To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

Romex wire Question.

W

whejdak

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 20, 2011
Messages
176
I've seen Romex cable in two different presentations.
1. flat white cable with individual wires molded into one piece
2. Round black cable with the individual wires loosly bound by the black covering.

I understand that you should not use Romex in conduit. Code violation.
Is Romex, Romex no matter what it looks like?

I see the white flat cable pulled through studs, and I've seen the black round cable pulled through conduit.
It would seem to me that pulling the round black cable would be pretty simple to pull. But if Romex is Romex, they it should not be put into conduit.
Correct?
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
T

theoldwizard1

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 22, 2011
Messages
43,200
Location
SE MI
whejdak said:
I've seen Romex cable in two different presentations.
1. flat white cable with individual wires molded into one piece
Click to expand...
Romex is a brand name now owned by Southwire. The correct trade name is NM-B and for interior use only. White outer sheathing is 14/2 (plus ground). Yellow outer sheathing is 12/2 (plus ground). Blue is 14/3 (plus ground) NM-B, purple is 12/3 (plus ground). Not all manufactures are using blue or purple outer sheathing. Orange is 10/2 and/or 10/3 NM-B.

Exterior (UF-B), including direct burial, is gray outer sheathing for both 14/2 and 12/2.

Black, round is usually large gauge and stranded conductors.
 
Last edited:
W

wyliesdiesels

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 14, 2012
Messages
20,029
Location
Modesto, CA
whejdak said:
I've seen Romex cable in two different presentations.
1. flat white cable with individual wires molded into one piece
2. Round black cable with the individual wires loosly bound by the black covering.
Click to expand...
Just an FYI- Romex is a southwire brand of NM-b type cable. Theres other companies that make NM-b cable and they cant call it romex because of the trade mark.

White NM-b is technically not molded around the conductor. The jacket is loose.

There is a third type of non metallic type cable though its actually UF-b and that has a jacket that is truly molded around the cables and is for use underground.
whejdak said:
I understand that you should not use Romex in conduit. Code violation.
Click to expand...
This is incorrect. NM-b is permitted in conduit above ground indoors only
whejdak said:
Is Romex, Romex no matter what it looks like?
Click to expand...

Not all NM-b is romex. You should be calling it NM-b. The reason being is theres several NM-b manufacturers and their products all vary in aesthetics and design (namely color). But yes all NM-b is NM-b no matter what it looks like.
whejdak said:
I see the white flat cable pulled through studs, and I've seen the black round cable pulled through conduit.
It would seem to me that pulling the round black cable would be pretty simple to pull. But if Romex is Romex, they it should not be put into conduit.
Correct?
Click to expand...
Incorrect. See response above…

BTW newer NM-b is color coded so you may see white(#14), yellow(#12), orange(#10), blue(3 cnd 14, purple(3 cnd 12), black(larger than #10), and gray (technically UF-b not NM-b) and even red (canada).

Ive also seen older #12 NM-b that was black and made by a company that is no longer in business.
 
P

Poolshark314

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 5, 2021
Messages
658
Location
MD
whejdak said:
Is Romex, Romex no matter what it looks like?
Click to expand...
Romex became one of those universal terms for NM-B, similar to how people say "google it", regardless of whether they use Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Ask.com, Ask Jeeves, Altavista or any other search engine to run the search
 
B

billconner

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 20, 2021
Messages
6,970
Location
Thousand Islands NYS
I found black NM-b 6/2 at Amazon. (I see both 8 and 6 are black.) And red NMD90 14/2 - whatever that is.

Home Depot has a NMb 12/3 in purple. Also a 14/3 in light blue.

I was looking for early non-metalic sheathed cable, that had a woven sheath and iirc was dark brown or black. No luck on Google.
 
OP
W

whejdak

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 20, 2011
Messages
176
Got my question/questions answered.
I never paid any attention to the color coding of NMb. The black NMb is stranded and that makes sense. I wondered about that.
I can sleep tonight
Bill
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
W

wyliesdiesels

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 14, 2012
Messages
20,029
Location
Modesto, CA
billconner said:
I found black NM-b 6/2 at Amazon. (I see both 8 and 6 are black.) And red NMD90 14/2 - whatever that is.

Home Depot has a NMb 12/3 in purple. Also a 14/3 in light blue.

