Custom Coiled Cables: Built to Your Exact Specifications

Why Custom Coiled Cables Exist

Autac USA manufactures over 400 standard retractile cord configurations. Those 400+ part numbers cover the most common combinations of gauge, conductor count, jacket material, and length that our customers order repeatedly. For a significant number of applications, a standard cord off the shelf is the right answer — it ships fast, costs less, and solves the problem.

But "most common" is not "every." If your application requires a non-standard gauge, an unusual conductor count, a specific jacket compound, a particular color, a custom length, or a connector that does not appear in any catalog — you need a custom coiled cable built to your exact specifications. That is what Autac has done for OEMs, industrial manufacturers, medical device companies, and government contractors since 1947.

The difference between a custom coiled cable and a standard one is not quality or construction. Both go through the same manufacturing process: conductor stranding, insulation extrusion, cabling, jacketing, mandrel winding, and heat curing. The difference is that every parameter in that process — from the copper itself to the final termination — is set to match your requirements rather than a general-purpose specification.

When Off-the-Shelf Does Not Work

Standard coiled cords are designed around the most common use cases. They work well when your application falls within typical parameters. But many applications do not. Here are the situations where custom coiled cables become necessary:

• Non-standard conductor count — You need 7 conductors, or 15, or 22. Standard cords typically come in 2, 3, 4, 6, or 8-conductor configurations. Anything outside those numbers requires a custom build.
• Specific wire gauge — Your device draws more current than a standard cord can handle, or you need a lighter gauge for weight-sensitive portable equipment. Custom cords can be built from 10 AWG down to 26 AWG.
• Environmental demands — The cord will be exposed to oils, chemicals, extreme temperatures, UV radiation, or abrasive conditions that standard PVC jackets cannot withstand. You need a specific compound like polyurethane, TPR, or Autac's proprietary Auta-Prene.
• Exact length requirements — Your installation has a precise working distance. Too short and the cord cannot reach. Too long and excess coil creates unwanted bulk and weight. Custom lengths eliminate both problems.
• Specific connectors — Your equipment uses a proprietary connector, a locking plug, a panel-mount receptacle, or a termination style that is not available on standard cords.
• Color matching — Your product line requires a specific jacket color for branding, safety coding, or equipment identification. We manufacture custom cords in any color, including clear.
• Shielding requirements — Sensitive instrumentation or medical devices need EMI/RFI shielding that is not available on your preferred standard cord.
• Regulatory compliance — Your industry requires specific UL listings, CSA certifications, or material certifications (RoHS, REACH) that standard cords may not carry.

The Full Range of Customization

When we say "built to your exact specifications," we mean every physical and electrical characteristic of the cable is configurable. Here is a complete breakdown of what you can specify on a custom coiled cable order.

Conductor Specifications

The conductor is the copper core that carries current or signal. Custom coiled cables from Autac can be configured with:

• Wire gauge: 10 AWG through 26 AWG. Heavier gauges (10–14 AWG) handle high-amperage power tools and industrial equipment. Mid-range gauges (16–18 AWG) cover most general power applications. Fine gauges (20–26 AWG) serve communications, control signals, and lightweight portable devices.
• Conductor count: 2 conductors up to 25 or more. Two-conductor cords serve simple ungrounded circuits. Three-conductor cords are standard for grounded power. Higher counts — 4, 6, 8, 12, 15, 20, 25 — handle complex control systems, multi-channel data, and combined power-plus-signal applications.
• Conductor type: Bare copper or tinned copper. Tinned copper resists corrosion and simplifies soldering, making it the preferred choice for marine, outdoor, and high-humidity environments. Bare copper offers slightly better conductivity and lower cost for standard indoor applications.
• Stranding: Fine-stranded conductors improve flexibility and cycle life in retractile applications. The strand count and individual strand diameter are matched to the gauge and intended use.

