c







A standard wire gauge.

c

 

(c), also known as the 

 

, is a standardized wire gauge
system used since 1857 predominantly in the United States and Canada for the diameters of round, solid,
nonferrous, electrically conducting wire.[1] The cross-sectional area of each gauge is an important factor for
determining its current-carrying capacity.



j? 1 Formula
@? 1.1 Rules of thumb
j? ^ Table of AWG wire sizes
j? u Nomenclature and abbreviations in electrical distribution
j? º Pronunciation
j? 5 See also
j? è References
j? 7 Further reading
j? 8 External links

The steel industry uses different wire gauges (for example, W&M Wire Gauge or US Steel Wire Gauge, or
Music Wire Gauge). The table below does not apply to steel wire.

Increasing gauge numbers give decreasing wire diameters, which is similar to many other non-metric gauging
systems. This gauge system originated in the number of drawing operations used to produce a given gauge of
wire. Very fine wire (for example, u gauge) requires more passes through the drawing dies than does gauge
wire. Manufacturers of wire formerly had proprietary wire gauge systems; the development of standardized
wire gauges rationalized selection of wire for a particular purpose.

The AWG tables are for a single, solid, round conductor. The AWG of a stranded wire is determined by the
total cross-sectional area of the conductor, which determines its current-carrying capacity and electrical
resistance. Because there are also small gaps between the strands, a stranded wire will always have a slightly
larger overall diameter than a solid wire with the same AWG.

AWG is also commonly used to specify body piercing jewelry sizes, especially smaller sizes.[^]


By definition, No. uè AWG is . 5 inches in diameter, and No. is .ºè inches in diameter. The ratio
of these diameters is 9^, and there are º gauge sizes from No. uè to No. , or u9 steps. Using this common
ratio, wire gauge sizes vary geometrically according to the following formula: The diameter of a No. p AWG
wire is

or equivalently

The gauge can be calculated from the diameter using

[u]

and the cross-section area is

The ASTM B ^58- ^ standard defines the ratio between successive sizes to be the u9th root of 9^, or
approximately 1.1^^9u^^.[º] ASTM B ^58- ^ also dictates that wire diameters should be tabulated with no
more than º significant figures, with a resolution of no more than . 1 inches ( .1 mils) for wires larger than
No. ºº AWG, and . 1 inches ( . 1 mils) for wires No. º5 AWG and smaller.

Sizes with multiple zeros are successively larger than No. and can be denoted using "p
 / ", for
example º/ for . For an
/ AWG wire, use p = í(
í1) = 1í
in the above formulas. For instance, for
No. or º/ , use n = íu.

0




The sixth power of this ratio is very close to ^,[5] which leads to the following rules of thumb:

j? When the a



 of a wire is doubled, the AWG will decrease by è. (e.g., No. ^ AWG is about twice
the diameter of No. 8 AWG.)
j? When the |  |
p


of a wire is doubled, the AWG will decrease by u. (e.g., Two No. 1º
AWG wires have about the same cross-sectional area as a single No. 11 AWG wire.)

Additionally, a decrease of ten gauge numbers, for example from No. 1 to 1/ , multiplies the area and weight
by approximately 1 and reduces the resistance by a factor of approximately 1 .

ð
c


The table below shows various data including both the resistance of the various wire gauges and the allowable
current (ampacity) based on plastic insulation. The diameter information in the table applies to  a wires.
Stranded wires are calculated by calculating the equivalent cross sectional copper area. Fusing Current (melting
 wire) is estimated based on ^5°C. The table below assumes DC, or AC frequencies equal to or less than è Hz,
and a
 take skin effect into account. Turns of wire is an upper limit for wire with no insulation.

