Six Wire Pulling Calculators That Will Make Your Job Faster and Easier

calculating tools to aid in your wire and cable installations

You don’t get paid to calculate wire pulls. You get paid to complete them. How much time would you save with a tool that did wire pulling calculations for you? How many more projects could you complete if you could plan more effectively? Learn how Southwire’s free wire pull calculating tools help you save time planning projects, so you can get to payday sooner.


1. SIMpull CABLE PULL CALCULATOR

Plan safe, efficient wire pulls

Exceeding maximum pulling tension or sidewall bearing pressure can be costly. How do you safely and efficiently mitigate risk by planning wire pulls in advance? Southwire’s SIMpull® Cable Pull Calculator can determine pulling tensions, conduit size, ground wire sizing, wire tugger size and more, so you can build conduit runs in the most efficient way possible and determine the best equipment for the job. The SIMpull® calculator is available via an Excel desktop app, Apple or Android.

Note: The SIMpull® calculator is designed to be used with Southwire SIMpull® wire, but you can adjust for other types of wire.

Cable Pull Calculator

SIMpull Cable Pull Calculator »
Determine both the 600 Volt and Medium Voltage calculations to estimate and manage cable installation projects.


2. CONDUIT FILL CALCULATOR

Size conduit and determine jam probability

Would you rather thumb through NEC® tables in your codebook looking for what size conduit to use or just plug your information into an app and find out? Enter your conduit type and size plus your conductors, and the calculator will tell you the conduit fill percentage and jam probability for multiple conductors. You can download the app for Apple or Android, or try it out online.

Conduit Fill Calculator

Conduit Fill Calculator »
Conduit Fill is the percent of area inside the conduit taken up by the cable(s). Provides quick and easy results for the conduit fill percent, per NEC guidelines.


3. VOLTAGE DROP CALCULATOR

Calculate voltage drop, conductor size and max circuit distance

Voltage drop can vary based on your type of installation, run length, conductors, voltage, current and more. Instead of doing complicated calculations, Southwire’s voltage drop calculator can compute minimum conductor size, maximum circuit distance or voltage drop depending on the parameters you input. Plus, there are options for residential and commercial applications. There is a Southwire voltage drop calculator app for Apple or Android, or you can access it online.

Voltage Drop Calculator

Voltage Drop Calculator »
Helps determine the proper wire size for an electrical circuit based on the voltage drop and current carrying capacity of an electrical circuit.


4. CABLE-IN-CONDUIT LABOR SAVING CALCULATOR

Estimate labor savings from using Cable-in-Conduit solutions

Being efficient with your workforce is just as important as being efficient with your materials. Do you know how Southwire’s HDPE Cable-in-Conduit (CIC) solutions reduce labor compared to pulling cables into PVC ducts? With cables pre-assembled into the conduit, you don’t need a crew to spend time pulling cables separately in the field. Enter your conduit size and type, total footage and hourly labor rate into the calculator to estimate just how much labor you will save.

Cable-in-Conduit Labor Saving Calculator

Cable-in-Conduit Labor Saving Calculator »
The industry’s first estimator showing the reduction of installation labor for Southwire Cable-in-Conduit (CIC) compared to pulling cables into PVC ducts.


5. MCAP CABLE COST CALCULATOR

Estimate labor savings from using MCAP® cable

You can also save labor by using MCAP cable in place of traditional MC cable. MCAP uses an integral aluminum grounding bonding conductor that stays in contact with the armour throughout the entire length of the cable. Using MCAP eliminates a termination at every box and every outlet to simplify installation. This calculator can estimate time and cost savings based on the total number of outlets, boxes and light fixtures in your project. It is available via an Excel desktop app, Apple and Android.

MCAP Cable Cost Calculator

MCAP Cable Cost Calculator »
Determine time and cost savings using the MCAP Cable Cost Calculator


6. VFD CABLE SIZING CALCULATOR

Size VFD cable in seconds

If you know your motor voltage and horsepower, ambient temperature and length of cable, you can size VFD cable in seconds. When you enter your parameters into Southwire’s VFD cable sizing calculator, it will calculate ampacity, VFD cable size and voltage drop with the click of a button. You can use the online version or download the VFD Cable Selector app for Apple and Android.

VFD Cable Size Estimator

VFD Cable Size Estimator »
Determine the size of VFD Cable needed for your specific low voltage drive.


If you need help using any of these calculators or want to discuss Southwire solutions for your next project, contact Adam Bayliss, contractor services specialist, or myself.

 
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ARTICLE BY:

HEATHER MCDONALD
EMPLOYEE-OWNER, SOUTHWIRE SOLUTIONS SPECIALIST