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Glossary Science & Engineering

AWG (wire gauge)

AWG, the American Wire Gauge, is a numbering system for wire thickness in which a smaller number means a thicker wire that can carry more current.

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In more detail

12 AWG has a diameter of 0.0808 in (6,530 circular mils). Thicker wire has less resistance and so less voltage drop over distance; a longer run needs a thicker wire for the same current.

Try these tools

Wire Size Calculator

Find the smallest AWG copper or aluminium wire for a load current, run length and allowed voltage drop, with the actual drop.

Voltage Drop Calculator

Calculate voltage drop and percentage drop across a wire run based on wire gauge, material, distance, current, and circuit voltage.

See also

  • Glossary Ohm's law
    Ohm's law states that the current through a conductor equals the voltage across it divided by its resistance: `V = I × R`.
  • Cheat sheet Electrical Formulas Cheat Sheet
    Ohm's law, power, series and parallel resistors, voltage dividers, LED resistors, cable voltage drop.
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