Copper-clad aluminium wire

The assembly is then pulled through a die, where the cladded wire is squeezed and stretched while also improving the bonding between the copper and the aluminum core.

[2] The copper/aluminium construction was adopted to avoid some of the problems with aluminium wire yet retain most of the cost advantage.

These cables are often less expensive than their full-copper counterparts, but the official specifications such as Category 6 require conductors to be pure copper.

[4] The properties of copper-clad aluminium wire include: The skin effect forces alternating current to flow on the outer periphery of any wire; in this case, the outer copper cladding of the conductor which has lower resistance than the mostly unused aluminum interior.

This improved conductivity over bare aluminum makes the copper-clad aluminium wire a good fit for radio frequency use.