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What's the difference between wire and cable?
Although many people consider them the same, wire and cable are quite different. From a manufacturing standpoint, a wire is made from a single strand or multiple strands in what is called a rope, whereas a cable is made from several ropes twisted together under the same insulation. This is a very basic look at just one of the many differences there are between wire and cable. We have an in-depth explanation of the differences, which you can find here.
Pacer wire ranges from 22 gauge to 8 gauge while our cable goes from 6 gauge to 4/0 AWG. All Pacer wire and cable products are manufactured to handle any marine environment. This ensures that the wire and cable we offer are resistant to acid, alkali, oil, flame, gasoline, abrasion, and moisture.
"All Pacer wire and cable products are manufactured to handle any marine environment."
Where is Pacer Wire & Cable manufactured?
All our wire and cable products are manufactured in the U.S.A. More specifically, they are all built in Florida, one of the largest boating hubs in the entire North American continent. The benefit of manufacturing our own wire and cable is that we can guarantee the quality of our product.
When you buy and resell a product from another company, you’re putting your name on their work. We manufacture our products in-house so we can observe, inspect, refine, and improve our own processes to deliver the highest quality product available. When you see Pacer on your wire or cable you know it has undergone a battery of tests and has been held to the highest standard.
When we do carry the products of another manufacturer, you can rest assured we've put those products through a barrage of tests to ensure they meet the same standards. If we won’t put it in our personal boats, we won’t sell it to you.
What Types of Wire and Cable are Available?
Pacer has exactly what manufacturers, repair shops, and everyday boaters need. Pacer carries a range of wires and cables to handle nearly any marine application. From round boat cable and triplex cable to marine wire and battery cable. Remember, cable is made up of a group of conductors, whereas wire is made of a single conductor. For a more detailed explanation of the difference between wire and cable, click here. Let us take a look at the various types of wire and cable that we carry and where you might use them.
Round Boat Cable
Round boat cable is built to be used when routing through boat hulls or other tight spaces. Its round shape allows this type of cable to bend in any direction. Round boat cable will usually have between two and twelve conductors, making it perfect for a wide range of applications. Other types of cables will not give you the range of motion that this cable will.
Triplex Boat Cable
Triplex boat cable carries three conductors and is designed for power-specific applications. Ideal for use in 120V AC, 230V AC, or 240V AC applications, triplex boat cable is made in multiple styles in order to be more versatile. Each specific type of triplex is identified by the color of the outer jacket. The white jacket indicates 120V AC, the brown jacket is for 230V AC, and the blue jacket is for 240V AC.
Duplex Boat Cable
Duplex boat cable is similar to triplex, although it has two internal conductors rather than three. Duplex cable is most often used for internal wiring, such as connecting transformers in an AC system. All duplex cable has a white jacket, but there are three different print colors, each identifying a different type of duplex cable.
Marine Battery Cable
Marine battery cable is used in a variety of applications, such as connecting a generator to a starter, ground, switch, or inverter in equipment that deals with high amperages. One important aspect of any marine battery cable is the protection and resistance that it offers. Our proprietary insulation is resistant to oil, moisture, gasoline, flame, acid, abrasion, and alkali.
Marine Wire
Marine wire, also known as boat wire is in every boat with a motor. This insulated, stranded copper wire is tinned to resist corrosion in the toughest marine conditions. When choosing marine wire for your boat, make sure that it is resistant to oil, acid, gasoline, flame, moisture, abrasion, and alkali.
Striped Marine Wire
Striped marine wire carries a painted stripe on the outer jacket, giving it a two-tone identifier. So, a red/blue striped marine wire would be a red wire with a blue stripe painted on it. In this way, you can have hundreds of possible combinations, so even the most complex marine electrical system could be navigated more easily.
Wire Jumpers
Wire jumpers are pre-made short sections of wire designed and built to connect the backside of an electrical panel or other similar piece of electrical equipment. They vary from four inches in length to six inches and can have a wide range of terminals on each end. They make installation a simple task and can reduce the time it takes to install a panel from hours to minutes.
Why are multiconductor and signal cables not listed here?
