Cable or Wire?What Is the Difference Between Cable and Wire?

  A few days ago, a customer from Sweden called me across the ocean and joked with me that the name of your company was JZD Wire & Cable. Is there a difference between the two, please? Immediately afterwards, I fell into deep contemplation, and then gave some explanation. First of all, the cable is generally made of several or several groups of wires, while the wire is made of conductive metal that can carry current, their definitions are very different, in addition to their size, structure, use, etc. There are differences, so in some scenes with the cable is better, while some places wire is enough, the specific differences are as follows:

1. Cables and wires are mainly composed of three parts, respectively, the core and insulating sheath and protective outer skin. Wires are made from the outer layer of the wire wrapped with a light soft sheath; and cables are made from the wire outside the metal or rubber covering layer, mainly for the transmission of electrical signals.

2. The wire as a conductive wire carrying current, according to the form can be divided into stranded, solid, foil woven, etc.. According to the insulation condition is divided into bare and insulated electricity. The cable is composed of mutually insulated conductive lines placed in a sheath. The surface is covered with a protective covering layer and is mainly used for the transmission, distribution or transfer of electrical signals. The biggest difference in appearance is the larger size of the cable, more complex structure, etc., while the size of the wire is smaller and the structure is simpler.

3.The biggest advantage of the cable is that it takes up less space, and the insulation distance between the lines does not vary much, if it is laid underground and does not take up space above ground, not affected by the pollution of the surrounding environment, the transmission of electricity is very reliable and safe, will not cause interference with the person and the surrounding environment. Therefore, cables are often used in densely populated and congested locations and play a very important role in modern construction.

How to distinguish between cable and wire

1. Size

The size of a cable is smaller than that of a wire, and its construction is simpler.

2.Material Construction

Cables are made up of flexible wires with a soft protective layer on the outside. Wires are made up of insulated wrapped conductors with a hard metal outer layer.

3.Function

Cables are mainly used for the transmission of small negative amounts of electricity. Wires, on the other hand, mainly transmit larger amounts of electricity and current

4.Hardness

The cable is not as hard as the second because it does not transmit as much power or current as the wire, so it is relatively soft.

Interested in learning more about the different wire types available in various scenes? Have a look at  JZD CABLES.