A twisted pair cable is a type of cable made by putting two separate insulated wires together in a twisted pattern and running them parallel to each other.

A duplex construction of two insulated conductors laid parallel and then covered overall with a braid or jacket.

A stripe applied longitudinally on a wire or cable parallel to the axis of the conductor.

The process of feeding a cable or wire from a bobbin, reel or other package.

The maximum instantaneous voltage of an electrical circuit.

Quantity of plating on a conductor expressed as percentage by weight; thus, for the same percentage, as the conductor diameter increases, so does the thickness of the plating.

Conductivity of a material expressed as a percentage of copper.

A melt processible insulation with excellent thermal and electrical insulation properties including resistance to practically all chemicals, resistance to weathering and low friction coefficient.

See Dielectric Constant.

A chemical added to XLPE to initiate the cross-linking process.

Distance between two adjacent crossover points of braid filaments. The measurement in picks per inch indicates the degree of coverage.

The number of times the carriers in a braid cross over each other in the same direction along the longitudinal axis for each inch of length.

One-millionth of one-millionth of a farad. A micromicrofarad or picofarad (abbreviation pf). (See µµF).

A chemical added to insulation compounds to impart color for circuit identification.

Fine-stranded, extra-flexible, ropelay lead wire attached to a shield for terminating purposes.

A cabler capable of laying down any number of shielded overbraided or jacketed singles, pairs, (called groups) or any combination of them in sequence.

A twisting machine whose pay-off spools are mounted in rotating cradles that hold the axis of the spool in a fixed direction as the spools are revolved so the wire will not kink as it is twisted

Change in dimensions under load that is not recovered when the load is removed.

A chemical agent added to plastics to make them softer and more pliable.

The application of one metal over another.

Power Limited Tray Cable, tray rated cable for power limited circuits, generally shielded pairs/triads and overall shield, meets U.L. Standard #13 and used in accordance with N.E.C. Article #725

Polyethylene

A synthetic polymer of a type made by the linkage of an amino group of one molecule and a carboxylic acid group of another, including many synthetic fibers such as Nylon.

Chemical name for Neoprene.

Polyethylene terephthalate extensively as a moisture-resistant cable core wrap.

A thermoplastic material having excellent electrical properties, low dielectric constant and very high insulation resistance. Can be stiff to very hard, depending on molecular weight and density. Moisture resistance is rated excellent.

A general name for polymers containing halogen atoms. The halogens are fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine.

Available for high-temperature wire insulation in both tape form and as a film coating.

A substance made of many repeating chemical units or molecules. The term polymer is often used in plase of plastic, rubber or elastomer.

Any of the polymer and copolymers of the ethylene family of hydrocarbons, such as polyethylene and polypropylene.

A thermoplastic similar to polyethylene but stiffer and having a higher softening point (temperature). This material is used primarily as an insulation material. Typically, it is harder than polyethylene which makes it suitable for thin wall insulations

A synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene that has numerous applications. The best known brand name of PTFE-based formulas is Teflon by Chemours.

This plastic usually used as a jacketing material and offers good abrasion and is very flexible. Not normally used for insulation.

A thermoplastic material composed of polymers of vinyl chloride which may be rigid or elastomeric, depending on specific formulation.

Multiple voids in an insulation cross-section.

Cables of various sizes, construction and insulation, single- or multi-conductor, designed to distribute primary power to various types of equipment.

The ratio of resistance to impedance. The ratio of the actual power of an alternating current to apparent power. Mathematically, the cosine of the angle between the voltage applied and the current resulting.

The first layer of nonconductive material applied over a conductor. Its function is to act as an electrical insulation.

Time delay between input and output of signal.

Time required for a wave to travel between two points on a transmission line.

Original design or first operating model.

Non-uniform current distribution over the cross-section of a conductor caused by the variation of the current in a neighboring conductor.

Pounds per Square Inch

A type of coaxial cable constructed to transmit repeated high-voltage pulses without degradation.

Refers to packaging of wire and cable, the term itself refers to the packaged product that is ready to be stored or shipped out.

Polyvinyl chloride, a common thermoplastic insulation and jacketing material for building wire and cable.