Wire that has a single solid copper core surrounded by insulation, as opposed to stranded conductor wire, which consists of many fine strands of wire woven into a conducting bundle. Unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cabling commonly comes in both solid and stranded forms. The following table compares the advantages of these types of wire.
| Solid Conductor | Stranded Conductor |
| Less attenuation | More flexible |
| Better conductivity | Less likely to break or fracture |
| Easier to terminate | Longer lasting |
| Cheaper |
Solid conductor wire is generally used for vertical backbone cabling between wiring closets on different floors and for horizontal runs from wiring closets to wall plates in work areas on each floor. Solid cabling is also used for permanently installed long cable runs inside and between buildings because it has less attenuation than stranded conductor wire and signals can travel farther without losing strength.