EC wire

In the scrap industry, aluminum wire often refers to aluminum electrical wire, also known as electrical conductors. Narrowly defined, aluminum wire, commonly referred to as EC wire, is a high-purity aluminum wire, typically referring to the 1350 series of aluminum. Due to its excellent conductivity, it is widely used in various applications. "EC" usually refers to the 1350 series of aluminum, which is at least 99.5% pure aluminum, with iron and silicon as the main alloying elements. According to ISRI, the corresponding name is Talon, which is defined as: New, clean, non-alloy aluminum electrical wire or cable, not containing fine lines, ACSR (aluminum-clad steel stranded conductor), screens, iron, insulation, and other non-metallic materials. Special attention is paid to insulation materials, as the aluminum wire stripped from insulated aluminum wire (IAW) often has an insulation layer and cannot be classified as aluminum wire. In other words, narrowly defined aluminum wire refers to pure aluminum wire, i.e., EC wire.
On the other hand, broadly defined aluminum wire can refer to aluminum wire made of materials with a purity of less than 99% or other series such as the 6000 series. These aluminum wires need to be strictly distinguished from EC-grade aluminum wires, and their ISRI corresponding names are Tann (new) / Taste (old), which are defined as containing up to 10% of 6000 series cables, not containing fine lines, screens, iron, insulation, and other non-metallic materials.

Although aluminum is not an excellent conductor, considering its significantly lower cost than copper wire, as well as its suitable conductivity and lighter weight, aluminum EC wire is commonly used for electrical power cables, building wires, antennas, transformer windings, and other electrical applications, especially in civilian and economically underdeveloped areas.