Copper Clad Grounding Solutions
Guide for Utility Applications
The Better Alternative to Solid Copper
annealed ground strand pole ground wire
lightning protection
surge arrestor ground leads
substation grounding
grounding mats/reflectors
structure ground leads
Copper Clad Steel (CCS) Grounding Solutions
New Challenges
The volatility of copper pricing has created a major concern for the
utility industry. As a result, copper theft is on the rise and utilities are
implementing alternatives to reduce costs and theft.
Consider the impact of copper theft on utilities in one year alone*:
• 95% of utilities affected
• 456,000 minutes of service outages
• Over $60M/year in cost to the utilities to address the problem
• Safety and liability concerns due to lost grounds
Alternative to Solid Copper
IEEE Std 80-2000 acknowledged the problem more than 10 years ago. “Copperclad steel is usually used for underground rods and occasionally for grounding grids,
especially where theft is a problem...”
CommScope’s copper clad steel is more economical both short term and long term
and offers the following features:
• Excellent current carrying capacity
• Lower weight per liner foot
• Durability and flexibility
• Low impedance path
• Excellent fusing current capabilities
• Significantly greater fatigue resistance than solid copper
Theft Deterrent
Copper is typically used in electrical utility substations to provide equipment, utility personnel and residential protection when faults
occur on the system. Interruption to substation operation can cause power outages to thousands of homes and businesses and
cause serious injury or death to maintenance employees. If you are losing money and time due to copper theft, our products
can help protect you against future occurrences.
Protect Your Investment
• Reduce the added costs associated with reinstallation of ground wire
• Improve the safety by utilizing proper grounding method
CCS Reduces Theft Risk
• Harder to cut
• Zero scrap value
*Source: “Copper Theft Baseline Survey of Utilities in the United States”
Electrical Safety Foundation International (FSFI survey); January 2009
For more information, visit commscope.com
CCS – Physically Stronger than Copper
Breaking Load Comparison of Selected Gauges
Bend Test Comparison of Selected Gauges
Pounds of force to
bend 90 degrees
Pounds
1500
4.5
1400
4.0
1300
3.5
1200
3.0
1100
2.5
1000
2.0
900
1.5
800
1.0
700
0.5
600
40% CCS
Annealed Copper
40% CCS
0.162 Diameter
Annealed Copper
0
40% CCS
Annealed Copper
40% CCS
Annealed Copper
0.204 Diameter
0.162 Diameter
0.204 Diameter
Proper Product Sizing for Copper Clad Steel Grounding Applications
Copper Clad Steel 40% DSA Copper Product Size
Diameter
Circular Mils
Size
Diameter
Circular Mils
Solid No. 6 AWG
0.162
26,250
Solid No. 6 AWG* 0.162
26,250
Solid No. 4 AWG
0.204
41,738
Solid No. 4 AWG* 0.204
41,738
No. 2 AWG Strand
0.292
66,407
7 No. 9 AWG
0.343
91,651
Solid No. 1 AWG
0.289
83,683
7 No. 8 AWG
0.385
115,568
1/0 Strand
0.368
105,521
7 No. 7 AWG
0.433
145,726
2/0 Strand
0.414
133,057
7 No. 6 AWG
0.486
183,754
3/0 Strand
0.464
167,779
7 No. 5 AWG
0.546
231,706
4/0 Strand
0.552
211,563
19 No. 9 AWG
0.572
248,767
250 MCM
0.574
250,000
19 No. 8 AWG
0.642
313,684
300 MCM
0.629
300,000
19 No. 7 AWG
0.721
395,542
400 MCM
0.726
400,000
19 No. 6 AWG
0.810
498,762
500 MCM
0.813
500,000
19 No. 5 AWG
0.910
628,917
Notes:
The copper clad wire shown in this table are not of
equal ampacity to copper.
According to RUS certification, #6 copper clad steel
is an acceptable replacement for #6 solid copper,
unless neutral is greater than 1/0 ACSR. In this
case, a larger size, such as #4 copper clad steel
should be used.
For information on 30% CCS product, or for additional sizes not listed in this table, please contact us.