Insulation and Jacketing

The jacket material determines a custom coiled cable's flexibility, temperature range, chemical resistance, retractile memory, and lifespan. Autac works with a wide range of compounds:

• PVC (polyvinyl chloride) — The workhorse material for indoor, light-to-moderate duty coiled cords. Good flexibility, low cost, wide availability of colors. Temperature range typically −20°F to 150°F.
• TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) — Better flexibility and wider temperature tolerance than PVC. Improved chemical resistance. A strong choice for industrial environments where PVC falls short but neoprene-class performance is not required.
• Polypropylene — Lightweight, chemical-resistant, and commonly used for communication and low-voltage signal cords. Excellent moisture resistance.
• Polyurethane — Outstanding abrasion resistance and flexibility, even at low temperatures. Retains retractile memory under demanding mechanical stress. Preferred for robotics, automated equipment, and high-cycle applications.
• TPR (thermoplastic rubber) — Combines rubber-like flexibility with thermoplastic processability. Good oil and chemical resistance. Effective in outdoor and industrial settings.
• Auta-Prene (Autac proprietary) — Autac's engineered neoprene alternative compound. Superior abrasion resistance, oil resistance, and retractile memory in demanding environments. Designed specifically for retractile cord applications where standard compounds degrade or lose memory prematurely.

Shielding Options

Custom coiled cables can be manufactured with or without electromagnetic shielding. Options include:

• Unshielded — Standard for most power cord applications where EMI is not a concern.
• Braided shield — Woven copper braid around the conductor bundle provides excellent EMI/RFI protection. Standard for medical devices, audio/video equipment, and sensitive instrumentation.
• Spiral (serve) shield — Copper strands wound in a single direction around the conductor bundle. More flexible than braided shield with good EMI protection. Preferred where maximum flexibility and cycle life are priorities.
• Foil shield — Aluminum-mylar foil wrap for 100% conductor coverage. Often combined with a drain wire. Effective for high-frequency interference in data and communication applications.

Color

Standard catalog cords come in black, white, and gray. Custom coiled cables can be manufactured in any color, including clear (translucent). Color matching is common for OEM customers who need cables to match their equipment branding, for safety-coded environments where cord color identifies circuit voltage or function, and for medical facilities where color-coded cords simplify equipment management.

Length

Both the retracted coil length and the tangent lead lengths (the straight sections at each end) are fully customizable. Retracted coil lengths typically range from 6 inches to 10 feet, with extended reach of approximately 5 times the retracted length. Tangent leads can be specified from a few inches to several feet, depending on your mounting and connection requirements.

Terminations and Connectors

The ends of a custom coiled cable can be finished with virtually any termination method or connector type:

• Stripped and tinned wire ends (for customer-installed terminations)
• Standard NEMA plugs (5-15P, 5-20P, 6-15P, 6-20P, L-series locking)
• IEC connectors (C13, C14, C19, C20)
• Molded connectors to customer specification
• Ring terminals, spade terminals, or pin terminals
• Panel-mount receptacles and bulkhead connectors
• Custom or proprietary connectors (customer-supplied or Autac-sourced)

Customization Parameters at a Glance

This table summarizes every configurable parameter on a custom coiled cable from Autac USA.

Real-World Custom Builds

Abstract specifications become concrete when you see how they solve real problems. Here are examples of custom coiled cables Autac has engineered for specific customer applications.

Medical Patient Monitor OEM

A medical device manufacturer needed a custom power cord for a bedside patient monitor. The cord had to reach from a wall outlet to a rolling cart that moved within a 6-foot radius. It required a hospital-grade plug (NEMA 5-15P with green dot), a shielded 3-conductor design to prevent EMI from interfering with ECG signal processing, and a white jacket to match the hospital's equipment aesthetic. The standard catalog had the right gauge and conductor count, but not the shielding, plug type, and color combination. Autac built a custom 18 AWG, 3-conductor shielded coiled cable with a white PVC jacket, hospital-grade plug on one end, and IEC C13 connector on the other. Retracted length: 18 inches. Extended reach: approximately 7.5 feet.

Automotive Assembly Line Controller

An automotive parts manufacturer needed pendant controller cords for robotic welding cells. The cords would hang from overhead booms and extend down to operators on the factory floor. Requirements: 12-conductor for the control signals, 16 AWG for the two power conductors, oil-resistant jacket to withstand welding splatter and hydraulic fluid mist, and a retracted length of 4 feet to reach operators at varying distances below the boom. Autac manufactured a custom 14-conductor coiled cable (12 signal + 2 power) with an Auta-Prene jacket in safety orange, terminated with a custom circular connector matching the OEM's pendant design. Extended reach: 20 feet.

