. A pallet of full THHN reels from a deferred phase has never been unwound, still has the mill wrap and the tag, and is worth reviewing as new material. The same warehouse usually holds a second, messier pile from the electricians who worked the first phase, and that one needs sorting before it is worth anything.

What turns up here

Commercial and mission-critical work dominates: THHN and XHHW in the large sizes, MC and HCF for interior runs, tray cable on the industrial side of the same sites, and feeder cable from switchgear to panels. Data halls add Cat6, Cat6A and fibre by the box, often with part boxes left over.

Distribution centres along the I-70 and I-270 arcs add a different mix. Their maintenance contractors replace cord and control cable on conveyors and sorters, and the leftovers accumulate as short coils rather than reels.

• Full reels from deferred or cancelled project phases
• Part pallets of THHN in mixed colours
• MC and HCF cut-offs from interior fit-out
• Tray and VFD cable from conveyor and sorter work
• Cat6 and fibre boxes, opened and part-used

Docks, appointments and the last hundred feet

Most Columbus sites have a level dock and a trailer court, which makes the loading itself easy. The constraint is time: a live distribution centre books freight windows weeks out, and a data hall under commissioning may refuse a delivery altogether until a phase is handed over.

Tell the desk which of those two you are dealing with. A dark warehouse with a forklift on site can load at short notice. A live facility needs an appointment, a delivery route and sometimes a badge for the driver.

Before a Columbus lot is priced

The facts that matter are phase, tag and colour count. Cable from a cancelled phase should be described as such, with the purchase date if it is on the tag, because age affects the jacket and the buyer will ask. Colour counts matter on THHN because a pallet of black sells differently from a pallet with a balanced set.

Anything that has been pulled and returned to the reel should be separated from the untouched stock. A reel that has been on a pull may have a scuffed jacket and a shortened length, and both change the review.