I found an old roll of 12/3

Buck Parrish

Buck Parrish

Senior Member
Location
NC & IN
It's black, at first I thought it was 8 until I brought it out in the light.
This had to have been from the 80s maybe 70s.. Anyone know?
 

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When I was a kid we had rolls and rolls of green stuff like this. My grandfather bought a heaping pickup truck load of it at an auction for cheep. Whatever they impregnated the jacket with could really slop you up. If you wore any kind of light colored clothing, the stains never washed out

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Buck Parrish said:
It's black, at first I thought it was 8 until I brought it out in the light.
This had to have been from the 80s maybe 70s.. Anyone know?
Click to expand...
Looks like 1984 if you can believe this which I found on line.

"Early NM cable had their individual conductor insulation wrapped in a cotton braid that was impregnated with either a varnish or tar-like substance for moisture protection. Around 1950, synthetic spun rayon was being permitted to replace the cotton thread in the jacket braid. Then in the early 1960’s, thermoplastic began replacing the braided jacket altogether, and by about 1970, most all NM cable had a compounded PVC outer jacket, even though a braid was still permitted until 1984. Also in 1984, NM-B cable was developed and required to have 90°C rated individual conductors, and a 75°C outer jacket.

Until the early 1960’s, most NM cable for residential use did not have a grounding conductor. However, changes in the 1962 Code that mandated equipment grounding for all branch circuits popularized the use of NM cable with ground. Earlier versions of NM cable with ground permitted the grounding conductor to be one or even two sizes smaller than the current carrying conductors. For example, a 16 AWG ground wire was permitted for 14 and 12 gauge copper NM, and 14 AWG ground for 10 gauge copper NM.

In 1969, new requirements no longer permitted an undersized grounding conductor for 14, 12 and 10 AWG NM cable".
 
Buck Parrish said:
It's black, at first I thought it was 8 until I brought it out in the light.
This had to have been from the 80s maybe 70s.. Anyone know?
Click to expand...
Just the other day I was working in an old house where the contractor had opened up some walls. One place had that fished through it up to the second floor. Had to look at it twice, originally thought it was 10/3 until I read the jacket. Yeah, probably the 80's. I'm sure I had used it back then but I don't remember.

As a side note, was at a big box store yesterday and noticed all the colors for different NM. 12/3 is I think pink? 14/3 is blue.

-Hal
 
Dennis Alwon said:
That old nm cable may be rated 75C
Click to expand...
NM-B is 90C. NM is 60C

Older 3-wire NM/NM-B cable was large due to the fillers they used. I don't remember when they started removing them but the size of the cables sure got smaller.

If you look at NM staples they still show using the standard 1/2" for 14/2 and 12/2 but 9/16 for 14/3 and 12/3. 12/3 was very close in size to the current 8/3 cable.

Before the color standards became a thing NM/NMB cable would come in many colors. It was always a surprise when you opened the box (white, black, grey, blue, green).
 
I installed tons of black NM cable in the 80's. 14/2, 12/2 and 14/3, and it all came in those cardboard boxes. In the late 80's I had to run a wire across a walnut-colored stained post and beam ceiling, along the ridge. It was exposed, and in hopes of it blending/ hiding, I remember calling the supply store to ask if they had 14/3 in "black". It was for a paddle fan in an enclosed porch. I remember to this day the counter guy (who I still know) saying "is that a real question"....lol.
 
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