AWG counts down
A higher AWG number is a thinner wire. Six numbers halve the diameter, three halve the area; after 1 AWG come 1/0, 2/0, 3/0 and 4/0.
Reference tool — not a selection
Convert a wire size before it goes in an RFQ.
Wire size
AWG, kcmil, mm2.
Type a size. Below the examples, the size of an offered replacement can be checked against it on the cross-section. The conductors and the RFQ line update with every change.
Examples:
Replacement check
On the cross-section alone: the current rating, the voltage drop, the terminals and the glands decide.
All 130 engineering tools
Equipment built to American standards gives conductor sizes in AWG, or in kcmil for the large ones; marine cables to IEC are sized in square millimetres. Enter either, and the converter gives the area, the diameter of a solid AWG conductor and the neighbouring IEC 60228 sizes with the difference in per cent, draws them to scale and writes an RFQ line.
AWG and IEC sizes do not coincide: 12 AWG lies between 2.5 and 4 mm2. The cable is chosen on the load current, the voltage drop and the class rules; the converter only puts the sizes side by side.
How the sizes relate
A gauge, a circle, an area.
kcmil above 4/0
Larger conductors are given in thousands of circular mils: 1 kcmil is 0.5067 mm2, so 250 kcmil is about 127 mm2.
IEC is the area itself
IEC 60228 names a conductor by its nominal area in mm2: 1.5, 2.5, 4, 6, 10, 16 and up. An AWG size falls between two of them.
| AWG | Diameter, mm | Area, mm2 | IEC below | IEC above |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4/0 | 11.684 | 107.2 | 95 | 120 |
| 3/0 | 10.405 | 85 | 70 | 95 |
| 2/0 | 9.266 | 67.4 | 50 | 70 |
| 1/0 | 8.251 | 53.5 | 50 | 70 |
| 1 | 7.348 | 42.4 | 35 | 50 |
| 2 | 6.544 | 33.6 | 25 | 35 |
| 4 | 5.189 | 21.2 | 16 | 25 |
| 6 | 4.115 | 13.3 | 10 | 16 |
| 8 | 3.264 | 8.37 | 6 | 10 |
| 10 | 2.588 | 5.26 | 4 | 6 |
| 12 | 2.053 | 3.31 | 2.5 | 4 |
| 14 | 1.628 | 2.08 | 1.5 | 2.5 |
| 16 | 1.291 | 1.31 | 1 | 1.5 |
| 18 | 1.024 | 0.82 | 0.75 | 1 |
| 20 | 0.812 | 0.52 | 0.5 | 0.75 |
| 22 | 0.644 | 0.33 | — | 0.5 |
| 24 | 0.511 | 0.2 | — | 0.5 |
Diameters are for a solid conductor.
Sources
AWG formula and the gauge steps: Wikipedia, "American wire gauge" (the ASTM B258 formula). kcmil: Wikipedia, "Circular mil". IEC 60228 nominal areas: Wikipedia, "IEC 60228", and the IEC 60228 / VDE 0295 charts of Power & Cables.
Before you send the request
Questions about cable sizes in an RFQ
What is 12 AWG in mm2?
3.31 mm2, a solid conductor of 2.05 mm diameter. The IEC sizes either side are 2.5 mm2 (24 % smaller) and 4 mm2 (21 % larger).
What is 4/0 AWG?
4/0 is 0000 AWG: 107 mm2, between the IEC sizes of 95 and 120 mm2. Larger conductors are given in kcmil.
Is 2.5 mm2 the same as 14 AWG?
No. 14 AWG is 2.08 mm2 and 13 AWG 2.63 mm2; 2.5 mm2 lies between them. Give the size the drawing or the old cable states.
What should the cable request include?
The cable type and size as printed on the sheath, the number of cores, the voltage, the screen, the load current, the length and the class approval needed. A photograph of the sheath print helps.
Size converted?
Send the line with a photograph of the sheath.
A conversion is a cross-check, not a cable selection. Attach a photograph of the sheath print, and Vessel Core checks it before an offer goes back.
Buyer tools
