Copper is used to conduct electric current because of its low resistance value. However, it does offer some resistance, and as the length of the wire increases, so too does the resistance within the wire. To overcome the effect of resistance, the greater the length of the wire, the larger the cross-sectional area needs to be. Increasing the cross-sectional area overcomes the resistance and maintains the current carrying capacity of the circuit. Refer to the chart below for information about wire size and current carrying capacity.
Current capacity for different AWG wire sizes
Amperes Required |
Wire Length |
||||||
|
1 Meter |
1.5 Meters |
2 Meters |
3 Meters |
4.5 Meters |
6 Meters |
7.5 Meters |
|
0 to 5 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
6 to 7 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
16 |
8 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
16 |
16 |
10 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
16 |
16 |
16 |
12 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
16 |
16 |
14 |
15 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
14 |
14 |
12 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
16 |
16 |
14 |
14 |
12 |
20 |
18 |
18 |
16 |
16 |
14 |
12 |
10 |
24 |
18 |
18 |
16 |
16 |
12 |
12 |
10 |
30 |
18 |
16 |
16 |
14 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
