WIRE CALCULATOR
WIRE SIZE CALCULATOR - FOR A SINGLE WIRE
**Read Notes Below Before Using**
NOTES: READ ALL BEFORE USING CALCULATORS
A) Use of all our calculators here is at your own risk.
By using them you agree to indemnify us and hold us harmless in the event of an adverse outcome. We have found it to be accurate and that it errors on the safe side of calculations for the type of wire we sell at CrimpZone.com. By using our calculators you agree that you understand that these calculations are merely a guide and help, but not an absolute authority, therefore for any critical application we recommend you have a professional or an engineering company perform the calculations in your application.
B) The Combined Wire Calculators approximate the combined AWG value for multiple wires carrying current. The purpose of these calculators is not to encourage use of multiple power source wires vs a single power input feed. Typically it is not advisable to run important/critical current wires using multiple power feed wires in parallel, due to the possibility that one or more wires could become disconnected or degraded due to corrosion, etc and the remaining wire(s) would have to bear the load without the extra help of the now defunct adjacent wires. The main intent of the Combined Wire Calculators is for bussbar applications where a large power feed is distributed to multipile smaller circuits via a bussbar or terminal strip. This calculator allows one to calculate the input required to feed those multiple bussbar circuits safely.
C) Any time a power source wire is split into any number of smaller power feeds to power different/other circuits, fusing is required so that the weakest link in the system is a fuse and not the smaller gauge wire that is fed from the larger source.
B) Enter the Max Current in Amps that the circuit will see
Enter the operating Voltage. Typically most automotive systems run at around 14VDC, but you can select 6, 12, 13.8 (Default) or 24 volts.
C) Select the desired max voltage drop for your circuit. You will always see a voltage drop due to the resistance of the wire. The smaller the wire gauge the larger the voltage drop will be. Most automotive aplications are fine with 5% voltage drop. Rarely will applications rewquire a 2% voltage drop. The lower the voltage drop desired, the larger the wire diameter needs to be in order to achieve this.
D) If the wire gauge is OK to use it will have a 'Check Mark' on the same line. The 'Max Length' indicates the maximum length of wire of that gauge that can be use at the given values you entered.
E) This calculator assumes what is called "chassis wiring" where the wires are open to the air for cooling vs in a conduit or sheath along with other wires. If they are bundled in a conduit with other wires, that is considered "power transmission" wiring (automotive wire harnesses are an example of what is typically considered power transmission wiring). Large wire bundles in these harnesses present a complicated thermodynamic situation because the inner wires are not exposed to open air cooling and can over heat. This calculator does not address that scenario and a more thorough calculation or special software is requireed to determine the values. When all wires in a particular wire harness bundle carry current simultaneously the current carrying capacity of the wires is greatly diminished.
COPYRIGHT 2025 CRIMPZONE - All Rights Reserved
Combined Single-Gauge AWG Wire Calculator
For Multiple Wires of Same Gauge|
Uses:
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Multi-Gauge AWG Wire Calculator
For Multiple Wires of Different Gauges|
This calculator determines the effective AWG gage of a combination of wires of differing AWG gages. Select the desired AWG gages and enter the number of wires of each gage. (Press the Tab key after entering a wire count.) |
NOTES: READ ALL BEFORE USING CALCULATORS
A) Use of all our calculators here is at your own risk.
By using them you agree to indemnify us and hold us harmless in the event of an adverse outcome. We have found it to be accurate and that it errors on the safe side of calculations for the type of wire we sell at CrimpZone.com. By using our calculators you agree that you understand that these calculations are merely a guide and help, but not an absolute authority, therefore for any critical application we recommend you have a professional or an engineering company perform the calculations in your application.
B) The Combined Wire Calculators approximate the combined AWG value for multiple wires carrying current. The purpose of these calculators is not to encourage use of multiple power source wires vs a single power input feed. Typically it is not advisable to run important/critical current wires using multiple power feed wires in parallel, due to the possibility that one or more wires could become disconnected or degraded due to corrosion, etc and the remaining wire(s) would have to bear the load without the extra help of the now defunct adjacent wires. The main intent of the Combined Wire Calculators is for bussbar applications where a large power feed is distributed to multipile smaller circuits via a bussbar or terminal strip. This calculator allows one to calculate the input required to feed those multiple bussbar circuits safely.
C) Any time a power source wire is split into any number of smaller power feeds to power different/other circuits, fusing is required so that the weakest link in the system is a fuse and not the smaller gauge wire that is fed from the larger source.
Automotive Wire Size Calculators - Safety Note - READ
A) When entering wire length you must include the total length of wire for both positive and negative (power/positive wire plus negative/ground wire lengths) unless you're using a vehicle frame/chassis or other large structure for the ground path. If you're using two wires to power a load, you must add the two wire legs/lengths together and enter this length in Feet. Example: Powering a motor from a fuse box. Wire length would be length of wire to the motor from +12V fused source, plus the ground/return wire back to the NEG battery or ground connection.B) Enter the Max Current in Amps that the circuit will see
Enter the operating Voltage. Typically most automotive systems run at around 14VDC, but you can select 6, 12, 13.8 (Default) or 24 volts.
C) Select the desired max voltage drop for your circuit. You will always see a voltage drop due to the resistance of the wire. The smaller the wire gauge the larger the voltage drop will be. Most automotive aplications are fine with 5% voltage drop. Rarely will applications rewquire a 2% voltage drop. The lower the voltage drop desired, the larger the wire diameter needs to be in order to achieve this.
D) If the wire gauge is OK to use it will have a 'Check Mark' on the same line. The 'Max Length' indicates the maximum length of wire of that gauge that can be use at the given values you entered.
E) This calculator assumes what is called "chassis wiring" where the wires are open to the air for cooling vs in a conduit or sheath along with other wires. If they are bundled in a conduit with other wires, that is considered "power transmission" wiring (automotive wire harnesses are an example of what is typically considered power transmission wiring). Large wire bundles in these harnesses present a complicated thermodynamic situation because the inner wires are not exposed to open air cooling and can over heat. This calculator does not address that scenario and a more thorough calculation or special software is requireed to determine the values. When all wires in a particular wire harness bundle carry current simultaneously the current carrying capacity of the wires is greatly diminished.
COPYRIGHT 2025 CRIMPZONE - All Rights Reserved