ABSTRACT
Each conductor size is measured in American wire gage (AWG), British wire gage (BWG), or in metric gage designated by the conductor cross section area in mm2. The AWG and BWG gage number are log-inverse measures of the conductor diameter. For example, the AWG is set on log scale as
AWG dia=
=20
0 325 0 325
10 Log
. . diainch
(7.1)
where dia = conductor diameter in inches, bare solid or one equivalent diameter of the conducting area of all strands combined. Decrease in one gage number increases the diameter by a factor of 1.1225 and area by a factor of 1.26. The diameter doubles every six gages down and the area doubles every three gages down. One can visualize the AWG gage number as the approximate number of wires that can be placed side by side in 1 in. width. For example, 14 bare conductors of AWG 14 can be placed side by side in 1 in. width, or the AWG 14 conductor has approximately 1/14 in. diameter.
