Wire

A wire is a single, usually cylindrical, flexible strand or rod of metal. Wires are used to bear
mechanical loads or electricity and telecommunications signals. Wire is commonly formed
by drawing the metal through a hole in a die or draw plate. Wire gauges come in
various standard sizes, as expressed in terms of a gauge number. The term wire is also used
more loosely to refer to a bundle of such strands, as in 'multi stranded wire', which is more
correctly termed a wire rope in mechanics, or a cable in electricity.

Types of wire according to insulation

1. PVC Wires
PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) is widely used in electrical cable construction for insulation,
bedding and sheathing. It was the 1950s when PVC started to replace rubber insulated and
sheathed cables in general household wiring due to its ease of processing.

2. VIR Wires

(Vulcanized India rubber) In this type of wire a tinned copper conductors or aluminum
conductors are used. The conductors are covered by Vulcanized India Rubber. It is then
covered with cotton tape and cotton braiding.
 3. CTS Wires
Tough rubber sheath (T.R.S) protection , first introduced by the St. Helens cable Co., under
the name C.T.S (cab tire sheath) is usually lapped on to the already insulated conductor. ...
This type of cable is commonly used in open wiring system.

Types of wire according to Core

i. Single core electric wire
ii. Multi core electric wire
1. Single core electric wire

Single core simply means that there is just a single piece of metal wire, typically copper or
aluminum, and it generally has some insulation around it. ... Another term for this would be
solid wire. These are helpful in certain situations, such as wiring breadboards.

2. Multi core electric wire

Multicore cable is a generic term for an electrical cable that has multiple cores made
of copper wire. The term is normally only used in relation to a cable that has more cores than
commonly encountered. For example, a four core mains cable is never referred to as
multicore, but a cable comprising four coaxial cables in a single sheath would be considered
multicore.
 Wire Types and Their Current Carrying Capacity

Wire Gauge or Rated Common Uses

Type Amperage

14-2 Romex 15 A Lighting Circuits

12-2 Romex 20 A Lighting and Outlet Circuits, refrigerator
10-2 Romex 30 A Electric water heater, baseboard heaters
10-3 Romex 30 A Electric Clothes Dryer
6/3 Cu Range Cable 50 A Range, Heat pump, On-Demand Electric Water
heater
2 Gauge Copper 100 A Central Electric Heat
AL 1/0 SER 100 A Aluminum 1/0-1/0-1/0-2 Service Feeder wire for
100 A breaker panel
AL 4/0 SER 200 A Aluminum 4/0-4/0-4/0-2/0 Service feeder wire
for 200A breaker panel

Electric Wiring

Electrical wiring in general refers to insulated conductors used to carry electricity, and
associated devices.

Types of Wiring
i. Cleat Wiring
ii. Casing and Capping Wiring
iii. Conduit Wiring
1. Cleat Wiring
In this type of wiring, insulated conductors (usually VIR, Vulcanized Indian Rubber) are
supported on porcelain or wooden cleats. The cleats have two halves one base and the other
cap. The cables are placed in the grooves provided in the base and then the cap is placed.
Both are fixed securely on the walls by 40mm long screws. The cleats are easy to erect and
are fixed 4.5 – 15 cms apart. This wiring is suitable for temporary installations where cost is
the main criteria but not the appearance.

2. Capping and Casing

It consists of insulated conductors laid inside rectangular,
teakwood or PVC boxes having grooves inside it. A rectangular strip of wood called capping
having same width as that of casing is fixed over it. Both the casing and the capping are
screwed together at every 15 cms. Casing is attached to the wall. Two or more wires of same
polarity are drawn through different grooves. The system is suitable for indoor and domestic
installations.

3. Conduit Wiring
In this system PVC (polyvinyl chloride) or VIR cables are run through
metallic or PVC pipes providing good protection against mechanical injury and fire due to
short circuit. They are either embedded inside the walls or supported over the walls, and are
known as concealed wiring or surface conduit wiring (open conduit) respectively. The
conduits are buried inside the walls on wooden gutties and the wires are drawn through them
with fish (steel) wires. The system is best suited for public buildings, industries and
workshops.