STABILOY Type USE-2/RHH/RHW -2

Description: Conductor:
Alcan Type USE-2/RHH/RHW-2, STABILOY compact stranded
building wire is designed for general (AA-8000 Series aluminum alloy).
purpose wiring in residential, com-
mercial and industrial building
Insulation:
construction and in underground
power distribution and network Black cross-linked polyethylene
systems. The cable meets the require- (XLPE).
ments of Underwriters Laboratories
Inc., Standard #854 for Type USE-2 Construction:
and Standard #44 for Types RHH and
Mylar tape may be placed between
RHW-2. The cable has a maximum
the insulation and the conductor
operating temperature of 90°C in dry
strands.
and wet locations. Rated at 600 volts,
the cable is sunlight resistant and is
approved for use in accordance with Marking:
the recommendations of the National Cables will bear the following
Electrical Code in raceways and surface marking: Alcan (Plant of
underground installations. The cable Manufacture) (Size) Compact
meets the requirements of Federal STABILOY® AA-8000 AL Series XLPE
Specification J-C-30B. STABILOY alloy 600 V USE-2 or RHH or RHW-2 (UL)
conductor is recognized by ASTM in (Year of Manufacture).
Standards B 800 and B 801.

Alcan (Plant of Manufacture) (Size) Compact
STABILOY® AA-8000 AL Series XLPE 600 V USE-2
or RHH or RHW-2 (UL) (Year of Manufacture).
Available Options:
Contact Alcan Cable for:
1. 600V RHH or RHW-2 conductors
rated for "CT USE" and other
markings.
2. 2000V RHH or RHW-2 conductors
3. 2000V RHH or RHW-2 conductors
rated for "CT USE" and other
markings.

Nominal Nominal Nominal

Insulation USE Conductor NOMINAL WEIGHT
Size AWG Thickness Diameter Diameter (LBS./1000') STANDARD PACKAGE
or kcmil (Mils) (Inches) (Inches) STABILOY Total Length Reel
6 60 .290 .169 25 44 1000' NRC 16.15
4 60 .335 .213 39 63 1000' NRC 16.15
2 60 .390 .268 62 92 1000' NRC 21.15

1 80 .460 .299 79 122 1000' NRC 21.15

1/0 80 .500 .336 99 148 1000' NRC 21.18
2/0 80 .540 .376 125 179 1000' NRC 24.15
3/0 80 .590 .423 157 217 1000' NRC 24.18
4/0 80 .635 .475 199 265 1000' NRC 27.18

250 95 .710 .520 235 320 1000' NRC 30.18

300 95 .760 .570 282 374 1000' NRC 30.24
350 95 .810 .616 329 428 1000' NRC 30.24
400 95 .850 .659 376 482 1000' NRC 32.24
500 95 .930 .736 469 588 1000' NRC 32.24

600 110 1.035 .813 563 713 1000' NRC 36.24

700 110 1.100 .877 657 818 1000' NRC 40.24
750 110 1.130 .908 704 870 1000' NRC 40.24
1000 110 1.280 1.060 939 1132 1000' NRC 48.28

NOTES:
1. Data are approximate and subject to normal manufacturing tolerances.
2. Standard lengths are subject to normal manufacturing tolerances of ±10%.
3. Two, three or four conductors can be paralleled on a reel.
4. The suffix -2 indicates that these wire types can be used at a continuous 90°C operating temperature in wet and dry locations.
STABILOY
Description:
Alcan Type XHHW-2 building wire
is designed for general-purpose
wiring in residential, commercial and
industrial buildings. It meets the
requirements of Underwriters
Laboratories Inc., Standard #44 for
Type XHHW-2 with a maximum oper-
ating temperature of 90°C in wet and
dry locations. Rated at 600 volts, the
cable is sunlight resistant and
approved for use in accordance with
the recommendations of the National
Electrical Code. Alcan Type XHHW-2
meets the requirements of Federal
Specification J-C-30B. STABILOY alloy
conductor is recognized by ASTM in
Standards B 800 and B 801.
Type XHHW -2
Conductor:
STABILOY compact stranded
(AA-8000 Series aluminum alloy).
Insulation:
Black cross-linked polyethylene
(XLPE).
Construction:
Mylar tape may be placed between
the insulation and the conductor
strands.
Marking:
Cables will bear the following
surface marking: Alcan (Plant of
Manufacture) (Size) Compact AL
STABILOY® AA-8000 Series XLPE 600 V
XHHW-2 (UL) (Year of Manufacture).

