16/2 CL3P, CMP Plenum Rated, Unshielded, Stranded, Bare Copper Conductors, White, 500ft, Pull Box

Description

16/2 CL3P Plenum Cable White 500ft – Versatile Unshielded Bare Copper for Security and Audio Circuits

16/2 CL3P plenum cable white 500ft is the most widely specified low-voltage wire for commercial security, access control, and distributed audio installations in air-handling spaces. This pull box delivers 16AWG stranded bare copper conductors, a CL3P/CMP dual-rated unshielded white jacket, and confirmed compatibility with door controllers, proximity sensors, keypads, sound systems, access control, and smoke detectors — all in a single, code-compliant spool.

Furthermore, this cable meets the fire safety performance requirements defined under NEC Article 800 for CMP-rated Communications Multipurpose Plenum cable (nofollow). As a result, it is fully approved for installation in HVAC return-air plenums, suspended ceiling cavities, and every air-handling space where low-smoke, flame-retardant cable is mandated by code. Consequently, contractors, integrators, and AHJs can approve this product with complete confidence on any inspected commercial project.

Key Features of Our 16/2 CL3P Plenum Cable White 500ft

• White Jacket — the Industry-Standard Color for Low-Voltage Plenum Wiring: The white outer jacket on this 16/2 CL3P plenum cable white 500ft is the most common specification for audio, intercom, paging, and general low-voltage circuits in commercial ceilings. White cable blends cleanly into suspended acoustic ceiling tile environments and simplifies visual differentiation from black security or power wiring in the same pathway. Moreover, many commercial building standards and integrator color-coding systems assign white as the default jacket color for audio and communications circuits throughout the building.
• 16AWG Stranded Bare Copper Conductors: Two 16AWG stranded bare copper conductors deliver excellent conductivity, flexibility, and long-term durability throughout the cable’s service life. Stranded construction routes easily through tight ceiling cavities, around junction boxes, and through conduit without fatiguing or kinking. Additionally, bare copper provides lower DC resistance and superior corrosion resistance compared to copper-clad aluminum (CCA) alternatives.
• CL3P and CMP Dual-Rated Plenum Jacket: The white jacket carries both CL3P (Class 3 Plenum) and CMP (Communications Multipurpose Plenum) certifications, verified under UL 13 for plenum cable construction and materials (nofollow). This dual rating satisfies NEC Articles 725 and 800 simultaneously, giving every inspector and AHJ complete flexibility in classifying the installation. In other words, one spool legally covers every plenum and riser installation scenario on the same project.
• Unshielded Design for Fast Routing and Termination: The unshielded construction keeps this cable slim, light, and highly flexible — ideal for high-device-count rough-in jobs where speed of installation matters. As a result, each termination at a keypad, sensor, controller, or speaker is faster because no drain wire needs to be isolated or grounded. Furthermore, unshielded cable is the correct specification for the vast majority of plenum installations where runs do not pass near significant EMI sources.
• Confirmed Application Compatibility: This cable is specifically rated for door controllers, proximity sensors, keypads, access control systems, smoke detectors, and sound systems. Consequently, a single SKU of this 16/2 CL3P plenum cable white 500ft can serve all of these circuit types on the same commercial project, reducing procurement complexity and inventory overhead.
• 500ft Pull Box Packaging: The 500ft pull box delivers enough cable for multiple full-floor circuit runs without requiring mid-run splices. Additionally, the pull box format provides tangle-free payout during active ceiling pulls, reducing installation time and cable waste on high-run-count security and audio rough-ins.
• Low-Smoke Flame-Retardant Jacket: The outer jacket is specifically formulated to resist flame spread and minimize toxic smoke emissions under fire conditions. Therefore, it fully satisfies the ANSI/NFPA 90A standard for materials used in air-handling plenum spaces (nofollow), which applies to every commercial building constructed under the International Building Code in the US.
• ETL or UL Listed: This cable carries ETL or UL listing, confirming compliance with applicable US safety standards for plenum-rated cable. As a result, it passes documentation requirements on government, institutional, healthcare, and commercial job sites where listed product certification is a project specification requirement.

Why Choose This 16/2 CL3P Plenum Cable White 500ft for Your Installation?

