What Is The Difference Between 22, 24 And 26 American Wire Gauge?
AWG (American Wire Gauge) is a US standard set of non-ferrous wire conductor sizes. The “gauge” means the diameter. Non-ferrous includes copper and also aluminium and other materials, but is most frequently applied to copper household electrical wiring and telephone wiring. Typical household wiring is AWG number 12 or 14. Telephone wire is usually 22, 24, or 26. The higher the number, the thinner the wire. Thicker wire can carry more current and will have less electrical resistance over a given length. Thicker wire is better for longer distances. For this reason, if extended distance was critical as a result of attenuation and crosstalk, a company installing a network might prefer telephone wire with the thicker gauge of AWG 24 to AWG 26.
