240 Volt Wire Size Chart
To determine the load add up the wattage of all electrical devices that will be on the circuit and divide this total by the voltage of the circuit usually 120.
240 volt wire size chart. Wire size by. The smaller the wire size the more the resistance. When calculating a circuit pay special attention to the voltage drop on the wire. Wire is sized by the american wire gauge awg system.
The wire size chart below shows allowable ampacities of insulated conductors rated up to and including 2000 volts 60 c through 90 c 140 f through 194 f not more than three current carrying conductors in raceway cable or earth directly buried based on ambient air temperature of 30 c 86 f. The national electrical code nec recommends a maximum voltage drop of 3 percent for individual household circuits known as branch circuits this is a good goal to shoot for when sizing the conductors for an underground cable the following are the maximum lengths of cable you can use while still maintaining a 3 percent voltage drop for the given wire size awg and. Single phase voltages are usually 115v or 120v while three phase voltages are typically 208v 230v or 480v. Basic wire sizing guide for us 120 and 240 volts.
You need to know the length of the wire run and the load current that will be on the circuit. We have a chart for 12 volt 24 volt 36 volt 48 volt and 72 volt applications. For motors it is recommended to multiply the nameplate fla by 1 25 for wire sizing. American wire gauge awg the lower the number the larger the wire guage.
The size of wire required for a given task depends on the voltage being used the amount of amps required and also the distance that power is being transmitted. Common sizes include 14 12 10 8 6 and 2 gauge wire. Amperes enter the maximum current in amps that will flow through the circuit. To avoid excessive voltage drop select a size wire that will minimize voltage drop.
For motors it is recommended to multiply the nameplate fla by 1 25 for wire sizing. Voltage enter the voltage at the source of the circuit. 4 the nec allows a maximum of a 3 voltage drop on the main branch of a circuit at the farthest outlet of power and 5 total to both feeders and branch. Voltage enter the voltage at the source of the circuit.
Don t worry calculating the wire size is made easy with the wire size guides below. Single phase voltages are usually 115v or 120v while three phase voltages are typically 208v 230v or 480v. Voltage drop is usually caused by the wire resistance. Amperes enter the maximum current in amps that will flow through the circuit.
Wire gauge refers the physical size of the wire rated with a numerical designation that runs opposite to the diameter of the conductors in other words the smaller the wire gauge number the larger the wire diameter. Service cable is large insulated stranded copper cable usually refers to single 4 wire and up.