How to Choose Copper Cable or Aluminum Cable

Electric cables are usually twisted by several or several groups of wires (at least two in each group), twisted in the same direction around a center. The most frequently used conductor materials are copper or aluminum, so how to choose the cables of these two types of cable.

Advantages of copper cable:
1. Low resistivity, the resistivity of aluminum cables is about 1.68 times higher than that of copper cables;
2. Good ductility, the ductility of copper alloy is 20-40%, the ductility of electrical copper is more than 30%, while the aluminum alloy is only 18%;
3. High strength,  the working temperature range of copper is 7~28% higher than that of aluminum at normal temperature;
4. Strong resistance, the aluminum conductor wires are easily broken due to repeated bending, and copper wires are more resistant. In terms of elasticity, copper is also about 1.7 to 1.8 times higher than aluminum;
5. Good stability，compared with aluminum conductors, copper conductors have stronger oxidation resistance and corrosion resistance;
6. The current carrying capacity is large， due to the low copper resistivity, the copper core cable of the same cross-section is better than the aluminum core cable. The allowable current carrying capacity is about 30% higher;
7. The voltage loss is low, due to the low resistivity of the copper core cable when the same current flows in the same section. The voltage drop of the copper core cable is small and a higher transmission distance than aluminum cable.
8. Low energy consumption. Due to the low electrical resistivity of copper, copper cables have low power loss than aluminum cables, which is beneficial to improve power generation utilization and protect the environment.
10. Easy to use,
1) The copper wire is flexible and allows a small bend radius, so it is convenient to turn and easy to pass through;
2) Copper wires are not easy to break due to repeated bending;
3) Due to the high mechanical strength of copper wires, they can withstand greater mechanical tension, which brings great convenience to construction and laying, and also creates conditions for mechanized construction;

Advantages of aluminum cable:
1. The price is cheap, the raw material of copper is 3.5 times cheaper than aluminum, and the weight of copper is 3.3 times heavier than aluminum. Therefore, aluminum core cables are much cheaper than copper core cables, which are suitable for low-cost projects or temporary electricity use;
2. Lightweight, the weight of aluminum core cable is 40% of copper core cable, construction, and transportation costs are lower;
3. Anti-oxidation and corrosion resistance. Aluminum quickly reacts with oxygen in the air to form an oxide film, which can prevent further oxidation. Therefore, aluminum wire is a necessary material for high-voltage, large-section, and large-span overhead power transmission.

In general, although the price of aluminum core cables is relatively cheap, in the cable power supply system, copper core cables are low accident rates, corrosion resistance, high reliability, and convenient construction and maintenance, especially in the field of underground cable power supply.

JZD cable provides the finest pure copper conductor cable, our regular product is copper conductor, if you need to use aluminum conductor, we can also customize them for you, please contact us.