What is American wire gauge ( AWG)?

A.W.G. stands for American wire gauge. AWG, also known as the "Brown and Sharpe" wire gauge, is used in the U.S. and other countries as a standard method of denoting wire diameter, especially for nonferrous, electrical wire.

For quotes or orders, call 1-800-723-9010

How does the American wire gauge system work?

In the American wire gauge (AWG), increasing gauge numbers give decreasing wire diameters, which is similar to many other non-metric gauging systems. This seemingly-counterintuitive numbering is derived from the fact that the gauge number is related to the number of drawing operations that must be used to produce a given gauge of wire; very fine wire (for example, 30 gauge) requires far more passes through the drawing dies than 0 gauge wire.

Note that for gauges 5 through about 14, the wire gauge is effectively the number of bare solid wires that, when placed side-by-side, span 1 inch. That is, 8 gauge is about 1/8 inches in diameter.

How do you determine a wire gauge?

To determine a wire gauge it is easiest to read the lay line on the wire or check the spool it came off of. If that is not an option there are specification charts that can be used with a caliper to measure the wire diameter or for the brave there is a formula. In the American Wire Gauge (AWG), diameters can be calculated by applying the formula D(AWG)=.005·92^{((36-AWG)/39)} inch. For the 00, 000, 0000 etc. gauges you use -1, -2, -3, which makes more sense mathematically than "double nought." This means that in American wire gage every 6 gauge decrease gives a doubling of the wire diameter, and every 3 gauge decrease doubles the wire cross sectional area. Just like dB in signal levels.

Industrial Supplies - Industrial Sales>

These are just some of the thousands of industrial supplies that Hi-Line salesmen carry on their trucks.  Every Hi-Line representative manages a territory, similar to a route sales system, where quality electrical and maintenance supplies are delivered directly to your bins. If you love industrial parts, working with people, and being your own boss, then contact Hi-Line at industrialsales@hi-line.com for a rewarding career in industrial sales.