Auto Events, Shop Projects,Car Builds, Product Reviews
Wire
Determining the right gauge of wire for any circuit is critical, but simple using the chart below.
Select too light a gauge, and you might find your ride a pile of ashes due to the electrical melt down.
Watts and amps are both measurements that involve the consumption of electricity, and they measure two different things. A watt is a measurement of power conversion, whereas amps measure the amount of electricity passing a point in a given amount of time. They can be converted, but only if you also know the voltage.
To convert watts to Amps, divide the watts by the voltage
Eg. A 100 watt headlight, on a 12vdc system (100w / 12vdc = 8.33amps.)
Find the amperes or watts the circuit is expected to carry on the left and the distance the wiring must run at the top.
Follow the columns until they intersect.
For example, a 12 volt circuit which is 15 feet long and carries 10 amperes should use at least 16 gauge wire.
|
WIRE GAUGE SELECTION TABLE |
||||||||||
|
Amperes |
Watts |
Wire gauge (for length in feet) |
||||||||
|
6V |
12V |
6V |
12V |
3′ |
5′ |
7′ |
10′ |
15′ |
20′ |
25′ |
|
0 to 2.5 |
0 to 5 |
15 |
30 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
|
3.0 |
6 |
18 |
36 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
16 |
|
3.5 |
7 |
21 |
42 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
16 |
|
4.0 |
8 |
24 |
48 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
16 |
16 |
|
5.0 |
10 |
30 |
60 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
16 |
16 |
16 |
|
5.5 |
11 |
33 |
66 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
16 |
16 |
14 |
|
6.0 |
12 |
36 |
72 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
16 |
16 |
14 |
|
7.5 |
15 |
45 |
90 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
14 |
14 |
12 |
|
9.0 |
18 |
54 |
108 |
18 |
18 |
16 |
16 |
14 |
14 |
12 |
|
10 |
20 |
60 |
120 |
18 |
18 |
16 |
16 |
14 |
12 |
10 |
|
11 |
22 |
66 |
132 |
18 |
18 |
16 |
16 |
12 |
12 |
10 |
|
12 |
24 |
72 |
144 |
18 |
18 |
16 |
16 |
12 |
12 |
10 |
|
15 |
30 |
90 |
180 |
18 |
16 |
16 |
14 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
|
20 |
40 |
120 |
240 |
18 |
16 |
14 |
12 |
10 |
10 |
8 |
|
25 |
50 |
150 |
300 |
16 |
14 |
12 |
12 |
10 |
10 |
8 |
|
50 |
100 |
300 |
600 |
12 |
12 |
10 |
10 |
6 |
6 |
4 |
|
75 |
150 |
450 |
900 |
10 |
10 |
8 |
8 |
4 |
4 |
2 |
|
100 |
200 |
600 |
1200 |
10 |
8 |
8 |
6 |
4 |
4 |
2 |
American Wire Gauge (AWG) sizes may be determined by measuring the diameter of the conductor (the bare wire) with the insulation removed.
Refer to the Wire gauge Diameter Table for dimensions.
|
Wire Gauge Equivalency |
||
|
AWG |
Wire Dia. in inches |
Metric mm2 |
|
20 |
0.03196118 |
0.5 |
|
18 |
0.040303 |
0.8 |
|
16 |
0.0508214 |
1.0 |
|
14 |
0.064084 |
2.0 |
|
12 |
0.08080810 |
3.0 |
|
10 |
0.10189 |
5.0 |
|
8 |
0.128496 |
8.0 |
|
6 |
0.16202 |
13.0 |
|
5 |
0.18194 |
19.0 |
|
4 |
0.20431 |
32.0 |
|
3 |
0.22942 |
52.0 |
|
2 |
0.25763 |
|
|
1 |
0.2893 |
|
|
0 |
0.32486 |
|
|
00 |
0.3648 |
|
Share this:
