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Comparison of SWG (red), AWG (blue) and IEC 60228 (black) wire gauge sizes from 0.03 to 200 mm² to scale on a 1 mm grid – in the SVG file, hover over a size to highlight it. In engineering applications, it is often most convenient to describe a wire in terms of its cross-section area, rather than its diameter, because the cross section is directly proportional to its strength and weight ...
Wire sized 1 AWG is referred to as "one gauge" or "No. 1" wire; similarly, thinner sizes are pronounced "x gauge" or "No. x" wire, where x is the positive-integer AWG number. Consecutive AWG wire sizes thicker than No. 1 wire are designated by the number of zeros: No. 0, often written 1/0 and referred to as "one aught" wire
A wire or cable has a voltage (to neutral) rating and a maximum conductor surface temperature rating. The amount of current a cable or wire can safely carry depends on the installation conditions. The international standard wire sizes are given in the IEC 60228 standard of the International Electrotechnical Commission.
The current British Standard for metallic materials including wire is BS 6722:1986, which is a solely metric standard, superseding 3737:1964, which used the SWG system. The IEC 60228, used in most parts of the world, defines standard wire sizes based on their cross-sectional areas as expressed in mm 2. [3]
The standard includes preferred current ratings and wire gauges for both International (deemed Series I) and North American (deemed Series II) applications. Series I preferred current ratings (in amps) are: 16, 32, 63, 125, 250, 400, 630 and 800, with wire gauges specified as mm 2 .
The following are nominal current ratings for copper conductors; long runs may require thicker wires to minimize voltage drop. White: 14 AWG wire (2.08 mm 2) for 15-amp circuits Yellow: 12 AWG wire (3.31 mm 2) for 20-amp circuits Orange: 10 AWG wire (5.26 mm 2) for 30-amp circuits
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The current rating of a conductor varies depending on the size, allowable maximum temperature, and the operating environment of the conductor. Conductors used in areas where cool air is free to circulate around the wires are generally permitted to carry more current than the small sized conductor encased in an underground conduit run with many ...