CBO refers to brewery cord, a type of flexible electrical cable with a durable Neoprene® jacket designed for harsh environments where resilience to moisture, abrasion, and chemicals is required.
CBO, or brewery cord, is a flexible and heavy-duty power cable engineered for use in industrial settings where exposure to liquids, oils, and cleaning agents is common. Its defining feature is the Neoprene® jacket, which provides superior resistance to abrasion, chemicals, and mechanical stress while maintaining flexibility across a wide range of temperatures. This makes it ideal for applications requiring frequent movement or bending, such as portable machinery and processing equipment.
Internally, CBO cables are constructed with insulated copper conductors that maintain electrical integrity even under demanding conditions. The combination of rugged jacketing and flexible internal design ensures long service life and consistent performance. Though originally developed for use in breweries, the same characteristics that made it successful there have led to its widespread adoption in other industries, such as manufacturing, food processing, and chemical production, where reliability under harsh environmental exposure is essential.
CBO cords are governed by safety and performance standards set by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and referenced in the National Electrical Code (NEC) for use as flexible industrial power cords.
The term “brewery cord” originated from its first industrial application, providing electrical power in breweries that required frequent washdowns and chemical cleaning. Early cords needed better moisture and abrasion resistance, leading to the adoption of Neoprene® as a jacket material. Over time, this specialized construction became standardized as CBO cable and expanded into a wide range of commercial and manufacturing environments.