Multiconductor and signal cables are listed in a separate category due to the fact that they are known for having a varying number of conductors. These kinds of cables include things like coaxial cable, tinned copper braid, zip cord, and other types of multiconductor cables. Some of these types may have two or three conductors whereas other types may have between two and twenty-five conductors. The point is that the wire and cable you find in this category are made from a singular conductor. The cables you will find on the Multi-Conductor and Signal Cable page will generally have a varying number of conductors.
What standards are our wire and cable products held to?
Although our products meet or surpass a variety of standards, some we emphasize are UL, SAE, and USCG standards. UL (Underwriters Laboratory) standards are developed around the safety of products and their usage. They base their standards on scientific research and have more than one hundred years’ experience doing it. SAE International (Society of Automotive Engineers) devotes its time to developing standards for engineering professionals and a variety of technological industries. They standardize aspects of manufacturing, design, and testing that industry professionals rely on. These standards are used to ensure the quality of the product.
The USCG (United States Coast Guard) has created a set of standards to help improve safety around the practice of boating. This includes everything from maximum weight to specifics of electrical systems. The USCG is an expert on marine equipment and usage. Their standards are a clear indicator of quality. Other standards we adhere to are specific to individual products but can include RoHS, ABYC, CSA, and more. To learn more about the compliances we follow and products that meet those compliances, click here.
Where are these products implemented?
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Pacer wire and cable are implemented in a wide range of products and processes. For example, you will commonly find our primary wire and battery cable used in repairing a boat's electrical system. Oftentimes, you will find our duplex boat cable, Triplex Boat Cable, and round boat cable are used in marinas and repairs shops due to their flexibility and high-level durability. Our wire jumpers are built specifically to be used with panels and panel blanks where they connect switches and breakers. Those switches and breakers can be implemented to replace a switch with a dead bulb or a defective breaker. Although these products are often used in repairs, they are equally used in the creation of new products such as the panels we mentioned above.
What industries use Pacer wire & cable?
Although our products are used heavily in the marine industry, we have been embraced by a variety of other industries as well. As a tinned wire and cable manufacturer, our products can be found in the marine, RV, automotive, alternative energy, database, audio equipment, and power management industries. People know that when they use our wire and cable products, those products are built to last.
Think about it: if a wire is designed to handle the vibration, abrasion, and exposure of the open seas, is it suitable for use in more forgiving environments? Absolutely. That’s why a multitude of diverse industries turn to Pacer for their wire and cable needs.
"A multitude of diverse industries turn to Pacer for their wire and cable needs."
What gauges of wire and cable does Pacer offer?
We strive to offer the best options in a specific category without overwhelming you with choices. This means we continually refine our own ideas of what we know to be useful to our customers. As a wire and cable manufacturer, we produce wire from eighteen gauge (18AWG) to eight gauge (8AWG) and cable from six gauge (6AWG) to four aught (4/0AWG). We focus on manufacturing the most useful sizes without wasting resources building a gauge no one will want. This helps us to keep costs down and pass the savings on to the consumer.
| Wire Gauge | Cable Gauge |
|---|---|
| 18AWG | 6AWG |
| 16AWG | 4AWG |
| 14AWG | 2AWG |
| 12AWG | 1AWG |
| 10AWG | 1/0AWG |
| 8AWG | 2/0AWG |
| - | 3/0AWG |
| - | 4/0AWG |
Why choose Pacer?
Other companies focus on one aspect of quality whether it be flexibility, durability, or conductivity. In doing so, their quality lapses in the other areas, or they focus on low quality for a high margin. Our product is chosen by top marine manufacturers for a reason. We have nearly forty years of experience manufacturing wire and cable. In that time, we have mastered the techniques and processes in order to focus on not one, but all aspects of high-quality products.
When you see Pacer on your wire and cable, you know it means quality. Quality comes from experts who have mastered their craft as top wire and cable manufacturers. Go ahead, compare our wire and cable side by side with the competition. You will clearly see the difference. We make our products so durable that often, they are designed to outlive the equipment they connect. Whether you’re looking for round boat cable, marine wire, battery cable, or even wire jumpers, we have given them all the same level of care, quality, and expert design.
Click here to learn more about our business and what we can do for you. Have a question? Contact a Pacer expert today and let us help.
*This page was updated on 1/30/2025*