Ec wire vs extrusion

What hills said. Different aluminum alloys have different compositions and their prices are set by a number of different factors including supply, cost and more. So the 6000 series aluminums that are most of what you'll see as extrusion aren't the same composition as the 8000 series alloys that are aluminum wire. This wikipedia article is a good primer on different aluminum alloys to help learn the difference.

I bet you could turn the aluminum wire into the other types of aluminum if it was melted down. I thought of something I wonder if aluminum wire melts down easier than say aluminum cans?.

Originally Posted by mike1

I bet you could turn the aluminum wire into the other types of aluminum if it was melted down. I thought of something I wonder if aluminum wire melts down easier than say aluminum cans?.

In the sense of "you" as a general term meaning "someone" yes, you can change the kind of aluminum in a furnace which is how alloys are made in the first place. But it would require resources and technical expertise that neither of us have.

True. So does anyone get insulated aluminum wire often? What about the 16 gauge stranded if it's aluminum does it count as ec or does it have to be big to be counted as ec wire? By big I mean 4/0 to 1gauge? I'm going to be getting 100lbs or so of insulated aluminum wire mostly 4/0 so that should be fun good thing I have a stripper.

Originally Posted by mike1

True. So does anyone get insulated aluminum wire often? What about the 16 gauge stranded if it's aluminum does it count as ec or does it have to be big to be counted as ec wire? By big I mean 4/0 to 1gauge? I'm going to be getting 100lbs or so of insulated aluminum wire mostly 4/0 so that should be fun good thing I have a stripper.

Any insulated aluminum wire you're likely to find - with the exception of aluminum degaussing wire - is going to be EC wire when stripped.