There is a lot of electrical wire traveling throughout your home usually beginning its venture from the electrical box in your basement. The most common type of single conductor wire in your home is THHN and the most common type of cable is Romex NMB cable. NMB is an indoor cable with multiple THHN wires inside of it for contractors to install multiple wires with a single cable instead of running each individually.
Romex is a brand name of NMB cable so if you’re looking to buy it from a supplier you should ask for NMB cable unless you specifically want the brand of Romex. This will be the cheapest version of an indoor electrical cable you can find for a few reasons.
The first reason for the lost cost approach to NMB cable is that it’s meant for indoor use only. An electrical cable with approvals for outdoor, conduit or underground use will cost quite a bit more because of engineering and higher manufacturing costs. A cost effective cable for electricians and contractors to use indoors is exactly what they need in most instances.
Most electrical cables are manufactured without very much flexibility. When holding a Romex 6/3, it will be very difficult to bend it or wrap it around your wrist for a specific reason. The reason it’s not flexible is so that it can be snaked through walls and indoor conduit much easier. A flexible cable would bunch up and prove to be a very difficult installation. As a cable gets less flexible it’s cheaper to manufacture and easier for contractors to use so it’s a win-win situation.
The final reason Romex NMB cable is less expensive is because of the thin PVC jacket and non insulated ground wire. Since it’s engineered to be an indoor cable there’s no need for an over protective jacket so, instead, a low cost thin PVC jacket to simply bundle the THHN wires together will work perfectly. MC cable is an outdoor cable with an insulated ground wire instead of a bare copper ground. Removing the insulation from the ground won’t cause any problems for an indoor application and it will, again, lower the cost of NMB cable for those installing it indoors only.
If you’re looking for an indoor electrical cable then NMB cable is they way to go. Romex is a top brand name in the industry which you will find at most suppliers. Don’t worry, the brand name doesn’t add to the cost of the cable, or it would defeat the purpose of having a low cost indoor cable to work with.
