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UL, Metric & SAE Strand Charts

When choosing the right copper wire for your applications, understanding the various specifications, standards, and chart readings is crucial. This guide will walk you through the different types of wire strands, their conformities to various standards, and how these impact your project's requirements.

Solid & Stranded Specifications

    Copper wires, both solid and stranded, come in various specifications that determine their suitability for different applications. They must conform to several standards and regulations to ensure safety, performance, and compatibility. The most common standards for copper wire include:
    • ASTM B-1, B-2, and B-8: These standards cover hard-drawn, medium-drawn, soft or annealed copper wire, and concentric lay copper strands, respectively.
    • Federal Standard QQ-W-343: Ensures uniformity in manufacturing and quality.
    • National Bureau of Standards Handbook: Provides additional guidelines for wire and cable manufacturing.
    • ASTM B-258: Governs the calculation of breaking strength and resistance for copper wires.
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Solid Bare Copper

Solid bare copper wires are widely used in electrical wiring due to their excellent conductivity, flexibility, and strength. Here are some specifications you need to know:

Cross Sectional Hard Drawn Medium Hard Drawn Soft Drawn
AWG Nom.
Diameter
(in)
Area
(Cir. Mils)
Appx.
Net Wt.
(lb/1000ft)
Min.
Breaking
Strength (lb)
Max.
DC Resistance @
20C
(OHMS/1000ft)
Min.
Breaking
Strength
(lb)
Max.
Breaking
Strength
(lb)
Max DC
Resistance
@ 20C
(OHMS/1000ft)
Max.
Breaking
Strength (lb)
Max. DC
Resistance
@ 20C
(OHMS/1000ft)
36 0.0050 25.0 0.0757 1.4 431 1.2 1.3 429 0.78 415
35 0.0056 31.4 0.0949 1.8 344 1.5 1.6 342 0.99 331
34 0.0063 39.7 0.120 2.2 272 1.8 2.0 270 1.2 261
33 0.0071 50.4 0.153 2.8 214 2.3 2.6 213 1.6 206
32 0.0080 64.0 0.194 3.5 168 2.9 3.2 168 1.9 162
31 0.0089 79.2 0.240 4.4 136 3.6 4.0 135 2.5 131
30 0.0100 100 0.303 6 108 4.5 5.1 107 3.2 104
29 0.0113 128 0.387 7 84.5 5.6 6.3 84.0 3.9 81.2
28 0.0126 159 0.481 9 67.9 7.1 7.9 67.6 5.0 65.3
27 0.0142 202 0.610 11 53.5 8.9 10 53.2 6.3 51.4
26 0.0159 253 0.765 14 42.7 11 13 42.4 7.9 41.0
25 0.0179 320 0.970 17 33.7 14 16 33.5 10 32.4
24 0.0201 404 1.22 22 26.7 17 20 26.6 13 25.7
23 0.0226 511 1.55 27 21.1 22 25 21.0 15 20.3
22 0.0253 640 1.94 34 16.9 27 31 16.8 19 16.2
21 0.0285 812 2.46 43 13.3 34 39 13.2 24 12.8
20 0.0320 1,020 3.10 54 10.5 43 49 10.5 31 10.1
19 0.0359 1,290 3.90 68 8.37 54 61 8.32 39 8.05
18 0.0403 1,620 4.92 85 6.64 67 76 6.61 49 6.39
17 0.0453 2,050 6.21 108 5.26 84 96 5.23 62 5.05
16 0.0508 2,580 7.81 135 4.18 106 120 4.16 73 4.02
15 0.0571 3,260 9.87 170 3.31 151 165 3.29 99 3.18
14 0.0641 4,110 12.4 214 2.63 167 189 2.61 124 2.52
13 0.0720 5,180 15.7 268 2.09 209 237 2.07 157 2.00
12 0.0808 6,530 19.8 337 1.65 262 297 1.64 197 1.59
11 0.0907 8,230 24.9 423 1.31 327 372 1.30 249 1.26
10 0.1019 10,380 31.43 529 1.039 410 467 1.033 314 0.9988
9 0.1144 13,090 39.62 660 0.8241 513 585 0.8199 380 0.7925
8 0.1285 16,510 49.98 826 0.6532 644 734 0.6498 479 0.6281
7 0.1443 20,820 63.03 1030 0.5180 806 921 0.5153 605 0.4981
6 0.1620 26,240 79.44 1280 0.4110 1010 1154 0.4088 762 0.3952
5 0.1819 33,090 100.2 1591 0.3258 1265 1446 0.3243 961 0.3134
4 0.2043 41,740 126.3 1970 0.2584 1584 1814 0.2571 1213 0.2485
3 0.2294 52,620 159.3 2439 0.2049 1984 2273 0.2039 1529 0.1971
2 0.2576 66,360 200.9 3002 0.1625 2450 2814 0.1617 1928 0.1563
1 0.2893 83,690 253.3 3688 0.1289 3024 3484 0.1282 2432 0.1239
1/0 0.3249 105,600 319.5 4518 0.1011 3731 4311 0.1016 2985 0.09825
2/0 0.3650 133,100 403 5519 0.0802 4600 5330 0.0798 3763 0.0779
3/0 0.4100 167,800 508 6720 0.0636 5666 6590 0.0633 4745 0.0618
4/0 0.4600 211,600 640 8143 0.0505 6980 8143 0.0502 5983 0.0490


The above table represents various properties of solid bare copper wires, including their diameter, cross-sectional area, weight, and breaking strength. Each attribute plays a critical role in determining the wire's suitability for different applications, from residential wiring to industrial applications.

