Buying cable by the foot is the most cost-effective way to build exactly the cables you need — but only if you order the right length. Here's how to measure and plan so you're not caught short or stuck with a pile of unusable extra wire.
Measure the Actual Run, Not the Straight-Line Distance
Cable rarely travels in a straight line. It follows walls, goes up and over gear, loops through cable management, and has to reach around obstacles. Walk the actual path the cable will take with a tape measure or a piece of string, rather than estimating the straight-line distance between two points — it's almost always longer than you'd guess.
Add Slack for Connectors and Movement
Once you know the run length, add extra for:
- Connector termination: a few extra inches on each end to strip, solder, and assemble the connector without the cable being taut.
- Service loops: a little slack at each end makes it much easier to work on gear later without disconnecting everything.
- Movement: if either end of the cable moves (a mic stand, a pedalboard, a rack drawer), add enough slack to accommodate the full range of motion without straining the connectors.
A good rule of thumb is to add 10-15% to your measured run length, plus a foot or so on each end for termination.
Don't Undersize to Save Money
Wire is one of the cheapest parts of a finished cable — the connectors and labor are what add up. A cable that's a few feet short is unusable, while a little extra length is just a mild inconvenience. When in doubt, round up.
Building Your Own vs. Buying Assembled
If you're comfortable with a soldering iron, buying wire by the foot and pairing it with Neutrik connectors gets you a custom cable at a fraction of the cost of a premium assembled cable. If you'd rather skip the assembly, we also build custom cables to your exact length and connector spec.
Not sure how much wire to order for your project? Our team has been helping customers spec cable runs since 1977 — send us your run length and we'll help you get the order right the first time.
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