Educational reference
AWG reference
This reference computes nominal AWG diameter from the logarithmic gauge equation, then computes area as pi times diameter squared divided by four. It follows the standard AWG geometry relationship and the NIST conductor references listed on the Sources page.
Computed nominal AWG solid-wire diameter, cross-sectional area, and circular-mil values from the standard mathematical relationship.
Geometry only. These values do not establish ampacity, insulation outside diameter, or metric conductor equivalence.
| AWG | Diameter (mm) | Area (mm²) | Circular mils |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4/0 | 11.6840 | 107.2193 | 211,600 |
| 3/0 | 10.4049 | 85.0288 | 167,806 |
| 2/0 | 9.2658 | 67.4309 | 133,077 |
| 1/0 | 8.2515 | 53.4751 | 105,535 |
| 1 | 7.3481 | 42.4077 | 83,693 |
| 2 | 6.5437 | 33.6308 | 66,371 |
| 4 | 5.1894 | 21.1506 | 41,741 |
| 6 | 4.1154 | 13.3018 | 26,251 |
| 8 | 3.2636 | 8.3656 | 16,510 |
| 10 | 2.5882 | 5.2612 | 10,383 |
| 12 | 2.0525 | 3.3088 | 6,530 |
| 14 | 1.6277 | 2.0809 | 4,107 |
| 16 | 1.2908 | 1.3087 | 2,583 |
| 18 | 1.0237 | 0.8230 | 1,624 |
| 20 | 0.8118 | 0.5176 | 1,022 |
| 22 | 0.6438 | 0.3255 | 642 |
| 24 | 0.5106 | 0.2047 | 404 |
Calculation method
Diameter in inches equals 0.005 × 92 raised to (36 − n)/39. Area is then calculated from πd²/4. For 1/0 through 4/0, the gauge index continues through 0, −1, −2, and −3.
Convert AWG and metric conductor area, calculate resistance for an AWG conductor, or estimate voltage drop by conductor size.