Copper Clad Aluminum (CCA wire ) and Oxygen-Free Copper Wire
Buying wires can be confusing. In addition to specifications and insulation types, we now see names such as "CCA" and "OFC". This article will try to clarify some of them.
Copper Clad Aluminum
Copper is a commodity and the most expensive component in wires. Therefore, if a particular wire is much cheaper than others, you should worry about what you actually get. In our industry, we see wires incorrectly marked as heavier gauges, or the insulation is too thick to make it look more than it actually is. Recently, in many cases, cheap wires are actually "CCA" wires.
"CCA" is copper clad/coated aluminum wire. This is an aluminum wire with a very thin copper coating. At first glance, it looks the same as pure copper wire. The price may seem attractive, but remember that the conductivity of aluminum is only about 60% of copper. This means that to carry the same load, you must use a significantly heavier gauge line, which can eliminate most of the cost savings. Replacing copper wires of the same specification with CCA wires is dangerous and may cause the wires to burn out or fire.
In addition, it is not as flexible as copper, so it is more difficult to use, and when excessively bent, individual strands may break. It may also corrode more easily. Although it may have some uses for applications where AC wiring or weight is a major issue, we believe that the cost savings of CCA cables are not worthwhile for general automotive use. We do not provide any CCA lines.
About oxygen-free welding wire
You may see some places promoting OFC or oxygen-free copper wire. Is this a worthy upgrade to the "standard" 100% copper wire?
For speaker cables, depending on your requirements, OFC cables may have some advantages.
According to Roger Russell, Electrical Engineer and Head of Acoustics Research at Mackintosh Laboratories, even the expensive "highly refined copper with silver impurities removed and oxygen reduced to 0.0005% has only a higher electrical conductivity." 1%." And it is "insignificant in audio applications". Therefore, it is certainly not a factor for powering car accessories.
We will let you determine whether it is worthwhile to use oxygen-free cables in your speaker wiring. For non-audio uses like powering new light bars, OFC has no benefit and it is not worth paying for it.
Of course, the magnet wires on the market are not only CCA wires, but also aluminium Magnet wire, which are also relatively common in the market, and you can also have a certain understanding of this.
