Pilone vs Pakistan Cables: what makes two quotes for the same cable differ
PILONE CABLES TECHNICAL TEAM
Five things move a cable quote before any brand does: the copper in the size, the number of cores, the conductor class, the metres in the coil, and the route the cable took to reach you.
Two quotes are only comparable when all five match. Most of what looks like a brand difference is one of them quietly changing — a 3-core against a 2-core, a class 5 flexible against a class 2, a shorter coil at a lower per-coil number. Copper cable everywhere is priced off the same daily copper market, so once the five are matched, what remains is the route. We do not publish anyone else's price and we cannot quote one for Pakistan Cables; what follows is how to line the two figures up so your own comparison is fair.
The copper is most of the price
Every conductor size is a fixed quantity of metal per metre, and that quantity is what the copper market is charging for. A metre of 2.5 mm² copper masses 22.2 g; a metre of 4 mm² masses 35.6 g. So 4 mm² carries 35.6 ÷ 22.2 = 1.60 times the copper of 2.5 mm², and 10 mm² carries four times it. Judging a size jump by that ratio is honest and it does not go stale, which a rupee figure printed on a web page does within the week.
Copper content by size. Mass is the nominal cross-section times copper's density — 88.9 kg/km ÷ 10 mm² = 8.89 kg/km for every mm². Stranding per IEC 60228 class 2. The last column is two conductors over 100 m; a 3 core cable of the same size carries half again as much.
Size
Class 2 strands
Copper per metre
Ratio vs 2.5 mm²
2 core, per 100 m
1.5 mm²
7/0.53
13.3 g
0.60×
2.66 kg
2.5 mm²
7/0.67
22.2 g
1.00×
4.44 kg
4 mm²
7/0.85
35.6 g
1.60×
7.12 kg
6 mm²
7/1.04
53.3 g
2.40×
10.66 kg
10 mm²
7/1.35
88.9 g
4.00×
17.78 kg
16 mm²
7/1.70
142.2 g
6.41×
28.44 kg
Worked through on a real circuit: going from 2.5 mm² to 4 mm² on a 30 m two-core run adds (35.6 − 22.2) × 2 × 30 ÷ 1000 = 0.80 kg of copper. That is the entire material difference on that circuit. Whether it is a difference worth paying for is a current-capacity and voltage-drop question, answered in the 2.5mm vs 4mm cable guide.
The four other things that move the number
Core count. At the same size, a 3 core cable holds half again the copper of a 2 core and a 4 core holds twice. A quote that looks cheap is often a core short of what the job needs.
Conductor class. Class 5 flexible copper is drawn into many fine strands — 56/0.30 at 4 mm² against 7/0.85 for class 2 — which is more work per kilogram. Compare standard cable against standard and flexible against flexible.
Metres in the coil. Coil lengths are not the same everywhere, so a per-coil price says nothing until you know its length. Ask for the metres with the rate and divide to a per-metre figure before comparing.
The route to you. A factory rate and a counter rate are not built the same way, because a counter price also carries the counter. Ask each supplier which one they are quoting.
Never let a quote choose the size. Current capacity depends on the installation — every figure on this site is BS 7671 reference method C, clipped direct, 30°C ambient, PVC, and must be derated for conduit, grouping and heat. Fix the size with a licensed electrician or the cable size calculator first, then compare prices for that size.
Where our number comes from
Pilone draws its own cable in Lahore and quotes the day's factory rate straight to the buyer — roots in the copper trade going back to 1992, the cable line running since about 2020. Because the metal moves daily we confirm the figure on WhatsApp instead of printing one, and we quote per metre and per coil so both comparisons are available. Delivery is 1–2 days across Punjab and 2–4 days to the rest of Pakistan. The size-by-size range list is on the cable price list, and the wider supplier checklist on how to choose a cable company in Pakistan.
Frequently asked
Pilone vs Pakistan Cables — which one is cheaper?
We do not publish anyone else's price and cannot quote one for them, so ask both and compare the two lines yourself. Make them identical first: same cross-section, same cores, same conductor class, same voltage rating, same metres. Copper cable everywhere is priced off the same daily copper market, so once those five match, the remaining gap is the route the cable took to reach you.
How much more copper is in 4mm cable than 2.5mm?
About 1.6 times. A metre of 2.5 mm² copper conductor masses 22.2 g and a metre of 4 mm² masses 35.6 g, so 35.6 ÷ 22.2 = 1.60. That ratio is the honest way to compare the two sizes, because it does not go stale with the copper market the way a rupee figure does. Whether the circuit actually needs the bigger size is a separate question of current capacity and voltage drop.
Why does the cable price change from one day to the next?
Because most of what you are buying is copper, and copper is traded daily. A 100 m coil of 2.5 mm² two-core holds 4.44 kg of copper, so a move in the metal moves the coil. That is why we quote the day's rate on WhatsApp rather than print a figure on the page, and why a quote from any supplier has a short shelf life.
Is a per-coil price or a per-metre price the better comparison?
Per metre, always, because coil lengths are not the same everywhere. Two per-coil prices cannot be compared until you know the metres in each coil — ask for the length with the rate and divide. Then check that both coils are the same cores, size and conductor class, since a 3 core cable carries half again the copper of a 2 core at the same size.
Put our figure beside the other one
Send the cores, size, conductor class and metres. You will get today's factory rate from Lahore, per metre and per coil, so the two quotes line up.
