Romex Colors

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kwired said:
If you want to place a large enough order you probably can get about anything you want, including your company name and contact information printed on it.
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My money is if you order 14 with a yellow jacket, the manufacturers will refuse to make it.
 
I'm more industrial & commercial. But, I am trying things on my own now. Anyway, I've still seen my share of Romex, but black 12/2 w/#16G? I have never seen anything like that before.
The homeowner wants me to use it. But, I didn't notice it til today. I know code says 90° Celcius, but is ok to use. Which I'm not going to now either way. someone's buying some wire. Probably me.
 
CCC Electrical said:
I'm more industrial & commercial. But, I am trying things on my own now. Anyway, I've still seen my share of Romex, but black 12/2 w/#16G? I have never seen anything like that before.
The homeowner wants me to use it. But, I didn't notice it til today. I know code says 90° Celcius, but is ok to use. Which I'm not going to now either way. someone's buying some wire. Probably me.
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The 16 isn't a ground wire... it's a bonding conductor.
 
CCC Electrical said:
I'm more industrial & commercial. But, I am trying things on my own now. Anyway, I've still seen my share of Romex, but black 12/2 w/#16G? I have never seen anything like that before.
The homeowner wants me to use it. But, I didn't notice it til today. I know code says 90° Celcius, but is ok to use. Which I'm not going to now either way. someone's buying some wire. Probably me.
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Back in the day each mfg color coded to there own liking, some not to indicate wire size but more as mfg branding. I've pulled a lot of that black cable that was 12/2, 12/3, 14/2, and 14/3. Some cables even had green insulation on ground conductor. That undersized ground dates back to the first grounded cloth sheath cables and carried over to the early plastic sheath product.
If I'm not mistaken that older nm with the undersize ground was a 60oC wire, dates back to early 60's and then you get back to the cloth sheaths late 40's to 50's all were 60oC. If cable is labeled with just NM and not NM b it is the 60oC wire. This was a major issue when newer lighting and oversized wattage bulbs were put in, seen a lot of heat damage on that older wire. If you're not changing out, extreme caution and observation for prior heating especially at lighting outlets.
 
I see a ton of black 14/2 with the undersized ground around here. 1960s I think. I have seen black, white, brown and grey romex in all sizes previous to the white , yellow and orange and black we see now
 
CCC Electrical said:
I'm more industrial & commercial. But, I am trying things on my own now. Anyway, I've still seen my share of Romex, but black 12/2 w/#16G? I have never seen anything like that before.
The homeowner wants me to use it. But, I didn't notice it til today. I know code says 90° Celcius, but is ok to use. Which I'm not going to now either way. someone's buying some wire. Probably me.
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If it has reduced size bare, probably from the 60's. Much older than that there likely wouldn't be a bare conductor at all.

Otherwise black sheath on 14-10 AWG cables seemed to disappear altogether by mid 80's.
 
kwired said:
If it has reduced size bare, probably from the 60's. Much older than that there likely wouldn't be a bare conductor at all.

Otherwise black sheath on 14-10 AWG cables seemed to disappear altogether by mid 80's.
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I started wiring in 1992 and we were still getting black-sheathed 14, 12, &10 for at least a year or two after that. Especialy 3-wire.
 
In the 60's there was Phelps Dodge NM cable that the sheathing was green in color, & then some manufacturers used black sheathing, the most common was white until about 2002-3 white/yellow/orange for 14/12/10 started hitting the shelves.


I still maintain that it was done for trailer (MH) builders, because if the same ones that pull wire in the trailer factories were laying sod elsewhere, the crew leader would be screaming "green side up, green side up". :D
 
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