ACAR conductor buyers in Tennessee
A niche overhead conductor, its corrosion behavior, and the practical test that separates an ACAR reel from the ACSR reel standing beside it in the same yard.
Send us your reel list
Six details are enough for a first review: what the cable is, the metal, the size, the footage or reel count, the condition and where it sits. Photographs can follow by text or email. There is no fee and no obligation, and nothing moves until written terms are agreed.
ACAR is the conductor an engineer specifies when the line needs ACSR's shape without ACSR's steel. The outer strands are ordinary 1350-H19 aluminum. The core is a high-strength 6201 aluminum alloy, so the whole conductor is aluminum and the galvanic couple that drives core corrosion is gone. It has been in the catalogues for decades and it has never been common.
Scarcity is the reason this page exists. A reel of ACAR in a Tennessee yard is usually a leftover from one specific line, bought for a reason somebody has since forgotten, and it will sit unrecognized next to ACSR because the two look alike. Identifying it correctly is most of the job, and it changes who can use it.
One magnet test separates a modest reel from an interesting one.
Lot basics
- Core
- 6201 aluminum alloy
- Outer strands
- 1350-H19 aluminum
- Size range
- 266.8 to 1,590 kcmil
- Trait
- No steel core to corrode
How ACAR conductor is put together
ACAR uses a core of 6201 alloy wires surrounded by concentric layers of 1350-H19 aluminum. The core is stronger than the aluminum it supports, which is what allows the conductor to be tensioned, but it conducts as well, so nothing in the cross-section is dead weight the way a steel core is. That is the design argument in a sentence.
Because both components are aluminum, the conductor can be specified with a slightly higher conductivity than an ACSR of matching size, and it weighs less for the same current. Sizes follow the familiar range, and the larger constructions appear on transmission where corrosion was the deciding factor rather than cost per pound. Weight for weight it also carries slightly more current than a steel-cored equivalent of the same size, which is why it turns up in specifications that weigh both capital cost and line losses.
Why the alloy core matters outdoors
In ACSR the aluminum strands and the galvanized steel core are dissimilar metals in contact. At a cut end, a damaged outer layer or a wet splice, that pair can drive corrosion of the core, and a core that has lost its coating is a core that will fail in tension long before the aluminum looks bad. Inspectors look for exactly that on old reels. A dull, rust-stained core at the end of a drum is the signal to quote the reel as recovery.
ACAR removes the couple. The conductor tolerates coastal air, industrial atmospheres and repeated wetting better than ACSR of the same age, and it does not develop the rust bleed that stains a drum after years in an open yard. It is still aluminum, so it is not immune to everything, and a reel stored in standing water will still show surface damage.
Telling an ACAR reel from ACSR on sight
The reliable test is a magnet at the cut end. In ACSR the seven-strand steel core holds a magnet firmly. In ACAR the core is 6201 alloy and nothing in the conductor attracts one. Where the end is sealed or capped, cut back a short length or read the tag, which will usually name the construction explicitly because ACAR buyers asked for it.
Strand geometry offers a second check. The core wires in ACAR tend to be larger relative to the outer strands than a steel core would be, and the whole conductor is a little lighter in the hand. Neither impression replaces the magnet. When both tests are inconclusive we treat the reel as unidentified and quote accordingly.
- Magnet holds on the core: ACSR, not ACAR
- No magnetic attraction anywhere: alloy core, likely ACAR or AAAC
- Tag names the construction and the strand pattern
- AAAC has one alloy throughout, ACAR has two
Questions sellers ask
How common is ACAR compared with ACSR?
Far less common, and it is usually specified for a reason such as corrosive air, a coastal or industrial route, or a utility standard that favored an all-aluminum conductor. Most Tennessee yards hold none at all. When a reel appears it is normally tied to one particular line rather than to general store stock.
Does ACAR bring a better price than ACSR?
As conductor, usually yes, because there is no steel to account for and the whole reel is aluminum by weight. As scrap the difference is smaller than sellers expect, since yards pay on recovered metal content. The premium comes from reusability, and it disappears when the footage is short or the tag is missing.
Can ACAR be spliced to ACSR on the same line?
Not with ordinary compression fittings sized for ACSR, and the two are different products with different sag behavior. Any connection between them is an engineering decision involving compatible hardware and a check on tension. We buy the material as it stands and do not advise on line design.
What do you need to confirm an ACAR reel?
A photograph of the tag, a clear frame of the cut end and the result of a magnet test. If the reel is still banded and the tag is legible, that is usually enough. If the tag is gone, the strand count, the diameter and the absence of a magnetic core together identify the construction.
Send us your reel list
Six details are enough for a first review: what the cable is, the metal, the size, the footage or reel count, the condition and where it sits. Photographs can follow by text or email. There is no fee and no obligation, and nothing moves until written terms are agreed.
An old ACAR reel in store?
Send the tag and a photograph of the cut end, and we will confirm what the reel is.
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