Books for Business Engineering Design Handbook: Electrical Wire and Cable

This 312-page engineering handbook presents principles, materials, construction, and application considerations for electrical wire and cable. Published in 2002, it covers design and selection criteria including conductor and insulation types, shielding, and performance specifications used in electrical system engineering.

Model Number: 0894991620

Books for Business Engineering Design Handbook: Electrical Wire and Cable Review

4.0 out of 5

On my bench, this handbook has earned a spot next to the calculator and the crimpers. I reached for it first during a control panel retrofit where I needed to specify wire types, shielding, and bundle ampacity without getting lost in vendor catalogs. What I found is a methodical, nuts-and-bolts reference that prioritizes engineering fundamentals over glossy presentation. It’s not new—published in 2002—and that shows in places, but the core guidance on conductors, insulation, shielding, and performance remains solid and immediately useful.

What the handbook covers

This is a 312-page engineering treatment of wire and cable design and selection. The structure runs logically from materials and construction into performance characteristics and application considerations. The coverage includes:

  • Conductor choices and implications: copper vs. aluminum, stranding, plating/coatings, and how those decisions affect DC resistance, flexibility, and corrosion performance.
  • Insulation and jacketing families with properties you actually use: dielectric strength, temperature rating, chemical resistance, and abrasion behavior.
  • Shielding techniques—foil, braid, served—plus how shield geometry and coverage relate to transfer impedance and noise attenuation.
  • Performance parameters: capacitance, impedance, attenuation, corona inception, partial discharge, voltage withstand, and environmental stressors.
  • Selection guidance that ties it together: current-carrying capacity, voltage drop, bend radius, weight and diameter trade-offs, and basic EMI/EMC considerations.

If you’re looking for a vendor-neutral primer that explains why a wire behaves the way it does, this handbook aligns with that need. It’s not a code book, and it won’t replace NEC/IEC compliance references, but it gives the engineering rationale behind the rules.

Using it on real projects

Two recent tasks made the strengths (and limits) of this handbook clear.

First, I had to pick conductors for a 24 VDC distribution network inside a machine enclosure, with runs up to 200 feet one way and loads peaking at 2 A. The handbook’s treatment of DC resistance and voltage drop is straightforward, with tables and the basic calculations laid out cleanly. Using the provided resistances per AWG, it took all of two minutes to check options:

  • AWG 16 (about 4.016 ohms/1000 ft): loop length ~400 ft, R ≈ 1.606 ohms, drop ≈ 3.2 V, leaving ~20.8 V at the load.
  • AWG 14 (about 2.525 ohms/1000 ft): R ≈ 1.01 ohms, drop ≈ 2.0 V, leaving ~22 V.
  • AWG 12 (about 1.588 ohms/1000 ft): R ≈ 0.635 ohms, drop ≈ 1.27 V, leaving ~22.7 V.

In this case, AWG 14 hit the sweet spot of voltage margin versus cost and size. That decision took a fraction of the time it would have using disparate web calculators and vendor tables, because the book contextualizes the math with the trade-offs.

Second, I needed to route encoder signals near motor leads driven by a VFD. The handbook’s section on shielding helped me compare foil shields (excellent high-frequency coverage) with braid (better low-frequency and mechanical durability) and guided me to a foil + drain + light braid construction for broad-spectrum noise rejection. It also covered the importance of 360-degree termination at the enclosure and grounding practices that avoid ground loops—practical details that many texts skim.

Where the age shows is in topics like high-speed differential signaling over twisted pair and the thermal realities of power over Ethernet in large bundles. The book nails the underlying physics—capacitance, skin effect, dielectric loss—but doesn’t explicitly speak to newer Ethernet categories, 10G+ signaling, or modern EMC test regimes. I supplemented those decisions with more recent application notes.

Strengths I appreciated

  • Clear linkage from material choice to measurable performance. Instead of saying “use PTFE in hot environments,” it explains why PTFE’s dielectric and thermal stability matter, and where its processing and abrasion downsides sit.
  • Usable, conservative guidance. The ampacity discussions emphasize ambient, bundling, and insulation temperature class, steering you away from the optimistic ratings in some catalogs.
  • Shielding and grounding advice that helps avoid common mistakes. The book explains how shield coverage and termination affect transfer impedance and coupling, and it addresses the difference between a shield for EMI and a drain for safety.
  • Balanced selection process. It consistently asks you to consider environment (chemicals, UV, flex cycles), mechanical constraints (bend radius, connector termination), and electrics (voltage, current, frequency content) together—not in isolation.
  • Vendor-neutral tone. The focus stays on principles and performance metrics, not brand-specific constructions.

Where it feels dated or thin

  • Limited treatment of modern data cabling. You’ll find the physics you need, but you won’t see category-specific guidance, alien crosstalk, or contemporary test methods spelled out.
  • EMC content is foundational rather than system-level. For complex mixed-signal systems and enclosure-level compliance, you’ll want a dedicated EMC text alongside this.
  • Sustainability and safety materials. There’s little on halogen-free/LSZH materials, smoke/toxicity standards, or evolving environmental directives that influence material selection today.
  • Application case studies are sparse. It gives you the tools but not always the worked design narratives for, say, a VFD-fed motor installation or a robotic cable track with dynamic flex life targets.
  • Cross-references to today’s standards. You’ll need to map the book’s performance parameters to current NEC/IEC/UL requirements and modern procurement specs.