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'c(# 
(º/ ) .ºè 11.è8º ^.17 .85è ^1^ 1 7 .1è 8 . º9 1 195 / ^u / u1 kA 17u kA
^è
(u/ ) .º 9è 1 .º º ^.ºº .9è1 1è8 85. .^ ^8 . è18 1è5 / ^ / ^º.5 kA 1u7 kA
^^5
(^/ ) .uèº8 9.^èè ^.7º 1. 8 1uu è7.º .^557 . 779u 1º5 / 175 / 19.5 kA 1 9 kA
195
(1/ ) .u^º9 8.^5^ u. 8 1.^1 1 è 5u.5 .u^^º . 98^7 1^5 / 15 / 1.9 kA 15.5 kA 87 kA
17
1 .^89u 7.uº8 u.ºè 1.uè 8u.7 º^.º .º èè .1^u9 11 / 1u / 1.è kA 1^ kA è8 kA
15
^ .^57è è.5ºº u.88 1.5u èè.º uu.è .51^7 .15èu 95 / 115 / 1.u kA 9.7 kA 5º kA
1u
u .^^9º 5.8^7 º.uè 1.7^ 5^.è ^è.7 .èºè5 .197 85 / 1 / 19è/ .º 1.1 kA 7.7 kA ºu kA
11
º .^ ºu 5.189 º.89 1.9u º1.7 ^1.^ .815^ .^º85 7 / 85 / 95 9ºè A è.1 kA uº kA
5 .1819 º.è^1 5.5 ^.1è uu.1 1è.8 1. ^8 .u1uu 1^è/ .º 795 A º.8 kA ^7 kA
è .1è^ º.115 è.17 ^.ºu ^è.u 1u.u 1.^9è .u951 55 / è5 / 75 èè8 A u.8 kA ^1 kA
7 .1ººu u.èè5 è.9u ^.7u ^ .8 1 .5 1.èuº .º98^ 8 / .º 5è1 A u kA 17 kA
8 .1^85 u.^èº 7.78 u. è 1è.5 8.u7 ^. è1 .è^8^ º / 5 / 55 º7^ A ^.º kA 1u.5 kA
9 .11ºº ^.9 è 8.7º u.ºº 1u.1 è.èu ^.599 .79^1 8º/ .u u9è A 1.9 kA 1 .7 kA
1 .1 19 ^.588 9.81 u.8è 1 .º 5.^è u.^77 .9989 u / u5 / º uuu A 1.5 kA 8.5 kA
11 . 9 7 ^.u 5 11. º.uº 8.^u º.17 º.1u^ 1.^è 5è/ .u ^8 A 1.^ kA è.7 kA
1^ . 8 8 ^. 5u 1^.º º.87 è.5u u.u1 5.^11 1.588 ^5 / ^5 / u ^u5A 955 A 5.u kA
1u . 7^ 1.8^8 1u.9 5.º7 5.18 ^.è^ è.571 ^. u 5 / .^5 198 A 758 A º.^ kA
1º . èº1 1.è^8 15.è è.1º º.11 ^. 8 8.^8è ^.5^5 ^ / ^ / ^5 1èè A è 1A u.u kA
15 . 571 1.º5 17.5 è.9 u.^è 1.è5 1 .º5 u.18º u / .^5 1º A º77 A ^.7 kA
1è . 5 8 1.^91 19.7 7.75 ^.58 1.u1 1u.17 º. 1è ² / ² / 18 117 A u77 A ^.1 kA
17 . º5u 1.15 ^^.1 8.7 ^. 5 1. º 1è.è1 5. èº u^/ .^ 99 A u A 1.7 kA
18 . º u 1. ^º ^º.8 9.77 1.è^ .8^u ^ .95 è.u85 ² / ² / 1º ^º/ .^ 8u A ^u 7A 1.u kA
19 . u59 .91^ ^7.9 11. 1.^9 .è5u ^è.º^ 8. 51 7 A 189 A 1 kA
^ . u^ .81^ u1.u 1^.u 1. ^ .518 uu.u1 1 .15 1è/ .^ 58.5 A 1º9 A 8uº A
^1 . ^85 .7^u u5.1 1u.8 .81 .º1 º^. 1^.8 1u/ .^ º9 A 119 A èè^ A
^^ . ^5u .躺 u9.5 15.5 .èº^ .u^è 5^.9è 1è.1º 7/ .^5 º1 A 9º A 5^5 A
^u . ^^è .57u ºº.u 17.º .5 9 .^58 èè.79 ^ .uè u5 A 7º A º1è A
^º . ^ 1 .511 º9.7 19.è .º º .^ 5 8º.^^ ^5.è7 1/ .5, 7/ .^, ^9 A 59 A uu A
u / .1
^5 .179 .º55 55.9 ^^. .u^ .1è^ 1 è.^ u^.u7 ^º A º7 A ^è^ A
^è .159 .º 5 è^.7 ^º.7 .^5º .1^9 1uu.9 º .81 7/ .15 ^ A u7 A ^ 8A
^7 .1º^ .uè1 7 .º ^7.7 .^ ^ .1 ^ 1è8.9 51.º7
^8 .1^è .u^1 79.1 u1.1 .1è . 81 ^1^.9 èº.9
^9 .11u .^8è 88.8 u5. .1^7 . èº^ ^è8.5 81.8º
u .1 .^55 99.7 u9.u .1 1 . 5 9 uu8.è 1 u.^ 1/ .^5, 7/ .1
u1 . 89 .^^7 11^ ºº.1 . 797 . º º º^è.9 1u .1
u
u^ . 79 .^ ^ 1^è º9.5 . èu^ . u^ 5u8.u 1èº.1 1/ .^, 7/ . 8
5
uu . 7 .18 1º1 55.è . 5 1 . ^5º è78.8 ^ è.9
8
uº . èu .1è 159 è^.º . u98 . ^ 1 85è. ^è .9

