Why Copper Matters in Charging Cables

Why Copper is King for Charging Cables

From the outside, many charging cable can look the same. However, beneath the cable covering it is what is inside the cables that may make a big difference in your charging capabilities. That is because the amount of copper included in your cable will influence the amount of power from your charger to your device.

Why Copper?

Copper is a standard in charging cables due to several different factors:

1.     Copper is a great electrical conductor – it is second only to silver in terms of electrical conductivity

2.     Copper is durable – a copper wire can flex thousands of times, making it essential for a power cable that gets plugged, unplugged and coiled on a regular basis

3.     Copper is heat resistant – because copper resists overheating, it handles higher current loads safely without risking melting or fire

4.     Copper is corrosion resistant -  it forms a protective oxide layer that helps prevent long-term degradation

Why More Copper?

As great as copper is for charging, it still has some resistance. This is true of nearly any solid material electricity passes through. Power uses up some of its energy overcoming this resistance. The power that is lost when passing through a cable is called voltage drop. In short, voltage drop means there is more power going into the end that connects to your charger than there is going into your device at the end of the cable.

More copper in a power cable means the electricity has more options for passing through the cable with the least amount of resistance. The end result is a cable that more efficiently conducts electricity, resulting in more power to your device.

Ventev = 2x the Copper for Fast Charging

Ventev cables are designed with more copper. At the Ventev Labs in Towson, MD, USA, a recent analysis revealed that the specs on Ventev cables included up to 2x the copper versus a leading value cable.

The impact on charging dynamics can be summarized below and compare two 3A USB-A to USB-C cables charging Samsung phones on a 12W wall charger:

With less copper to conduct the electricity from charger to device, the leading value cable produces 80% more voltage drop versus a Ventev cable. The difference can drastically affect the power lost in the cable during charging. More voltage drop can also impact the wattage supplied by the charger. The result can lead to slower charging times.

Find the right Ventev cable for you here: https://ventevmobility.com/collections/cables

(And don’t worry, they all have 2x the copper for fast charging)