Available Options:
Contact Alcan Cable for:
1. 600V XHHW-2 conductors rated for
"CT USE" and other markings.

Alcan (Plant of Manufacture) (Size) Compact

AL STABILOY® AA-8000 Series XLPE 600 V
XHHW-2 (UL) (Year of Manufacture).

NOMINAL DIMENSIONS
Insulation BARE XHHW-2 Bare XHHW-2 NOMINAL WEIGHT
Size AWG Thickness Conductor Conductor Conductor Conductor lbs. / 1000 ft. STANDARD PACKAGE
or kcmil (Mils) Diameter Diameter Area Area Area Total Length Reel
(Inches) (Inches) (Sq. Inches) (Sq. Inches)
6 45 .169 .260 .0224 .0530 25 39 1000' NRC 16.15
4 45 .213 .305 .0356 .0730 39 57 1000' NRC 16.15
2 45 .268 .360 .0564 .1017 62 84 1000' NRC 21.15

1 55 .299 .415 .0702 .1352 79 108 1000' NRC 21.15

1/0 55 .336 .450 .0887 .1590 99 132 1000' NRC 21.15
2/0 55 .376 .490 .1110 .1885 125 161 1000' NRC 21.18
3/0 55 .423 .540 .1405 .2290 157 198 1000' NRC 24.15
4/0 55 .475 .590 .1772 .2733 199 244 1000' NRC 24.18

250 65 .520 .655 .2124 .3370 235 292 1000' NRC 27.18
300 65 570 .705 .2552 .3904 282 344 1000' NRC 30.18
350 65 .616 .750 .2980 .4418 329 396 1000' NRC 30.24
400 65 .659 .795 .3411 .4964 376 448 1000' NRC 32.24
500 65 .736 .870 .4254 .5945 469 550 1000' NRC 32.24

600 80 .813 .980 .5191 .7542 563 671 1000' NRC 36.24
700 80 .877 1.040 .6041 .8494 657 774 1000' NRC 40.24
750 80 .908 1.075 .6475 .9076 704 824 1000' NRC 40.24
1000 80 1.060 1.230 .8825 1.1882 939 1079 1000' NRC 48.25

NOTES:
1. Data are approximate and subject to normal manufacturing tolerances.
2. Standard lengths are subject to normal manufacturing tolerances of ±10%.
3. Two, three or four conductors can be paralleled on a reel.
4. The suffix -2 indicates that these wire types can be used at a continuous 90°C operating temperature in wet and dry locations.
STABILOY XHHW -2 vs. Copper THWN & THHN
Ampacities and Correction Factors

AMPACITIES (AMPS)†
Conductor Conductor
Size AWG COPPER STABILOY Size AWG
or kcmil THWN (75°C) THHN, THHN-2 (90°C) XHHW (75°C) XHHW-2 (90°C) or kcmil
6 65 75 50 60 6
4 85 95 65 75 4
2 115 130 90 100 2
1 130 150 100 115 1
1/0 150 170 120 135 1/0
2/0 175 195 135 150 2/0
3/0 200 225 155 175 3/0
4/0 230 260 180 205 4/0
250 255 290 205 230 250
300 285 320 230 255 300
350 310 350 250 280 350
400 335 380 270 305 400
500 380 430 310 350 500
600 420 475 340 385 600
700 460 520 375 420 700
750 475 535 385 435 750
1000 545 615 445 500 1000

NOTE:
1. Based on NEC 1999 Table 310-16.
†
See termination provisions for conductor sizing as given in Underwriters Laboratories Electrical Construction Materials Directory, “Equipment for Use in
Ordinary Locations.”

