That is, assuming there aren’t other factors impacting the performance. 70 amp wire sizeįor 70 amps, the right wire size is either a gauge 3 aluminum or a gauge 4 copper. Simply take a look at the chart further down the page. The 8- gauge nor the 10- gauge can be coupled with this breaker. You want to know if you can use these with the circuit breaker. Let’s say you have an 8- gauge and a 10-rated lying a round at home. That is assuming the right conditions, such as temperature. If you’re more cautious, a 4 AWG is great. Here are all the products we recommend based on NEC’s ampacity chart to ensure safety. We’ve got you covered if you want to buy a circuit breaker or a sub-panel. For 600 amp, you will need a 1500 kcmil- gauge wire size. For a 400 amp service, you will need a 600 kcmil-gauge copper wire size. For a 200 amp service, you will need a 250 kcmil-gauge copper wire size. For 150 amp, you will need a 1/0- size copper wire size. For an 80 amp, you need a 4- gauge copper wire size. For a 100 amp service, you will need a 1- gauge wire size.įor 125 amps, you will need a 1- gauge copper wire size. What electrical components do I need for a project? The rule of thumb that techs will usually go by is that for a 70 amp circuit breaker, 4-gauge copper wire is the right size to go with. If this is your first time reading about the topic, we cover some basic things to know about it. Knowing which size to pick is important, so you can use the right one for your equipment that requires electricity. However, when adding or servicing a 100 Amp wire(s), it is highly recommended to consult and even hire a certified electrician who is aware of local standards and laws regarding electric wiring. So, if You need to know the solid copper wire thickness for 100 Amps service/sub-panel, then: When calculating the wire thickness of the long wires, always use values from the 60☌/140☏ column, since the "wire length" rule, especially after calculating the "80% Rule" is all about energy losses and not wire surface temperature - as long as the wires are properly installed. Now, we have to check the required AWG value for given wire lengths, depending on the wire surface temperature - values are given in the following chart: Wire Length / Surface feet (125 Amps) ![]() There are several rules and standards that may be used when calculating the required wire thickness, but the general rule of thumb is to increase the required Ampacity by 10% for every 50 feet (~15 m) of the wire length - some standards increase Ampacity by 20% for every 100 feet (~30 m) which provides the same or very similar results.įor example, when calculating the required Ampacity for the 50 feet, 100 feet, 150 feet, and 200 feet wires, we can use (default value is 125 Amp, after applying the "80% Rule"):ĥ0 feet wire: Ampacity = 125 Amps * 1.1 = 137.5 Ampsġ00 feet wire: Ampacity = 125 Amps * 1.2 = 150 Ampsġ50 feet wire: Ampacity = 125 Amps * 1.3 = 162.5 AmpsĢ00 feet wire: Ampacity = 125 Amps * 1.4 = 175 Amps 90☌/194☏: 2 gauge wire (AWG 2) features an Ampacity of 130A.Īnd these values are for relatively short wires, usually less than 50 feet (less than ~15 meters), which raises the question about the wire thickness of longer wires. 75☌/167☏: 1 gauge wire (AWG 1) features an Ampacity of 130A, 60☌/140☏: 0 gauge wire (AWG 0) features an Ampacity of 125A, Thus, for 100 Amp service, the required wire thickness is: Hence, we should not look for wires being able to carry 100 Amps, but 125 Amps: ![]() The 80% Safety RuleĨ0% Rule states that actual wire current should be at most 80% of its default Ampacity. 90☌/194☏: 3 gauge wire (AWG 3) features an Ampacity of 115A.īut, these wire thicknesses are not recommended for actual use since wires should never carry current that equals their default values for safety reasons - hence the 80% Rule. 75☌/167☏: 3 gauge wire (AWG 3) features an Ampacity of 100A, 60☌/140☏: 1 gauge wire (AWG 1) features an Ampacity of 115A, Note: Ampacities are given for enclosed wires ambient temperatures.Īs one can see, the Ampacity of wires is given at three different temperatures (60☌/140☏, 75☌/167☏, and 90☌/194☏), but for most residential installations, 60☌/140☏ is the maximum allowed wire surface temperature.Īlso, if the value is not given for a required current, one has to look for a wire with a larger Ampacity.įor example, if we are going to look for 100 Amp wire size using default Ampacities for solid copper wire, then:
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