Stranded Bare Copper

Stranded bare copper wire consists of multiple copper strands twisted together, providing better flexibility compared to solid wires. The following table outlines key characteristics:

Size (AWG/MCM) Stranding Nominal OD of Strand Approx. OD (in) Weight (lbs/Mft) OHMS/Resistance (per Mft)

36

34

7/44

7/42

0.0020

0.0025

0.0060

0.0075

0.085

0.132

382.0

244.0

32

7/40

19/44

0.0031

0.0020

0.0094

0.0099

0.203

0.230

159.0

142.0

30

7/38

19/42

0.0040

0.0025

0.0120

0.0120

0.339

0.359

95.40

90.80

28

7/36

19/40

0.0050

0.0031

0.0150

0.0160

0.529

0.553

61.00

59.10

26

7/34

10/36

19/38

0.0063

0.0050

0.0040

0.0190

0.0190

0.0200

0.841

0.757

0.920

38.50

40.40

35.50

24

7/32

10/34

19/36

41/40

0.0080

0.0063

0.0050

0.0031

0.0240

0.0230

0.0240

0.0240

1.356

1.201

1.430

1.160

23.30

26.09

22.70

25.59

22

7/30

19/34

26/36

0.0100

0.0063

0.0050

0.0300

0.0310

0.0300

2.120

2.280

1.970

15.30

14.30

15.94

20

7/28

10/30

19/32

26/34

41/36

105/40

0.0126

0.0100

0.0080

0.0063

0.0050

0.0032

0.0380

0.0410

0.0400

0.0370

0.0370

0.0400

3.150

3.090

3.680

3.120

3.100

3.200

9.600

10.168

8.900

10.05

10.02

10.609

18

7/26

16/30

19/0.0092

41/34

65/36

168/40

0.0159

0.0100

0.0092

0.0063

0.0050

0.0032

0.0480

0.0520

0.0450

0.0470

0.0460

0.0520

5.360

4.940

4.900

4.920

4.910

5.140

6.040

6.740

6.323

6.600

6.390

6.631

17 210/40 0.0032 0.0590 6.400 5.304
16

7/24

19/0.0117

19/29

26/30

65/34

105/36

0.0201

0.0117

0.0113

0.0100

0.0063

0.0050

0.0600

0.0560

0.0570

0.0660

0.0600

0.0600

8.560

8.020

7.350

8.030

7.810

7.950

3.670

4.152

4.480

4.000

4.020

3.990

14

7/0.0242

7/22

19/27

19/0.0147

41/30

105/34

0.0242

0.0253

0.0142

0.0147

0.0100

0.0063

0.0726

0.0760

0.0710

0.0700

0.0700

0.0740

12.76

13.56

11.59

12.70

12.40

12.61

2.480

2.310

2.700

2.476

2.660

2.490

12

7/20

19/25

19/0.0185

65/30

165/34

0.0320

0.0179

0.0185

0.0100

0.0063

0.0960

0.0900

0.0925

0.0910

0.0950

21.69

18.43

20.15

19.66

19.82

1.450

1.770

1.564

1.680

1.580

10

7/0.0385

19/0.0234

37/26

49/27

105/30

0.0385

0.0234

0.0159

0.0142

0.0100

0.1160

0.1170

0.1100

0.1200

0.1140

32.06

32.06

28.31

29.89

31.76

1.000

1.000

1.160

1.280

0.980

8

7/0.0486

19/0.0295

54/25

84/27

133/29

168/30

420/34

0.0486

0.0295

0.0179

0.0142

0.0113

0.0100

0.0063

0.1460

0.1440

0.1506

0.1490

0.1670

0.1740

0.1620

50.10

50.00

55.00

52.00

54.00

53.10

53.00

0.650

0.650

0.624

0.638

0.640

0.660

0.680

6

7/0.0612

19/0.0372

133/27

266/30

665/34

0.0612

0.0372

0.0142

0.0100

0.0063

0.1840

0.1860

0.2100

0.2040

0.2150

81.10

81.10

84.10

83.20

84.00

0.410

0.400

0.410

0.417

0.400

4

7/0.0772

19/0.0469

133/25

420/30

1064/34

0.0772

0.0469

0.0179

0.0100

0.0063

0.2320

0.2350

0.2570

0.2570

0.2690

129.00

129.00

135.00

140.00

134.00

0.260

0.240

0.258

0.264

0.266

2

7/0.0974

19/0.0591

133/0.0223

665/30

1666/34

0.0974

0.0591

0.0223

0.0100

0.0063

0.2920

0.2920

0.3290

0.3380

0.3370

204.90

205.00

208.00

213.00

212.00

0.162

0.170

0.166

0.167

0.169

1

19/0.0664

133/0.0251