White is the dominant jacket color in commercial low-voltage rough-in for a practical reason: it is the most visible color in finished ceiling environments, making circuit tracing, maintenance calls, and service work dramatically faster years after the original installation. This 16/2 CL3P plenum cable white 500ft is the right specification for integrators and contractors who follow industry-standard color-coding practices — white for audio, paging, and intercom circuits; black or other colors for security, access control, or power-limited circuits. Moreover, white cable is the default visual expectation for building owners and facility managers who inspect ceiling spaces during tenant improvements or system upgrades. For projects where the specification calls specifically for black jacket cable on security circuits, the companion product is our 16/2 CL3P CMP Plenum Unshielded Cable – Black 500ft (DoFollow), which shares identical electrical specs with a black jacket.

The CL3P/CMP dual rating on this 16/2 CL3P plenum cable white 500ft is the single most important compliance feature for commercial installers. CL3P covers power-limited Class 3 circuits under NEC Article 725 — the classification used for access control panels, keypads, and security alarm wiring. CMP covers communications circuits under NEC Article 800 — the classification used for intercom, paging, and audio distribution wiring. Therefore, one spool covers both NEC articles without any additional documentation, stocking, or substitution complexity. In contrast, standard CM or CL3 cable is prohibited in plenum spaces and carries significant rework liability if installed in a plenum pathway by mistake. For applications requiring a shielded jacket to block EMI in interference-prone ceiling environments, our 16/2 CL3P CMP Plenum Shielded Cable – White 500ft (DoFollow) is the direct shielded equivalent of this product.

At 16AWG with stranded bare copper conductors, this 16/2 CL3P plenum cable white 500ft provides exactly the right gauge for access control device runs of 25 to 100 feet, background music zone wiring, and intercom circuits across a typical commercial floor plate. Furthermore, the 500ft pull box format is specifically sized for single-floor rough-in jobs — most commercial floors require between 300 and 450 feet of 16AWG circuit wiring for a standard access control and audio deployment. As a result, one box completes the floor with footage to spare, avoiding the cost and labor penalty of a mid-project reorder. For the complete range of CMP-rated security and audio cables across all gauges, browse our full Speaker and Security Cable collection (DoFollow).

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why is white the most common jacket color specified for plenum audio and security cable?

White jacket cable has become the industry default for low-voltage commercial wiring for several practical reasons. First, white cable is highly visible against gray conduit, black j-hooks, and beige or gray ceiling tile environments, making circuit identification and tracing fast during service calls. Second, many commercial integrators and electrical contractors maintain written color standards that assign white to audio, paging, and intercom circuits — keeping them visually distinct from black security, access control, or power wiring in the same ceiling pathway. Third, building owners and facility managers familiar with low-voltage installations expect white cable as the standard appearance for finished ceiling work. This 16/2 CL3P plenum cable white 500ft meets all of these conventions while delivering full CL3P/CMP plenum compliance, making it the correct default specification for most commercial low-voltage projects.

Q: What is the maximum run length for this 16AWG plenum cable on access control and audio circuits?

At 16AWG, this 16/2 CL3P plenum cable white 500ft supports access control and low-voltage DC circuit runs up to approximately 100 feet while maintaining reliable device operation within typical voltage drop thresholds for 12VDC and 24VDC systems. For audio speaker circuits, 16AWG supports runs up to approximately 50 to 60 feet at 8 ohms before resistance-related power loss becomes audible in a high-fidelity context. Beyond these distances, upgrading to 14AWG — available in our 14/2 CL3P CMP Plenum Wire 1000ft (DoFollow) — provides lower resistance and greater headroom for longer runs. Additionally, the 500ft pull box on this product provides enough cable to complete most single-floor circuit runs without splicing, which keeps installation costs predictable and avoids resistance variations introduced at splice points.

Q: Can this cable be used for both sound systems and smoke detector circuits in the same building?

Yes — this 16/2 CL3P plenum cable white 500ft is rated for both sound system wiring and smoke detector circuits, as confirmed by the product’s listed application set. Sound system and background music circuits classified as power-limited Class 3 under NEC Article 725 accept CL3P-rated cable in plenum spaces. Smoke detector power-limited wiring under NEC Article 760 also accepts CL3P-rated cable in the same environments. Moreover, the unshielded design works well for both applications because typical ceiling installations for these systems are sufficiently distant from Class 1 power wiring that EMI is not a practical concern. As a result, a single spool of this cable can serve both life-safety and audio circuits on the same floor, simplifying procurement and reducing the number of cable SKUs a contractor must manage on a commercial project.

16/2 CL3P plenum cable white 500ft from 52Networks delivers certified fire safety, flexible unshielded construction, and stranded bare copper reliability for every commercial security, access control, and audio installation. Order today and receive a 500ft pull box ready for your next plenum ceiling project.