None of these are fatal flaws, and they stem mainly from the publication date. The fundamentals haven’t changed, but the language and examples engineers use in 2025 are more expansive.

Readability and usability

The writing is direct and technical, without being pedantic. Equations are simple, the tables are legible, and the illustrations communicate construction details well enough even in black and white. It’s not a coffee-table book; it’s a desk reference. I had no trouble finding what I needed thanks to a clean index and sensible chapter flow, though I do wish there were more selection flowcharts to bridge from requirement to choice for newcomers.

One practical note: this is a reference I consult in bursts rather than read cover to cover. It rewards that style of use, with self-contained sections that let you jump straight to conductors, insulation, or shields and get back to your design work.

Who will get the most from it

  • Electrical and systems engineers specifying wire and cable as part of larger assemblies, harnesses, or panels.
  • Technologists and technicians who need a quick, principled check on gauge, insulation class, and shielding before locking a BOM.
  • Procurement and quality folks who want to understand what’s behind a spec line and what’s negotiable.

If you live in the world of very high-speed serial links, high-density PoE, or cutting-edge aerospace materials, you’ll need to augment this with newer, domain-specific references. For most industrial, commercial, and general-purpose projects, this handbook covers the ground you stand on.

Bottom line

I keep this handbook within arm’s reach because it strips wire and cable down to the physics and performance characteristics that matter, then builds back up to practical selection. It’s a 2002 snapshot, and that limits its reach into some modern niches, but the fundamentals are clearly presented and broadly applicable. When I need to pick a gauge, justify a shield, or understand how an insulation choice will behave at temperature, it answers quickly and credibly.

Recommendation: I recommend this handbook for engineers and technicians who want a grounded, vendor-neutral reference for specifying electrical wire and cable. It’s especially worth it if you value clear explanations, conservative selection guidance, and practical tables over marketing gloss. Pair it with current codes and, where needed, newer niche references, and it will serve as a reliable backbone for day-to-day design decisions.



Project Ideas

Business

Specialty cable design and assembly service

Offer custom cable assemblies for niche markets (audiophile, aerospace modelers, industrial controls) using the handbook to develop specs, select materials and produce documented performance sheets. Charge for design, prototyping, testing and small-batch production.


Technical training and workshops

Develop paid workshops and online courses that teach wire and cable selection, safe installation, and basic testing for electricians, makers and product designers. Use the handbook as the authoritative syllabus source and offer certification badges or printed quick-reference guides.


Compliance and specification consulting

Provide consulting to small manufacturers and retrofit shops to translate product needs into compliant cable specs and bill-of-materials. The handbook helps you prepare spec sheets, select rated materials, and advise on insulation classes and shielding to meet regulatory/industry standards.


Content channel + downloadable spec templates

Create a niche content channel (blog/YouTube/paid newsletter) that explains cable selection, tutorials for building assemblies, and product reviews. Monetize with downloadable spec templates, wiring checklists drawn from the handbook, affiliate links to suppliers, and sponsorships from component vendors.


Small-batch OEM supplier for retrofits and prototypes

Position as a boutique supplier producing small runs of custom cables and harnesses for prototyping labs, restoration shops and designers. Use the handbook to implement QA processes (material traceability, testing protocols) and to offer value-added services like labeling, custom lengths, and documentation.

Creative

Industrial-style lamp and pendant collection

Use the handbook to choose appropriate insulation, conductor type and ratings for retro-style pendant lights and floor lamps that expose cable and connections as a design element. The book helps select heat-resistant insulation, correct ampacity, and safe strain relief methods so pieces are both attractive and code-compliant.


Custom audiophile and instrument cables

Design and hand-build high-end audio cables (RCA, XLR, instrument) using guidance on conductor materials, shielding, and impedance control. The handbook gives the technical background to justify material choices (oxygen-free copper, braid vs foil shields) and to market cables with quantified performance claims.


Decorative woven cable textiles

Create functional art by braiding or weaving different insulated wires and flexible cables into lamp covers, wall hangings, or wearable tech accessories. Use the handbook to pick flexible conductors and safe insulation materials, and to learn about skin effect, capacitance and safe bundling practices.


Robotics and maker harness kits

Develop modular wiring harnesses for hobby robots, drones or custom furniture with embedded lighting. The handbook helps determine conductor gauges, shielding for signal lines, connector selection and methods for strain relief and labeling, resulting in durable, repairable harness kits for makers.


Restoration cable packs for vintage vehicles and appliances

Create curated wiring kits for classic car restorations or vintage appliance refurbishing. Use the handbook to specify proper conductor sizes, original-style insulation equivalents, and protective sleeving to reproduce period-accurate looks while meeting modern safety standards.