What is Wire Gauge?
Wire gauge refers to the diameter of a wire. The higher the gauge number, the thinner the wire. There are two standards: American Wire Gauge (AWG) and Metric Wire Gauge (MWG). Depending on its purpose, a thin wire gauge might be fine, but for other jobs, a thicker wire will do a better job and protect against shorts from melting caused by overheating. Since using the wrong wire gauge can lead to electrical fires, all wiring must be legally inspected and approved during new construction or remodeling. In the United States many building codes allow for #14 gauge wire throughout the house for branch circuits (lighting), but these codes represent the minimal safety standard. Many electricians recommend #12 AWG instead. The thicker wire has lower resistance and can result in less light flicker and steadier power with minimal heat loss. The thicker wire is also rated for 20-amp fuses, while lighting fuses are typically only 15-amps. Lighting and appliance fuses are located in a circuit break
What gauge wire is used in instrument cables? The diameter of copper wire is typically given in AWG (American Wire Gauge), with the larger numbers signifying smaller size. For instance, a 20 AWG (or “20 gauge”) wire is smaller than an 18 AWG wire. Generally, instrument cable center conductors are in the range of 18 to 24 AWG, with strands of 32 to 36 AWG. Many American wire mills simply cannot work with wire smaller than 36 AWG because their equipment is too antiquated. The Japanese manufacturers Canare and Mogami have been leaders in the use of very fine (40 AWG) copper stranding. What gauge should the center conductor of an instrument cable be? Since the current involved in instrument applications is negligible, the amount of copper in the center conductor has only a very slight effect on the strength of the signal reaching the amplifier. In practice, the center conductor’s size is determined primarily by (1) the necessity of obtaining a maximum diameter of .265″ or less while (2) pr
Gauge is a system of numbers used to indicate the wire size. It is also known as the American Wire Gauge (AWG). The largest wire using the gauge system is 0000. This largest size has a diameter of 0.46″ (460 mils). Stepping down through smaller size wires, next is 000, then 00, 0, 1, 2, 3, . AWG extends beyond 40 gauge. A 40 gauge wire is about 0.003″ (or 3 mils) in diameter. With the AWG system, the higher the gauge number, the smaller the wire. 0 gauge is often referred to an “ought gauge,” 00 as “double-ought,” etc. Cross sectional area is changed about 26% with each gauge (also, cross sectional area doubles with every three sizes). The diameter of a wire doubles with every six sizes. Resistance doubles for each three steps higher in gauge number. The gauge of a wire needs to be matched to the amount of current that is required by the component connected by that wire. The current requirement is a specification given by the manufacturer of the component.