Point-of-Sale Terminal Upgrade

A national retail chain was upgrading its checkout lane hardware and needed custom cords to connect handheld barcode scanners to fixed terminal bases. The existing straight cables tangled constantly, slowed checkout times, and created trip hazards for cashiers. The retailer needed a 6-conductor, 24 AWG coiled cord with a retracted length of just 10 inches and an extended reach of approximately 4 feet — compact enough for a crowded checkout counter. Jacket color: black to match the scanner housing. Terminations: custom molded USB-A on the terminal end and a proprietary locking connector on the scanner end (connector supplied by the scanner manufacturer). Autac produced the cord with a polypropylene jacket for light weight and excellent retractile memory at the small coil diameter.

Government Communications Console

A defense contractor required coiled cables for a ruggedized communications console deployed in mobile command vehicles. The specification called for a 10-conductor, 22 AWG shielded cable with tinned copper conductors for corrosion resistance in humid field conditions. The jacket had to meet military specifications for temperature range (−40°F to 200°F), oil resistance, and flame retardance. Terminations were MIL-spec circular connectors on both ends. Autac engineered a custom cable with an Auta-Prene jacket and braided shield, tested and certified to the contractor's requirements.

Foodservice Equipment Manufacturer

A commercial kitchen equipment company needed a custom made power cord for a countertop warming station. The cord had to retract cleanly beneath the unit when not in use and extend to reach outlets up to 8 feet away. It required a 14 AWG, 3-conductor SJT-rated design for the 15-amp circuit, an oil-resistant jacket to withstand kitchen grease and cleaning chemicals, and a molded right-angle NEMA 5-15P plug to sit flat against the wall behind commercial shelving. Standard catalog cords had the right gauge and conductor count, but not the right-angle plug or the specific retracted length (20 inches) the equipment housing required. Autac built the custom coiled cable with a TPE jacket in dark gray.

Starting from 400+ Standard Part Numbers

Custom does not always mean starting from scratch. In many cases, a custom coiled cable starts as a standard part number with one or two modifications. This is often the fastest and most cost-effective path to a custom cable wire solution.

Autac's catalog of over 400 standard retractile cords covers a wide range of gauges, conductor counts, jacket materials, and lengths. When a customer's requirement is close to a standard configuration but not an exact match, the standard part serves as the baseline. Common modifications include:

• Changing the jacket color from standard black to a custom color
• Adjusting the retracted length by a few inches or feet
• Substituting a different plug or connector type
• Adding shielding to an unshielded standard cord
• Changing tangent lead lengths to match a specific mounting configuration
• Switching from bare copper to tinned copper conductors

These "standard-plus" modifications can often be implemented with shorter lead times and lower tooling costs than a fully custom design. When you request a quote, include the standard part number you are starting from (if you know it) along with the modifications you need. Our engineering team will confirm feasibility and provide pricing.

Why Manufacturers Choose Autac for Custom Coiled Cables

Autac USA has manufactured retractile cords in North Branford, Connecticut since 1947. That is nearly eight decades of continuous operation in a single product category. When you work with Autac on a custom coiled cable project, you get:

• Vertical integration — Autac controls the entire manufacturing process from raw conductor to finished, terminated cord. There is no outsourced step where specifications can be lost in translation.
• Engineering support — Our team works with you to translate application requirements into cable specifications. If you know what the cable needs to do but not exactly how to specify it, we bridge that gap.
• Prototype and sample capability — Before committing to a production run, you can evaluate physical samples of your custom coiled cable in your actual application.
• Flexible production volumes — From prototype quantities to ongoing OEM production runs, Autac scales to your needs.
• 100% woman-owned business — Autac is a certified 100% woman-owned manufacturer. For companies with supplier diversity goals, Autac contributes directly to WOSB (Woman-Owned Small Business) spend targets.
• Made in the USA — Every cord is manufactured in our North Branford, CT facility. No offshore production, no extended international lead times, no supply chain uncertainty.

How to Get Started

If you have an application that requires a custom coiled cable, there are two ways to start the conversation:

1. Use the Build Your Cord configurator — Our online tool walks you through the key specifications step by step: gauge, conductor count, jacket material, length, and terminations. It generates a summary that goes directly to our engineering team. This is the fastest way to communicate your requirements if you already know the basic parameters.
2. Request a quote — If your application is complex, involves multiple cable types, or you are not sure of the exact specifications, submit a quote request with as much detail as you have. Describe the application, the environment, the electrical requirements, and any mechanical constraints. Our team will follow up with questions and recommendations.

Whether you need 50 pieces for a prototype run or 50,000 pieces for annual OEM production, every custom coiled cable from Autac is manufactured to the same standard: your standard. That is what nearly 80 years of specialization makes possible.