What's the difference between OFC and CCA wire?

OFC (Oxygen-Free Copper, oxygen-free copper) wire and CCA (Copper-Clad Aluminum, copper-clad aluminum) wire are significantly different in many aspects. Here are the main differences between them:

1. Material and Purity
OFC wire: Made of high-purity oxygen-free copper, which typically contains very small amounts of oxygen and other impurities. This high purity gives OFC wire significant advantages in conductivity, signal transmission stability and sound quality performance.
CCA wire: Made of composite wire with copper clad on an aluminum core. Although the outer layer is copper, the interior is mainly aluminum, which results in relatively poor electrical conductivity.

2. Conductive properties
OFC wire: Due to its high purity, OFC wire has lower resistivity and superior conductivity. This makes the signal suffer less attenuation and interference during transmission, ensuring signal stability and clarity.
CCA wire: Since aluminum is not as conductive as copper, CCA wire has relatively poor conductivity. The signal may suffer more attenuation and interference during transmission, thus affecting the sound quality and signal quality.

3. Signal transmission quality
OFC line: Due to its superior conductive properties, OFC line can provide more stable and clearer signal transmission. In audio and video applications, this means less distortion and higher fidelity.
CCA line: Due to its relatively poor conductivity, CCA lines may experience more distortion and interference during signal transmission. This may affect sound and image quality, especially in applications that require higher signal quality.

4. Application areas
OFC cable: widely used in high-end audio equipment, professional recording equipment, video transmission equipment and other fields. These areas have very high requirements for signal transmission quality and sound quality, so OFC cables are more likely to be used.
CCA cable: Due to its low cost, CCA cable is usually used in some situations that do not require particularly high signal quality, such as ordinary audio equipment, computer internal connection cables, etc. However, in some situations that require higher signal quality, the CCA line may be limited.

5. Price and Cost
OFC wire: Due to its high material purity and good conductivity, the manufacturing cost of OFC wire is relatively high, so the price will be higher.
CCA wire: Due to the composite structure of copper-clad aluminum, the manufacturing cost of CCA wire is relatively low, so the price will be more affordable.

There are significant differences between OFC wires and CCA wires in terms of materials, conductive properties, signal transmission quality, application fields and prices. When selecting wires, these factors need to be comprehensively considered based on specific application scenarios and needs.

Copper Clad Aluminium Wire (CCA Wire)