Allowable Ampacities† STABILOY Type XHHW-2 and Type USE-2/RHH/RHW-2 con-

30°C (86°F) Ambient Temperature ductors can be operated at 90°C in dry AND wet locations.
This characteristic is advantageous when derating of con-
Ampacities are based on conductor operating tempera-
ductor ampacity is required, for example, when there are
tures only and do not take voltage drop into consideration.
four or more current carrying conductors in a raceway or
When the number of current carrying conductors in a cable in a wet location. In this instance one can begin with
raceway or cable exceeds three, the allowable ampacity the 90°C ampacity from which to derate.
of each conductor shall be reduced to the following
System design loads falling between values listed in this
percentages of tabular values:
table for copper THHN often permit the use of a smaller
4 to 6 80% STABILOY conductor than would be necessary based on
7 to 9 70% the maximum ampacity of the copper conductor required.
10 to 20 50%
21 to 30 45% Example:
31 to 40 40% For a design load of 380 amps, the required 500 kcmil
copper THHN conductor would have to be replaced by
In dwelling units, conductors are permitted to be
a 750 kcmil STABILOY conductor (75°C, wet location).
utilized as 120/240 volt, 3-wire, single-phase service
However, if the design load was between 336 and 375 amps
entrance conductors and feeder conductors in raceway
(still requiring 500 kcmil copper), a 700 kcmil
or cable with or without an equipment grounding con-
STABILOY conductor would be adequate.
ductor. The allowable ampacity for Types XHHW-2, RHW-2
and RHH aluminum conductors are:

Size Amps
#2 AWG 100
1 110
1/0 125
2/0 150
3/0 175
4/0 200
250 kcmil 225
300 kcmil 250
350 kcmil 300
500 kcmil 350
600 kcmil 400
STABILOY Ampacities and Correction Factors
NOT MORE THAN THREE* SINGLE INSULATED
CONDUCTORS IN A RACEWAY IN FREE AIR** SINGLE INSULATED CONDUCTOR IN FREE AIR**
75°C (167°F) 90°C (194°F) 75°C (167°F) 90°C (194°F)
Size AWG XHHW, XHHW-2, RHH, XHHW, XHHW-2, RHH, Size AWG
or kcmil RHH, RHW, USE RHW-2, USE-2 RHH, RHW, USE RHW-2, USE-2 or kcmil
8 40 45 55 60 8
6 50 60 75 80 6
4 65 75 100 110 4
2† 90 100 135 150 2†
1† 100 115 155 175 1†
1/0† 120 135 180 205 1/0†
2/0† 135 150 210 235 2/0†
3/0† 155 175 240 275 3/0†
4/0† 180 205 280 315 4/0†
250 205 230 315 355 250
300 230 255 350 395 300
350 250 280 395 445 350
400 270 305 425 480 400
500 310 350 485 545 500
600 340 385 540 615 600
700 375 420 595 675 700
750 385 435 620 700 750
1000 445 500 750 845 1000

Ampacity Correction Factors

For ambient temperatures other than
30°C (86°F), multiply the
ampacities shown above by the
appropriate factor shown below.
Ambient Ambient
Temp.°C 75°C 90°C Temp.°F
21–25 1.05 1.04 70–77
26–30 1.00 1.00 79–86
31–35 .94 .96 88–95
36–40 .88 .91 97–104
41–45 .82 .87 106–113
46–50 .75 .82 115–122
51–55 .67 .76 124–131
56–60 .58 .71 133–140
61–70 .33 .58 142–158
71–80 – .41 160–176

NOTES:
1. Ampacities are based on conductor operating temperatures only and do not take voltage drop into consideration.
2. A neutral conductor which carries only the unbalanced current from other conductors, as in the case of normally balanced circuits of three or more
conductors, shall not be counted in determining Ampacity Adjustment Factors. But in a three-wire circuit consisting of two phase wires and the neutral
of a four-wire three-phase Wye-connected system, a common conductor carries approximately the same current as the other conductors and shall be
counted in determining ampacities.
3. Based on Ambient Air Temperature of 30°C (86°F).
* See 310-15(b)(4) of 1999 NEC
**See termination provisions for conductor sizing as given in Underwriters Laboratories Electrical Construction Materials Directory, “Equipment for
Use in Ordinary Locations.”
†
In dwelling units, conductors shall be permitted to be utilized as 120/240 volt, 3-wire, single-phase service entrance conductors and feeder conductors in
raceway or cable with or without an equipment grounding conductor. The allowable ampacity for Types XHHW-2, RHW-2 and RHH aluminum conductors
shall be:
Size Amps
#2 AWG 100
1 110
1/0 125
2/0 150
3/0 175
4/0 200
250 kcmil 225
300 kcmil 250
350 kcmil 300
500 kcmil 350
600 kcmil 400
Conduit Fill-Electrical Metallic Tubing(EMT)
Maximum Number of Insulated Copper THHN and Insulated Compact
Stabiloy XHHW -2 Conductors*
TRADE SIZE IN INCHES