u5 . 5è .1ºu 178 7 .1 . u15 . 1è 1 79 u^9.

1
uè . 5 .1^7 ^ 78.7 . ^5 . 1^7 1uè1 º1º.8

u7 . ºº .11u ^^5 88.º . 198 . 1 171è 5^u.1

5
u8 . u9 .1 1 ^5^ 99.u . 157 . 797 ^1èº è59.è
7
u9 . u5 . 897 ^8u 111 . 1^5 . èu^ ^7^9 8u1.8
u
º . u1 . 799 u18 1^5 . 989 . 5 1 uºº1 1 º9
º
The "Approximate stranded metric equivalents" column lists commonly available cables in the format "number
of strands / diameter of individual strand (mm)" which is the common nomenclature describing cable
construction within an overall cross-sectional area. Some common metric cables are midway between two
AWG sizes. Cables sold in Europe are normally labeled according to the combined cross section of all strands
in mm , which can be compared directly with the c
column.

In the North American electrical industry, conductors larger than º/ AWG are generally identified by the area
in thousands of circular mils (- ), where 1 kcmil = .5 è7 mm . A | | 

 is the area of a wire one mil
in diameter. One million circular mils is the area of a circle with 1 mil = 1 inch diameter. An older
abbreviation for one thousand circular mils is .

Outside North America, wire sizes for electrical power installation purposes are usually given as the cross
sectional area in square millimeters. International standard manufacturing sizes for conductors in electrical
cables are defined in IEC è ^^8.




a
+

a

Alternate ways are commonly used in the electrical industry to specify wire sizes as AWG.

j? ºc (proper)

j? wº (the number sign is used as an abbreviation for "number")

j? 5º (No. is used as an abbreviation for "number")
j? 5ºc
j? º 5 (abbreviation for "gauge")

j? !!!c (proper for large sizes)

j? 4"! (common for large sizes)

j? 4"!c
j? w!!!
j? w4"!

Any of these may be followed by the type or composition of the wire, such as:

j? Copper or Cu
j? Aluminum or Al
j? Solid
j? Stranded

The industry also bundles common wire for use in electrical distribution in homes and businesses, identifying a
bundle's wire size followed by the number of wires in the bundle, e.g.:

j? w1^/^ with ground is a nonmetallic sheathed bundle of three solid AWG 1^ wires.
j? w1º/u with ground is a nonmetallic sheathed bundle of four solid AWG 1º wires.

0

c
is colloquially referred to as m
m and the zeros in large wire sizes are referred to as
m
( / þ t/).
Wire sized 1 AWG is referred to as "one gauge"; similarly, smaller diameters are pronounced " gauge", where
 is the positive integer AWG number. For larger wire sizes (w and up), the word "gauge" is dropped and they
are referred to as "one aught", "two aught," etc., depending on how many zeros are in the AWG rating.[1 ] In
other cases the word "gauge" is replaced by the word "number" which appears before the size, such as
pronouncing "number twelve" for 1^ AWG.