Wire Striping and Printing 101

The use of color-striped or printed electrical wires is putting an end to the detective work that has so often plagued electrical system installers and repair professionals: The challenge of trying to figure out where wires go and what each wire is for. 

Striped or printed wire is a reliable way to identify wires and their uses—saving time, preventing errors and helping ensure safety. The stripes or characters are typically applied before the wire is shipped, so that it arrives ready to use without further labeling or identification required by the user.

Wire printing involves adding descriptive lettering or markings to the wire jacket. The words are typically repeated in intervals throughout the length of the wire, eliminating the need for a technician to follow a wire all the way to its destination. The printed wire will show the same markings at the start as at the end, no matter how long or short the wire is.

Wire striping is often used for more complex applications. The wire jacket’s base color plus an additional stripe color will indicate a wire’s specific use. The number of potential color combinations is vast and can be correlated to a wide range of different wiring functions. 

Benefits of Striped or Printed Wire

Ordering wire or cable with pre-printed wording or color striping on the jacket provides benefits that can justify the additional cost, especially for specialty and work vehicle upfitters and wire harness manufacturers. Advantages include:

• Easier Identification and Organization – Every installer has felt the pain of trying to match wires to circuits and follow each wire through to its end point. Printed or striped wires nip that problem in the bud, making it easy to differentiate circuits and reducing confusion during installation and troubleshooting. 
• Faster Installations – When wires are pre-labeled or color-coded, technicians can work more efficiently without needing to trace wires manually.
• Reduced Mistakes and Rework – Clear labeling minimizes wiring errors, helping prevent costly rework or failures in the field.
• Professional and Consistent Appearance – A clean and organized wiring system with standardized color codes and labels enhances the quality and professionalism of your builds.
• Compliance and Standardization – Some applications may require specific color codes or markings for regulatory compliance or industry standards. More information below. 
• Branding and Customization – Custom printing (e.g., your company name or a part number) can reinforce branding and ensure the right wire is used for the right application.
• Serviceability and Maintenance – Easier identification of wires simplifies diagnostics and repairs, saving time and labor costs down the road.

Meeting the Challenges of Complexity

In a vehicle upfitter shop or wire harness manufacturing environment, wiring challenges often arise due to complexity, environmental factors, and the need for troubleshooting. Using color-coded stripes or alphanumeric printing can help. 

In complex harness assembly and routing, large wire bundles with similar-looking wires can make routing and terminating difficult and increase the risk of cross-wiring due to color similarity. Adding stripes to otherwise identical wires allows quick differentiation: A black main power wire with red, blue, or white stripes, for example, could be used to differentiate circuit branches. And printing circuit numbers or destination codes directly on the wire can help assemblers quickly locate the correct connection points.

During electrical troubleshooting and repairs, field technicians often struggle to trace wires due to faded labels or generic color coding, adding labor time in maintaining emergency vehicles, work trucks, or fleet service units. Printing circuit ID codes (e.g., "IGN-1," "FUEL-PUMP," "HORN") improves troubleshooting efficiency. Use of striping can enable differentiation between multiple wires of the same color (e.g., solid white vs. white with a black stripe).

Easing Compliance 

Upfitting vehicles for fire, emergency, or government contracts requires adherence to strict wire color standards (e.g., UL, Mil-Spec, SAE, or ABYC). Wire striping can ensure compliance with standardized color codes while still allowing customization (e.g., red for emergency power but with unique stripes for different circuits). Wire printing can help meet compliance documentation needs by labeling high-voltage (HV) or communication circuits (e.g., "SAE J1939 CAN Bus").

Upping Production Efficiency

Manual labeling or color-coding adds time and cost to harness production, and training new employees is difficult when relying on memory-based wiring techniques. Pre-printed wire eliminates manual labeling steps, reducing errors and improving assembly speed. And standardized striping simplifies training by creating clear, repeatable identification patterns.

Tips for Ordering Striped Wire

When ordering wire striping, consider the following factors:

• Stripe Type. These could include options for a longitudinal stripe (running the full length of the wire), a spiral stripe (wrapping around the wire in a helical pattern). Many users prefer spiral striping because it is visible from any angle. 
• Stripe Color. Many colors are typically available, such as black, white, red, blue, green, yellow, and orange. You can select the colors to correspond to a specific color-coding standard or your own custom requirements.
• Number of Stripes. Single stripe or multiple stripes (dual, triple, or more for complex identification).

Printed Wire Ordering Tips 

When ordering wire printing, consider these factors: 

• Print Content. What do you want it to say? Options include text (company name, wire function, part numbers, circuit IDs), sequential numbering for traceability, or industry-standard markings (e.g., UL, SAE, ISO, MIL-SPEC).
• Print Repeat Interval. Specify the distance between repeated markings (e.g., every 6 inches, 12 inches, etc.).

Other Important Considerations 

Most suppliers require a minimum footage for ordering customer striping or printing. In addition, custom wire may have a longer lead time than standard options. Competitive providers should be able to process a wire striping or printing order in 5-10 business days. Finally, ensure the markings you choose comply with any industry regulations that your wiring may be subject to. 

Conclusion

If your team is spending a lot of time sorting, labeling, or troubleshooting wiring, the upfront cost of printed or striped wire may easily pay off through labor savings, reduced mistakes, and enhanced safety. To learn more, check out the wire striping and printing services available at Waytek.