1" 1 1/4" 1 1/2" 2" 2 1/2" 3" 3 1/2" 4"

T X T X T X T X T X T X T X T X
CONDUCT0R CONDUCT0R
H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H
SIZE SIZE
H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H
AWG/KCMIL AWG/KCMIL
N W N W N W N W N W N W N W N W
-2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2

C A C A C A C A C A C A C A C A
U L U L U L U L U L U L U L U L

6 7 6 12 11 16 15 6
4 4 4 7 8 10 11 16 18 4
2 3 3 5 6 7 8 11 13 2
1 1 2 4 4 5 6 8 10 15 17 1

1/0 1 1 3 3 4 5 7 8 12 14 19 1/0
2/0 1 1 2 3 3 4 6 7 10 12 16 18 2/0
3/0 1 1 1 2 3 3 5 6 8 10 13 15 17 3/0
4/0 1 1 1 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 11 13 14 17 18 4/0

250 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 4 6 7 9 10 11 13 15 17 250
300 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 3 5 6 7 9 10 11 13 14 300
350 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 8 9 10 11 13 350
400 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 4 4 6 7 8 9 10 11 400
500 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 4 5 6 6 7 8 9 500

600 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 4 4 5 6 7 8 600
700 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 3 4 4 5 6 7 700
750 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 3 4 5 5 6 750
1000 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 3 4 4 5 1000

NOTES:
Based on 1999 NEC, Table C1, Table C1A. Compact STABILOY Aluminum Conductor.
Because STABILOY is manufactured using a COMPACT configuration, the need to upsize conduit is not always necessary when converting from
copper THW or THHN to STABILOY.
For example, in 21/2" conduit, (3) 350 kcmil copper THHN conductors can be installed. Equally, (3) 500 kcmil STABILOY XHHW-2 conductors
can be installed in the same size conduit.
Prior to installation of building wire conductors, Alcan Cable recommends a review of local electrical codes to determine copper to aluminum
conversion compliance.
* In some cases it may be possible to add a bare equipment ground conductor without affecting the conduit fill requirements.
Conduit Fill-Rigid PVC, Schedule 40
Maximum Number of Insulated Copper THHN and Insulated Compact
Stabiloy XHHW -2 Conductors*

TRADE SIZE IN INCHES

1" 1 1/4" 1 1/2" 2" 2 1/2" 3" 3 1/2" 4" 5" 6"
T X T X T X T X T X T X T X T X T X T X
CONDUCT0R CONDUCT0R
H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H
SIZE SIZE
H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H
AWG/KCMIL AWG/KCMIL
N W N W N W N W N W N W N W N W N W N W
-2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2
C A C A C A C A C A C A C A C A C A C A
U L U L U L U L U L U L U L U L U L U L

6 6 6 11 11 15 15 6
4 4 4 7 8 9 11 4
2 3 3 5 5 7 8 11 2
1 1 2 3 4 5 6 8 9 12 1

1/0 1 1 3 3 4 5 7 8 10 12 1/0
2/0 1 1 2 3 3 4 6 7 8 10 13 2/0
3/0 1 1 1 2 3 3 5 5 7 8 11 12 3/0
4/0 1 1 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 10 12 4/0

250 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 4 4 5 7 8 10 11 250
300 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 3 4 4 6 7 8 9 11 300
350 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 11 350
400 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 3 5 5 6 7 8 10 13 400
500 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 4 4 5 6 7 8 11 13 500

600 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 4 4 5 5 6 9 10 13 600
700 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 3 4 4 5 5 8 9 11 13 700
750 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 3 4 4 5 7 8 11 12 750
1000 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 3 3 4 6 6 8 9 1000

NOTES:
Based on 1999 NEC, Table C10 and Table 10A. Compact STABILOY Aluminum Conductor.
Because STABILOY is manufactured using a COMPACT configuration, the need to upsize conduit is not always necessary when converting from copper THW
or THHN to STABILOY.
For example, in 21/2" conduit, (3) 350 kcmil copper THHN conductors can be installed. Equally, (3) 500 kcmil STABILOY XHHW-2 conductors can be
installed in the same size conduit.
Prior to installation of building wire conductors, Alcan Cable recommends a review of local electrical codes to determine copper to aluminum conversion
compliance.
* In some cases it may be possible to add a bare equipment ground conductor without affecting the conduit fill requirements.
 Voltage Drop Calculations