I was looking for early non-metalic sheathed cable, that had a woven sheath and iirc was dark brown or black. No luck on Google.
Click to expand...
its a canadian NM product not for use in the US

 
7

75gmck25

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 21, 2014
Messages
1,325
Location
Alexandria, VA
If you saw white cable (maybe before the colors were standardized) where the conductors inside seem to be individually insulated, but then molded together into a single assembly, it may be older NM that is rated for outdoor use. I've never seen it in the stores, but I have one 20 amp circuit that runs from the house to the garage, and it used this type of wire. Real PIA to break out the individual conductors from the mold when you connect to a receptacle, but still retain the insulation on each conductor.

Most common NM colors I've seen in the store today:
White - 14 gauge, 15 amp
Yellow - 12 gauge, 20 amp
Orange - 10 gauge, 30 amp

You will also see NM products shown as 12/2 or 14/2- standard house wire with two conductors and bare ground, and 12/3 or 14/3 - with an additional red wire, which is often used for 3-way switch circuits.
 
Last edited:
M

mm08822

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 13, 2012
Messages
5,967
Location
NJ
Poolshark314 said:
Romex became one of those universal terms for NM-B, similar to how people say "google it", regardless of whether they use Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Ask.com, Ask Jeeves, Altavista or any other search engine to run the search
Click to expand...
If I rememeber correctly, the first version of NM cable was made by Rome Wire & Cable Corp. In Rome, NY.
The "x" was for an internal company designation of an eXperimental project undertaken. So it became Romex or RX.

The NEC generically refers to this type of cable as NM....the first version that had type TW insulation rated at 60C.
The next gen of NM became NM-B due to conductor insulation upgraded to 90C temp rating.

I think the same was for the X in BX cable.
 
C

CoogarXR

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 11, 2016
Messages
6,858
Location
Ohio
I inherited a roll of 12/3 that has a black jacket. I think it's from the late 70s.
 
W

wyliesdiesels

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 14, 2012
Messages
20,029
Location
Modesto, CA
75gmck25 said:
If you saw white cable (maybe before the colors were standardized) where the conductors inside seem to be individually insulated, but then molded together into a single assembly, it may be older NM that is rated for outdoor use. I've never seen it in the stores, but I have one 20 amp circuit that runs from the house to the garage, and it used this type of wire. Real PIA to break out the individual conductors from the mold when you connect to a receptacle, but still retain the insulation on each conductor.

Most common NM colors I've seen in the store today:
White - 14 gauge, 15 amp
Yellow - 12 gauge, 20 amp
Orange - 10 gauge, 30 amp

You will also see NM products shown as 12/2 or 14/2- standard house wire with two conductors and bare ground, and 12/3 or 14/3 - with an additional red wire, which is often used for 3-way switch circuits.
Click to expand...
that isnt NM. It-s UF and the stores definitely sell it but its gray now and UF-b. NM has never been rated or permitted for outdoor use.
 
S

SlappyWhite

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 3, 2012
Messages
1,819
Location
Upper Canada
@wyliesdiesels hit the Canadian red NMSC on the head. It is most common as 12 gauge with two hot (black and red) and no neutral. Commonly used for 240V 20 amp HVAC circuits, baseboards, etc. But other sizes can come in red, just not as common IME.

Not what the OP was looking at but the older copper NMSC (NMD) 60°C used here had a black sheath (the fabric like one).


As for Romex, it is like Kleenex, Q-tips, etc. most get the context.
 
N

Norcal

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 16, 2008
Messages
13,761
mike93lx said:
Great to keep around to make new work look like old. Just need to rust up a bunch of Staples and you are good to go
Click to expand...
Not a good idea, and violates code, all NM cable is required to be 90°C, and if it is will be marked as NM-B, plain old NM cable is 60°C, it only has value as scrap metal. I would give the code section to back this up but my code books are in California, & I am not.
 
M

mike93lx

ALLIANCE MEMBER
Joined
Dec 9, 2013
Messages
37,614
Location
Richmond, VA
billconner said:
Norcal is correct, even if humorless. ;) Best to use emojis here when it's tongue in cheek.
Click to expand...
If part about rusting Staples part wasn't clear enough, I don't think an emoji would have changed.

Plus not all "old" romex is nm. Nm-b has been out for 40 years
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
Top Bottom