What good is organizing ALL the cables if you don't stock said cables to organize? Never fear, we"ve got you covered (or maybe ’wrapped’ is the better word choice). Wireless may be all the rage, but most installations still utilize good ol" fashioned cables at some point. Whether you"re sending data, video, audio, whether you want metal wire or glass/plastic fiber optics, we have it all. Our massive selection runs the gamut from economical to high end, from a 6 inch patch cable to a thousand foot spool of bulk wires and cables, including Cat 5e. And don"t forget connectors! You can't just have a bunch of cords lying around with nothing to attach them to anything, so don't forget to check out our connectors.
Always remember: when installing cables inside walls, ceilings, elevator shafts, or underground, always make sure the cable you are purchasing has the proper rating. We do our best to list all applicable ratings for our cables.
The Facts on American Wire Gauge (AWG)
What is American Wire Gauge?
The American Wire Gauge (AWG), a wire-sizing standard also known as the Brown and Sharpe wire gauge, is used in North America to measure and regulate the thickness of conductive wires made from nonferrous metals. AWG is not to be confused with the Washburn and Moen (W&M), US Steel, or Music Wire gauging methods, which are used only for steel-based wire.
When did the American Wire Gauge system come into use?
AWG was developed in 1856 by J.R. Brown and Sharpe, a small firm in Providence, Rhode Island that specialized in the crafting and repair of watches, clocks, and mathematical instruments. That same year, Lucien Sharpe presented the new system to the Waterbury Brass Association. Convinced that Brown and Sharpe's gauging system would greatly improve uniformity throughout the wire manufacturing industry, Waterbury Brass Association made a movement to adopt the standard. By February of 1857, eight major American manufacturers had signed resolutions to adhere to the Brown and Sharpe gauge standard; the following month, a nationwide circular was distributed, introducing the new wire gauge standard to the American public.
What do the gauge numbers mean?
The American Wire Gauge system is based on a total of 44 standardized wire sizes: 0-40, as well as the additional 00, 000, and 0000 gauges (the thickest of all). It may seem a little counterintuitive, but the higher a gauge number is, the thinner the wire will be. This is because each gauge is named after the number of sizing dies the wire needs to be drawn through to reach the correct diameter (for example, a 24 gauge wire is drawn through 24 different sizing dies).
American Wire Gauge Chart
AWG
DIAMETER
AREA
WEIGHT
(KG PER METER)
TURNS OF WIRE
(PER INCH)
0000 (4/0)
0.46" (11.7mm)
212 kcmil (107mm²)
0.953
2.17
000 (3/0)
0.41" (10.4mm)
168 kcmil (85 mm²)
0.756
2.44
00 (2/0)
0.365" (9.27mm)
133 kcmil (67.4 mm²)
0.599
2.74
0
0.325" (8.25 mm)
106 kcmil (53.5 mm²)
0.475
3.08
1
0.289" (7.35 mm)
83.7 kcmil (42.4 mm²)
0.377
3.46
2
0.258" (6.54 mm)
66.4 kcmil (33.6 mm²)
0.299
3.88
3
0.229" (5.83 mm)
52.6 kcmil (26.7 mm²)
0.237
4.36
4
0.204" (5.19 mm)
41.7 kcmil (21.2 mm²)
0.188
4.89
5
0.182" (4.62 mm)
33.1 kcmil (16.8 mm²)
0.149
5.5
6
0.162" (4.12 mm)
26.3 kcmil (13.3 mm²)
0.118
6.17
7
0.144" (3.66 mm)
20.8 kcmil (10.5 mm²)
0.0938
6.93
8
0.128" (3.26 mm)
16.5 kcmil (8.37 mm²)
0.0744
7.78
9
0.114" (2.91 mm)
13.1 kcmil (6.63 mm²)
0.059
8.74
10
0.102" (2.59 mm)
10.4 kcmil (5.26 mm²)
0.0468
9.81
11
0.0907" (2.30 mm)
8.23 kcmil (4.17 mm²)
0.0371
11
12
0.0808" (2.05 mm)
6.53 kcmil (3.31 mm²)
0.0294
12.4
13
0.0720" (1.83 mm)
5.18 kcmil (2.62 mm²)
0.0234
13.9
14
0.0641" (1.63 mm)
4.11 kcmil (2.08 mm²)
0.0185
15.6
15
0.0571" (1.45 mm)
3.26 kcmil (1.65 mm²)
0.0147
17.5
16
0.0508" (1.29 mm)
2.58 kcmil (1.31 mm²)
0.0116
19.7
17
0.0453" (1.15 mm)
2.05 kcmil (1.04 mm²)
0.00922
22.1
18
0.0403" (1.02 mm)
1.62 kcmil (0.823 mm²)
0.00732
24.8
19
0.0359" (0.912 mm)
1.29 kcmil 0.653 mm²)
0.0058
27.9
20
0.032" (0.812 mm)
1.02 kcmil 0.518 mm²)
0.0046
31.3
21
0.0285" (0.723 mm)
0.810 kcmil (0.410 mm²)
0.00365
35.1
22
0.0253" (0.644 mm)
0.642 kcmil (0.326 mm²)
0.00289
39.5
23
0.0226" (0.573 mm)
0.509 kcmil (0.258 mm²)
0.00229
44.3
24
0.0201" (0.511 mm)
0.404 kcmil (0.205 mm²)
0.00182
49.7
25
0.0179" (0.455 mm)
0.320 kcmil (0.162 mm²)
0.00144
55.9
26
0.0159" (0.405 mm)
0.254 kcmil (0.129 mm²)
0.00114
62.7
27
0.0142" (0.361 mm)
0.202 kcmil (0.102 mm²)
0.000908
70.4
28
0.0126" (0.321 mm)
0.16 kcmil (0.081 mm²)
0.00072
79.1
29
0.0113" (0.286 mm)
0.127 kcmil (0.0642 mm²)
0.000571
88.8
30
0.01" (0.255 mm)
0.101 kcmil (0.0509 mm²)
0.000453
99.7
31
0.00893" (0.227 mm)
0.0797 kcmil (0.0404 mm²)
0.000359
112
32
0.00795" (0.202 mm)
0.0632 kcmil (0.032 mm²)
0.000285
126
33
0.00708" (0.18 mm)
0.0501 kcmil (0.0254 mm²)
0.000226
141
34
0.00630" (0.16 mm)
0.0398 kcmil (0.0201 mm²)
0.000179
159
35
0.00561" (0.143 mm)
0.0315 kcmil (0.0160 mm²)
0.000142
178
36
0.005" (0.127mm)
0.025 kcmil (0.0127 mm²)
0.000113
200
37
0.00445" (0.113 mm)
0.0198 kcmil (0.01 mm²)
0.0000893
225
38
0.00397" (0.101 mm)
0.0157 kcmil (0.00797 mm²)
0.0000708
252
39
0.00353" (0.0897 mm)
0.0125 kcmil (0.00632 mm²)
0.0000562
283
40
0.00314" (0.0799 mm)
0.00989 kcmil (0.00501 mm²)
0.0000445
318
Which wire gauges am I most likely to encounter?
Even though 44 different wire diameters are recognized within the AWG standard, they're not all widely used, and most people are likely to encounter only a small range of them. Below are a few common cable types we use ever day, as well as the AWG sizes that correspond to them:
