USB-C to USB-C, USB-A to USB-C, USB-A to Lightning and Micro-USB assemblies. 60W, 100W and 240W EPR builds, USB 2.0 through USB4, in PVC, TPE or braided jackets, with your marking and packaging.
The pair of connectors sets the tooling. Once the tooling exists, length, colour, jacket and marking are commercial variables rather than engineering ones.
| Assembly | Typical use | Power | Data |
|---|---|---|---|
| USB-C to USB-C | Phone, tablet, laptop, docking, monitors | 60 / 100 / 240 W | 480 Mbps to 80 Gbps |
| USB-A to USB-C | Legacy chargers, car chargers, power banks | up to 100 W | 480 Mbps / 5 Gbps |
| USB-A to Lightning | iPhone and iPad accessories | up to 12 W | 480 Mbps |
| USB-C to Lightning | iPhone fast charge from a PD charger | up to 27 W | 480 Mbps |
| Micro-USB | Small electronics, accessories, legacy devices | up to 10 W | 480 Mbps |
| USB-A to USB-A | Instrument and power-only links | device dependent | 480 Mbps |
Power figures describe what the connector pairing can carry when the cable is built to that rating. A 100 W claim on a cable without an E-Marker is a claim the charger will refuse.
A USB-C cable carrying 5A has to identify itself. The E-Marker is a small chip in the plug that tells the charger what the cable is rated for: current, voltage, data capability and vendor. No marker, and a compliant charger will cap the contract at 3A no matter what is printed on the jacket.
The failure mode is worse than slow charging. A charger that is told the cable can take 5A when the conductors cannot will push current the cable was never built for. That is how phones and laptop main boards get damaged, and it is why a cut-price chip is a false economy for the brand, not just the buyer.
What we specify at quotation. For 100W and 240W builds we state the marker capability on the drawing, the controller family used, and the VBUS conductor gauge against the length. For 240W EPR that means 48V at 5A, and the insulation and spacing have to be rated for it, not just the copper.
Two cables can look identical and differ by a factor of three in cost. The difference is conductor gauge, shield construction and the marker.
| Tier | Contract | What it requires |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 60 W · 20V 3A | Marker optional, 3A-rated VBUS conductors |
| 100 W | 100 W · 20V 5A | E-Marker required, heavier VBUS pair |
| 240 W EPR | 48V 5A | E-Marker with EPR data, insulation rated above 48V |
| Tier | Rate | What it requires |
|---|---|---|
| USB 2.0 | 480 Mbps | One twisted pair, unshielded is workable |
| USB 3.2 Gen 1 | 5 Gbps | Shielded high-speed pairs |
| USB 3.2 Gen 2 | 10 Gbps | Improved shielding, tighter impedance control |
| USB4 | 40–80 Gbps | Coaxial high-speed pairs, short passive lengths |
Available length falls as the rate rises. Passive 80 Gbps copper is practical at short runs only, and above that an active or optical assembly is the honest answer rather than a longer passive cable that will not hold the rate.
| Element | Options | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| VBUS conductors | 20 / 22 / 24 AWG, tinned or bare copper | Current capacity and voltage drop over length |
| Data pairs | 28 / 30 / 32 AWG, twisted | Rate ceiling and flexibility |
| Shield | Aluminium foil, braid, foil plus braid, coaxial pairs | EMI, crosstalk, and whether the rating holds |
| Jacket | PVC, TPE, TPU, braided nylon over TPE | Flex life, chemical compliance, hand feel |
| Plug shell | Aluminium, zinc alloy, ABS, PVC overmould | Retention, heat spread, perceived quality |
| Contacts | Gold flash, 3µin, 15µin, 30µin | Insertion cycles before contact resistance climbs |
| Marking | Laser, pad print, embossed logo | Branding durability under abrasion |
| Length tolerance | ±10 mm standard, tighter on request | Retail packaging fit |
Conductor gauge follows the allowable voltage drop for the finished length rather than a fixed table, so a 2 m 100 W build is a different bill of materials from a 0.5 m one at the same rating.
The EU common charger rules have applied to phones, tablets, cameras, headphones, portable speakers, handheld consoles, e-readers, keyboards, mice and navigation devices since 28 December 2024. Laptops joined on 28 April 2026. For a cable buyer that means the connector mix in Europe has collapsed towards USB-C, and the accessory range that used to ship with each device is shrinking.
One date matters for planning this year. The Commission is due to report by 28 December 2026 on whether the unbundling rule should extend from the charger to the cable itself. If it does, retail cable volume in Europe moves further towards separately sold accessories, where branding, packaging and the marker story carry the margin instead of a bundled afterthought.
Unbundling applies to the charger, not to the mains lead. Most adapters still leave the factory with a cord in the box, which is the other line we run on the same floor: AC power cords, moulded to whatever plug the destination market uses.
We follow these rules because they set your tooling and packaging decisions. Compliance of the finished device is the brand's responsibility, and we will tell you which part of it touches the cable.
A Lightning cable only behaves correctly with an Apple-authorised connector and the authentication chip that goes with it. Without it, iOS reports an unsupported accessory and charging is refused or throttled. That is a design decision at quotation, not a production fix.
We build Lightning assemblies using authorised connector sets where the customer requires it, and we will quote the difference in cost plainly. What we will not do is supply a cable with a clone connector and describe it as MFi.
Yes, if the whole chain supports it: an E-Marker carrying the extended power range data, conductors sized for 5A at the finished length, and insulation rated for 48V. The cable is one link. If the charger or the device is not EPR capable, the contract will settle lower and the cable will not be the reason.
Three usual causes, in order: no E-Marker or one that is not being read, a marker that declares 3A, or a charger that is not PD capable at 5A. The cable cannot raise a limit set upstream, so start by checking what the marker actually declares.
Either. Most customers let us propose a controller and then approve it, because the choice interacts with the conductor sizing and the retail claim. If your drawing names a specific controller, we build to that name and document it.
PVC is cheaper and easier to mould, but low-cost PVC often carries phthalate plasticisers that put the RoHS position at risk. TPE costs more and takes more process control, but it meets the restricted-substance limits more easily and survives flexing better. For anything selling into the EU or into a retail channel that tests, TPE is usually the cheaper decision once returns are counted.
Send a sample. We measure conductor gauge and count strands, check the shield construction, and section the overmould to see what the tooling has to reproduce. We will tell you where the existing part is under-specified, because copying a weak design exactly is not a service.
Tell us the connector pair, the power and data tier, the finished length and the market you sell into. We will come back with unit price, marker specification and the documents we can supply.