“K” Factor for Line-to-Line Voltage Drop in 3-phase 60Hz or DC Circuits

NON-MAGNETIC CONDUIT Non- MAGNETIC CONDUIT
Conductor Magnetic Conductor
LOAD POWER FACTOR LAGGING LOAD POWER FACTOR LAGGING
Size AWG & Magnetic Size AWG
or kcmil .7 .8 .9 .95 1.0 Conduit D-C .7 .8 .9 .95 1.0 or kcmil
8 15.3 17.4 19.3 20.3 21.1 24.4 15.5 17.6 19.4 20.4 21.1 8
6 10.1 11.3 12.5 13.2 13.6 15.6 10.2 11.4 12.5 13.2 13.5 6
4 6.5 7.2 8.0 8.4 8.5 9.9 6.6 7.5 8.1 8.4 8.6 4
2 4.3 4.7 5.1 5.3 5.4 6.2 4.4 4.8 5.2 5.4 5.3 2
1 3.5 3.9 4.1 4.3 4.3 4.9 3.6 4.0 4.2 4.3 4.3 1
1/0 2.9 3.2 3.4 3.5 3.5 3.9 3.0 3.3 3.5 3.5 3.5 1/0
2/0 2.4 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.8 3.1 2.5 2.7 2.8 2.8 2.8 2/0
3/0 1.7 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.2 2.5 2.2 2.3 2.5 2.3 2.2 3/0
4/0 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.7 2.0 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.7 4/0
250 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.4 250
300 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.2 300
350 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.0 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.0 350
400 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.0 .89 1.0 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.1 .93 400
500 .94 .94 .91 .87 .72 .82 1.1 1.0 1.0 .96 .76 500
600 .85 .85 .81 .76 .60 .68 1.0 .97 .90 .85 .63 600
700 .80 .78 .72 .68 .51 .59 .94 .90 .84 .78 .56 700
750 .77 .75 .69 .64 .49 .55 .91 .87 .81 .75 .53 750
1000 .68 .65 .57 .52 .38 .44 .82 .78 .77 .64 .42 1000

Formula:
% Voltage Drop = K factor (Distance) (Amps)
Line Voltage (100)

Example:
Given: a 3-phase, 120/240 volt system with a 90% power factor; 140 feet of ENT is installed. Circuit load is 180 amps.
Question: If using a 4/0 AWG XHHW-2 conductor, what is the voltage drop in volts?
Solution: From the table above, the ‘K’ factor for these conditions is 1.8. Using the formula, we get:

Voltage Drop % = 1.8 x 140 x 180 = 1.9% 1.9% of 240 = 4.5 volts dropped.
240 x 100

Question: What size aluminum conductor must be used if voltage drop is limited to 2.0% and the circuit length is
increased to 230 feet?
% voltage drop x Line voltage x 100 2% x 240 x 100
Solution: First, calculate ‘K’ factor. K = = K = 1.16
Distance x Amps 230 x 180
Next, find the value in the table that is nearest to but not greater than 1.16. Reading across we find
a 400 kcmil conductor will be required.

NOTES:
1. All voltage drops are valid up to conductor temperature at 75°C.
2. Formula assumes one conductor spacing and applies to tray and direct burial installations only when all conductors are twisted together (multiplexed).
3. For single phase line to line voltage drop, multiply reading by 1.155.
4. For single- and three- phase line to neutral voltage drop, multiply reading by .577.
5. For 90°C conductor temperatures, the voltage drops obtained from the table should be multiplied by 1.105.
6. These figures should not be used for motor starts.

VOLTAGE DROP CODE REQUIREMENTS

Section 215-2(d) (FPN No. 2) of the 1999 NEC states:
“Conductors for feeders as defined in Article 100, sized to prevent a voltage drop exceeding 3% at the farthest outlet of power, heating and lighting loads,
or combination of such loads, and where the maximum total voltage drop on both feeders and branch circuits to the farthest outlet does not exceed 5%, will
provide reasonable efficiency of operation.”