Wire & Cable Glossary

Wire & Cable Abbreviations

S = service J = Junior O = Oil Resistant T = Thermoplastic/Vinyl W-A = Weather Approved P = Parallel E = Elastomer

SRDT
Range and dryer cord, 3 conductor parallel or 4 conductors insulated thermoplastic construction.

Cord
An insulated wire (conductor) for conveying current.

SVT
Vacuum cleaner service cord. All plastic construction, 2 or 3 conductor.

Current
The ow of electricity through a conductor measured in amperes.

SEOW
Extra hard service cord. Thermoplastic e l a s t o m e r, o i l r e s i s t a n t ( T P E ) construction jacket. 600 volt, weather resistant for outdoor use.

TPE
Abbreviation for thermoplastic elastomer compound used in Arctic/Tropic (SJEOW) and Frigid-Flex (SJEW) cords.

Direct Current (DC)

An electrical current that ows in one direction. Batteries are an example of DC current production.

SJEW
Hard service Thermoplastic or rubberinsulated conductors and overall Thermoplastic jacket. All elastomer construction. 300V, 90C to 105C. Weather resistant.

AWG
American Wire Gauge. A relative system for the designation of diameter.

Decibel (db)
A unit of power output (acoustical or electrical), for example, power gain in ampliers or power loss in cables.

Alternating Current (AC)

Or line voltage-U.S. household standard current is 110/120 volts, 60 cycle.

Diode
An electrical component that passes current in one direction and blocks it in the other direction.

SJEOW
Hard service Thermoplastic or rubberinsulated conductors and oil resistant overall Thermoplastic jacket. All elastomer construction. 300V, 90C to 105C. Weather resistant.

AMP Load
Total amount of amperage owing through a conductor (wire) when it is loaded.

Fahrenheit
English temperature scale, where water freezes at 32 (compared to 0 Centigrade), and boils at 212 (compared to 100C).

SEW
Extra hard service cord TPE jacketed all Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE) construction. 600V, 90C to 105C. Weather resistant for outdoor use.

Bell Wire
Vinyl covered copper wire, normally 18 gauge, used for low voltage wiring, i.e.: doorbell, chimes, etc.

Gauge
Term used to denote physical size of wire.

Centigrade
Metric temperature scale, where water freezes at 0 (compared to 32 Fahrenheit), and boils at 100 (compared to 212F).

STW
Extra hard service cord. Thermoplastic constructed jacket. 600 volt, weather resistant for outdoor use.

Ground
Electrical term referring to connecting to the earth or large conducting body to serve as earth.

SJTW
Hard service cord. Thermoplastic constructed jacket. 300 volt, weather resistant for outdoor use.

Circuit
The path that electricity ows through a conductor.

Hot Conductor
Pertains to any ungrounded conductor, or energized wire.

Compound
Insulation or jacketing material of two or more ingredients.

HPN
Parallel Heater Cord, typically Neoprene insulated two conductor.

SPT-1
Thermoplastic constructed cord, parallel jacketed, 300 volt, 2 or 3 conductor, 18 gauge.

Conductor
Material (wire) that is capable of transporting an electrical charge easily. Cords can be two points or a single wire or individual wires in a cable.

Insulation
Non-conductive material that surrounds or separates two conductive materials (wire).

SPT-2
Same as SPT-1 except heavier construction. 18-16 gauge.

SPT-3
Same as SPT-2 except heavier construction. 18-10 gauge.

Continuity Test
Determines whether an electrical path exists between two points of a single wire or individual wires in a cable.

Milliamp
One thousand (.001) of amp.

NEMA
National Electrical Manufacturers.

Wire & Cable Glossary

OSHA
Occupational Safety and Health Act. Specically the Williams-Steiger law passed in 1970 covering all factors relating to safety in places of employment.

Volt
Unit to measure electromotive force.

Watt
Unit of electrical power dened as one amp of current driven by one volt of electromotive force.

Polarity
Condition by which the direction of current ow can be determined in an electrical circuit.

Polarized Plug
A plug constructed to allow insertion into a receptacle only one way because one blade is wider than the other.

Primary Wire
Intended for low voltage applications, usually less then 50 volts. Used mainly in autos/trucks or battery operated equipment.

PVC
Polyvinyl Chloride. Compound used in thermoplastic (SJTW, STW) cords.

Rated Voltage
Maximum voltage at which an electrical component can be operated for extended periods without causing a safety hazard or undue degradation.

Resistance
A substance that impedes the ow of current resulting in loss of power, such as heat.

Sheath
Outer jacket or covering of multiconductor cable.

Stranded Conductor
A wire conductor comprised of a group of twisted or braided strands of wire, providing exibility a single strand of wire of the same gauge cannot.

Thermoplastic
Plastic material that softens when heated and rms when cooled. Examples are Poly Vinyl Chloride and Polyethylene.

UL
Underwriters Laboratories, an independent, non-prot organization that operates a listing service for electrical/ electronic materials/ equipment.