If the cable is winded up to the maximum usable surface of the flanges, it reaches the full capacity of the cable reel. If the flanges are not round edged or if you would like to use the cable reel capacity calculator to get the total theoretical capacity of th. If the cable is winded up to the maximum usable surface of the flanges, it reaches the full capacity of the cable reel. If the flanges are not round edged or if you would like to use the cable reel capacity calculator to get the total theoretical capacity of the cable reel, set the edge clearance to zero.The side circular guards that cover each end of the flat edges of the drum core are known as flanges. A common abbreviation for a wooden cable reel's total size is flange diameter. Flanges are available in a variety of sizes, much like the drum core.The circular core of the cable reel is known as the drum core or the barrel. A large drum, or barrel, offers a broader safe bending radius for the cable but also reduces the capacity of the cable reel or spool. The barrel or drum diameter, in this cable reel capacity calculator, cannot be larger than the diameter of the two flanges, otherwise the c. The inner width of the cable reel or cable spool is called traverse. It determines how many rolls of cable can be stacked next to each other in each circular layer. The longer the traverse, or the wider the reel is, the more capacity it has.The cable diameter is essential in determining the capacity of the cable reel. If the cable has a small diameter more cable rolls can be stacked horizontally and more layers of rolls can be added vertically. A single cable reel and store different lengths of cables depending on the thickness, or diameter, of each cable.