*Pole ground use only
Quality Products
Available in a variety of gauges, engineered as single or stranded wire, CommScope
CCS ground wire is ideal for all your grounding applications. Copper clad steel is available
in 30% and 40% DSA (dead-soft annealed) and meets ASTM B-193, ASTM B-452, ASTM
B-227, ASTM B-228 and ASTM B-910 requirements and is RUS (Rural Utilities Service) listed.
All bimetallic products are processed at the company’s ISO9001 and ISO14001 certified
facility located in Statesville, North Carolina.
For more information, visit commscope.com
DSA 40% Copper Clad Steel Physical and Electrical Characteristics
Stranded Conductor
Minimum Breaking Load
Weight
Cross Section
Nominal Diameter
Individual
@ 40 ksi
End
Conductor
Count
AWG
Inchesmm lbskN lbs/kg/
circular mils
mm2
1000 ft
km
Max.
DC Resistance
Nom. Fusing
Current
@.5 Sec
Ω/1000 ft
Amps
Solid Wire-Pole Ground
1
2
0.2576
6.543
2,085
9.27
186
277
66,365
33.63 0.39865 11,026
1
4
0.2043
5.189
1,311
5.83
117
174
41,739
21.15 0.63386 6,935
1
6
0.1620
4.115
825
3.67
74
110
26,251
13.30 1.00785 4,361
7-Wire Strand
7
5
0.5458
13.864
6,551
29.14
656
976 231,706 117.41 0.11532 38,496
7
6
0.4861
12.346
5,196
23.11
520
774 183,755 93.11 0.14542 30,529
7
7
0.4329
10.994
4,120
18.33
413
614 145,726 73.84 0.18337 24,211
7
8
0.3855
9.791
3,268
14.54
327
487 115,568 58.56 0.23122 19,201
7
9
0.3433
8.719
2,591
11.53
260
386
91,651
46.44 0.29155 15,227
7
10
0.3057
7.765
2,055
9.14
206
306
72,684
36.83 0.36764 12,076
19
5
0.9097
23.106
17,782
79.10
1,788 2,661 628,917 318.68 0.04266 104,490
19
6
0.8101
20.577
14,102
62.73
1,418 2,110 498,762 252.73 0.05379 82,866
19
7
0.7214
18.324
11,184
49.75
1,125 1,673 395,543 200.43 0.06782 65,716
19
8
0.6425
16.318
8,869
39.45
892
1,327 313,685 158.95 0.08552 52,116
19
9
0.5721
14.532
7,034
31.29
707
1,052 248,767 126.05 0.10784 41,331
19-Wire Strand
7-Strand Pole Ground Equivalent Products
Overall AWG
Equivalent
7-Wire Strand - Pole Ground - Fusing Current Equivalent (FC)
7
2 FC Equivalent0.2921
7.420
2,085
9.27
188
280
66,367
33.63 0.40263 11,026
7
4 FC Equivalent0.2317
5.884
1,311
5.83
118
176
41,739
21.15 0.64020 6,935
7
6 FC Equivalent0.1837
4.666
825
3.67
74
111
26,251
13.30 1.01792 4,361
7-Wire Strand - Pole Ground - Diameter Equivalent
7
2 Dia. Equivalent0.2576
6.528
1,614
7.18
146
217
51,371
26.03 0.51774
8,575
7
4 Dia. Equivalent0.2043
5.189
1,020
4.54
92
137
32,463
16.45 0.82312
5,394
7
6 Dia. Equivalent0.1620
4.115
641
2.85
58
86
20,412
10.34 1.30909
3,391
*Fusing Current values are based on 30 cycles at 0.5 second durations
Other sizes and additional specifications available upon request.
Available Packaging
Approvals & Certifications
Reels
Stranded Products: 1000, 2500, 5000 ft. reels
Other lengths are available upon request
Coils
50 or 100 lb. coils of solid ground wire
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Rural Utilities Service (RUS) has awarded CommScope
technical acceptance of copper-clad steel pole ground
wire and steel conductor for substation grounding, as
established by the Technical Standards Committee “A”.
Spools 25 lb. spools of solid ground wire
C E R T I F I E D
www.commscope.com
Visit our web site or contact your local CommScope representative for more information.
© 2011 CommScope, Inc. All rights reserved.
All trademarks identified by ® or ™ are registered trademarks or trademarks, respectively, of CommScope, Inc.
This document is for planning purposes only and is not intended to modify or supplement any specifications or warranties relating to CommScope products or services.
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