Apple USB-C Charge Cable (2 m): 5A, But No EPR
Apple's older 2 m USB-C Charge Cable carries a 5A e-marker that names Apple, but no EPR. That makes 100W its ceiling: plenty for most MacBooks, short of 140W over USB-C.
This is Apple’s older 2 m USB-C Charge Cable, the white cable Apple bundled with its larger laptop adapters. It carries an e-marker, the chip names Apple, and it’s rated for 5 amps. What it doesn’t have is EPR, and that sets its ceiling.
The specs
| Brand | Apple |
| Data | USB 2.0 (480 Mbps) |
| Power | 100W - 5A, no EPR |
| Type | Passive |
| Length | 2 m |
| E-marker vendor | Apple |
USB Connection Information read the cable as: Passive, USB 2.0 (480 Mbps), 5 A - Apple.
Why a USB 2.0 cable has an e-marker
A cable needs an e-marker for high speed or high power. This one is USB 2.0 for data, so the chip is there for the power. Without it, every charger would hold the cable to 3 amps, which is 60W. With it, the cable proves it can carry 5 amps. Background in the e-marker guide .
The chip names Apple, the brand on the cable. Not every cable does: both OWC cables name their chip maker, and the TALIX 240W cable names Lenovo.
5 amps, but no EPR
Standard USB-C power tops out at 20 volts. At 5 amps, that’s 100 watts. Going past 100W needs EPR, Extended Power Range, which raises the voltage to 28 volts and above. A cable has to declare EPR support in its e-marker before a charger will use those voltages, and this one doesn’t.
So this cable’s ceiling is 100W:
- Enough for a MacBook Air, a 14-inch MacBook Pro, and Apple’s 87W and 96W adapters.
- Short of 140W charging over USB-C, which needs 28 volts and an EPR cable.
That fits its era. It shipped when 100W was the top of USB-C, before EPR existed. Apple’s current 240W Woven Charge Cable (2 m) is the EPR successor at the same length. See 100W vs 240W cables .
The white rubber jacket also discolours with use, as ours has. It still reads a clean 5A e-marker.
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