What is the difference between insulation and sheathing?
What is the difference between insulation and sheathing?
Expert
Maestro
The insulation refers to the material wrapped around the individual wires. On old wire, it was rubber (knob-and-tube, for example). On more modern wire, it is plastic.
The sheathing forms the cable, wrapping around the insulated black, white and/or red wires and the uninsulated ground wire, if there is one. The sheathing is what you can see and touch, typically in the unfinished areas of homes and garages. Older wires have cloth or paper sheathing. Newer wires have plastic sheathing.
The function of the insulation is to keep the wires from touching each other within the cable. The function of the sheathing is to provide mechanical protection for the conductors and their insulation. Certain types of wires are typical of certain time periods. Allowing for regional differences, we can generally say the following wires were used during the periods described.
| Wire Type Dates of Use |
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