PVC hook up wire has a few different types of insulation that you should know about so that your application can resist everything that it needs to in terms of heat and environmental conditions..
UL1007 is a term used for a 300 volt PVC wire with a .016″ insulation thickness. The UL term became popular because UL (Underwriters Laboratories) certifies the wire for the temperature and the voltage it says it can handle. So UL1007 wire is approved by UL for 300 volts which you can see on a specification sheet. Most companies using a 300 volt hookup wire will want it to be approved by a third party source.
Similar to the UL1007 is the UL1061 version of PVC hook up wire. It also offers 300 volts but with a .009″ insulation thickness for applications that require a smaller outer diameter.
UL1015 wire is a 600 volt version of PVC hook up wire with a much thicker insulation. In order to withstand the 600 volts UL1015 needs an insulation thickness of .032″. This type of wire ranges from 24 awg to 10 awg before the UL type changes. All of the three types of wire above can withstand temperatures up to 105°C and are used in appliances and electronic devices.
The last type of insulation I’ll discuss if PTFE Teflon® wire. It has a high temperature insulation that reaches 200 degrees Celsius instead of the 105 degrees from the PVC insulation. Teflon wire also has silver plated copper stranded instead of tinned copper to also help it resist corrosion when dealing with high temperatures. You’ll notice a non stick surface on PTFE wire as well because it can resist water, oil, gasses and solvents.
Be careful when pricing PTFE wire because its price is driven by copper, silver and PTFE compound. Copper and silver are both traded on the NYSE which means they can go up very fast without much of a warning.
There are many types of wire and cable with all different insulations that could make or break an application. Some cables are suitable for underground use while others can’t even go outdoors because they aren’t weather resistant. Make sure you speak with your wire and cable sales person to get the information you need before purchasing your hook up wire. Sometimes you might even find something less expensive that still fits your application which means a simple conversation could save you some money.