259/0.0180

836/30

2107/34

0.0664

0.0251

0.0180

0.0010

0.0063

0.3320

0.3800

0.3780

0.3650

0.3760

266.00

264.00

265.24

266.00

268.00

0.130

0.132

0.121

0.133

0.134

1/0

7/0.01228

19/0.0745

37/0.0534

259/24

1064/30

2646/34

0.1228

0.0745

0.0534

0.0201

0.0010

0.0063

0.3690

0.3730

0.3700

0.4240

0.4510

0.4370

326.00

326.00

326.00

331.00

338.00

337.00

0.102

0.100

0.102

0.105

0.105

0.106

2/0

7/0.1379

19/0.0837

37/0.0600

259/0.0227

1330/30

3325/34

0.1379

0.0837

0.0600

0.0227

0.0100

0.0063

0.4140

0.4190

0.4200

0.4560

0.4960

0.5340

410.90

410.90

411.00

430.00

430.00

427.00

0.081

0.081

0.080

0.083

0.084

0.085

3/0

7/0.1548

19/0.0940

37/0.0673

259/0.0255

1666/30

4256/34

0.1548

0.0940

0.0673

0.0255

0.0100

0.0063

0.4650

0.4700

0.4700

0.5360

0.5330

0.6150

518.00

518.00

518.00

533.00

676.00

547.00

0.064

0.064

0.065

0.066

0.067

0.0647

4/0

7/0.1739

19/0.1055

37/0.0756

259/0.0286

427/0.0223

2107/30

5320/34

0.1739

0.1055

0.0756

0.0286

0.0223

0.0100

0.0063

0.5220

0.5280

0.5290

0.6010

0.6020

0.6700

0.6450

653.00

653.00

653.00

671.22

676.00

674.00

684.00

0.0510

0.0510

0.048

0.048

0.0522

0.0530

0.0535

250MCM

19/0.1147

37/0.0822

0.1147

0.0822

0.5750

0.5750

771.00

771.00

0.0430

0.0430

350MCM

19/0.1357

37/0.0973

0.1357

0.0973

0.6810

0.6810

1081.0

1081.0

0.030

0.031

500MCM

19/0.1622

37/0.1162

0.1622

0.1162

0.8130

0.8130

1544.0

1544.0

0.022

0.022

750MCM 61/0.1109 0.1109 0.9980 2316.0 0.010
1000MCM 61/0.1280 0.1280 1.1520 3088.0 0.009

AWG to mm2

AWG mm2 AWG mm2 AWG mm2 AWG mm2 AWG mm2 AWG mm2
30 0.05 21 0.38 14 2.5 4 25 3/0 95 600MCM 300
28 0.08 20 0.50 12 4 2 35 4/0 120 750MCM 400
26 0.14 18 0.75 10 6 1 50 300MCM 150 1000MCM 500
24 0.25 17 1.0 8 10 1/0 55 350MCM 185
22 0.34 16 1.5 6 16 2/0 70 500MCM 240

Automotive SAE Recommended Conductors

AWG Number of Strands Nominal OD of Strand
22 7/30 0.0100
20 7/28 0.0126
18 16/30 0.0100
18 19/32 0.0080
16 19/29 0.0113
14 19/27 0.0142
12 19/25 0.0179
10 19/23 0.0226
8 19/21 0.0285
6 37/21 0.0285
6 133/27 0.0142
4 61/22 0.0253
4 133/25 0.0179
2 133/23 0.0218
1 133/22 0.0243
1/0 133/21 0.0275
2/0 133/20 0.0309
3/0 266/22 0.0249
4/0 418/23 0.0226

Key Differences Between Solid and Stranded Copper Wires

Both solid and stranded copper wires have their advantages:

  • Solid Copper Wire: Offers high tensile strength and is ideal for long, straight runs with minimal bending.
  • Stranded Copper Wire: Provides flexibility, making it suitable for applications that require bending or movement, such as in portable tools, appliances, and automotive industries.

Selecting the Right Copper Wire for Your Needs

Choosing between solid and stranded copper wires depends on factors like:

  1. Application: Solid wires are better for permanent installations, while stranded wires are preferable for applications where flexibility is needed.
  2. Environment: Stranded wires are more suitable in environments where vibrations and movements are frequent.
  3. Current Load: Consider the wire's gauge, breaking strength, and resistance to handle the expected electrical load safely.

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