Type W

What Is Type W Cable?

Type W Cable is a durable, heavy-duty portable power cable for use outdoors in industrial and mining applications. Cables have thick synthetic rubber insulation and an oil, chemical, and water-resistant jacket. Cables have one, two, three, four, or five conductors. While there's no separate ground wire, you may use the green conductor in three, four, and five-wire cables as a ground conductor. Type W cable has good impact and abrasion resistance and a voltage rating of 2,000v AC or DC.

Type W Cable Types

There are three distinct Type W portable cables: single conductor, multiconductor, and flat.

Single Conductor

A round cable with synthetic rubber insulation covered by a jacket. Single-core cables have RHH and RHW ratings, allowing their use in 600-volt general wiring applications under the National Electrical Code.

Multiconductor Round

Multiconductor versions have two to five conductors. Each conductor has a unique color. The cable has a round profile with a bound core for added strength and flexibility.

Flat

This unusual profile has four parallel D-shaped conductors for three-phase AC applications without a  separate ground wire.

Type W Cable Design

Conductors

Single and multi conductor Type W cables have rope-lay-stranded copper conductors. The flat version uses stranded tinned copper conductors with a D profile.

Insulation

All cables have synthetic rubber insulation made from ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) reinforced by a polyester braid. EPDM has good resistance to water and chemicals and excellent heat, ozone, abrasion, and weathering properties. It is a thermoset material with good dielectric properties.

Jacket

Jacket materials are chlorinated polyethylene (CPE) or chlorosulfonated polyethylene (CSPE). Both materials are tough, with exceptional abrasion resistance and weathering properties. They are resistant to water, oils, acids, alkalis, diesel, and gasoline and have good flame resistance properties.

Separators

Type W flat cable uses polyester tapes to separate each conductor

Type W Cable Applications

You may use Type W cable as portable power supply cables for 2,000-volt three and four wire AC power supplies that require grounding, as well as for ungrounded AC and DC power supplies. Examples include mobile mining equipment, generators, pumps, shuttle cars, drills, and electromagnets. Additionally, single conductor versions carry a dual RHH/RHW rating, allowing their use in permanent 600-volt AC and DC installations including raceways and cable trays, and for stage and theater lighting, sound systems, and portable power supplies in the entertainment industry.

Similar Cables

Multicore Cables

Alternative heavy-duty portable power cables include Type G and Type G-GC portable cables. Type G portable cable differs from Type W in that it has three or four separate ground conductors, one for each phase wire. Both have the same type of insulation and heavy-duty jacket, and in many instances are interchangeable. The exception is Type G-GC cable, which has a separate ground check wire to detect for ground wire faults. 

Single Conductor Cables

Diesel locomotive cable (DLO) is similar to Type W single conductor cable, except it has greater flexibility due to a higher number of conductor strands. Other than that, key specifications are similar, including the maximum voltage rating of 2000V.

Type W Cable Specification

Type W Cable Approvals

• UL Type W (2,000 volts, all types)
• UL Dual Rated RHH/RHW (single conductor only 600 volts)
• MSHA flame test
• UL flame test
• ICEA S-75-381/NEMA WC-58
• CSA approval
• Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) approval

Contact our sales or support representatives for help selecting the right Type W cable.