Wiring Harness or Cable Assembly: Which is it?

By Gary Rothstein

Do you know the difference between a wiring harness and a cable assembly in the electronic manufacturing industry? The terminologies are often interchanged, but the two are significantly different. Consider this answer (ANZER) to help facilitate your comprehension when sourcing fabricated interconnect products.

Wiring Harness:

A wire is usually made of a conductive metal like copper. It can be an individual or group of metal strands covered by an exterior sheath. This covering substance is typically made from rubber, thermoplastic, or a vinyl compound. The wire only has a heat-shrunk covering or jacket around the conductive strands. Several of these individual covered wires bond with tie wraps or similar banding material to make up a wiring harness.

Wire harnesses can be advantageous since they are smaller, lighter, and typically less costly than cable assemblies. However, these are inadequate replacements for cable assemblies regarding protection against environmental threats. Wires are partially insulated and secured, making installing harder around various obstacles. Wire harnesses are often used in applications with exterior shells (enclosures) protecting the wires. Primarily found inside products and equipment, such as computers, medical equipment, teller machines, and automation control systems.

Cable Assembly:

A cable assembly also comprises a set of wires. It differs from a wire assembly in that there is an additional cover or sheathing on the exterior of the cables (group of wires). In the cable assembly, the outer sheathing protects the assembly and the wires from dampness and moisture, highly elevated temperatures, friction/vibration, and other environmental exposures. This makes it especially useful for outdoor applications being resistant to the elements. For this reason, cable assemblies are often used in industries where the cables will be exposed to factors such as aerospace, mining equipment, outdoor lighting, and vital security installations.

Cable assemblies are frequently preferred over wire harnesses because they are tightly bundled. This can make it easier to channel cables in and around equipment. Connectors can also be over-molded with the covering to enhance their protective qualities. The disadvantage of assembled cables is that they can be oversized and heavier. The added shielding layer also comes with a higher price for these benefits.

Wiring Harness or Cable Assembly: An excellent way to think of wiring harnesses is a low-cost electrical unit that keeps electric cables and wires organized. An individual jacked wire from a wire harness can be removed. A cable assembly has multiple wires bundled collectively by a single exterior sleeve. It appears as only one thick wire, such as the interconnect cable between a computer and a printer.

Cable Assembly & Wiring Harness


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