Wire gauge
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Wire gauge is a measurement of
Types of wire gauge
Wire gauges may be broadly divided into two groups, the
The first attempt to adopt a geometrical system was made by Messrs Brown & Sharpe in 1855. They established a regular progression of thirty-nine steps between the English sizes, No. 0000 (460 mils or about 12 mm) and No. 36 (5 mils or about 0.13 mm). Each diameter was multiplied by 0.890526 to give the next lower size. This is now the American wire gauge (AWG), and is prevalent in North America and used to some extent in over 65 countries, with a market share of about 30% of all power and control wires and cables.[3]
The Imperial
None of the above systems of measurement is part of the metric system.
The current
standard, superseding 3737:1964, which used the SWG system.The
Measuring
In commerce, the sizes of wire are estimated by devices, also called
The circular forms of wire gauge measurement devices are the most popular, and are generally 3+3⁄4 inches (95 mm) in diameter, with thirty-six notches; many have the decimal equivalents of the sizes stamped on the back. Oblong plates are similarly notched. Rolling mill gauges are also oblong in form. Many gauges are made with a wedge-like slot into which the wire is thrust; one edge being graduated, the point at which the movement of the wire is arrested gives its size. The graduations are those of standard wire, or in thousandths of an inch. In some cases both edges are graduated differently in order to allow comparison between two systems of measurement. A few gauges are made with holes into which the wire has to be thrust. All gauges are hardened and ground to dimensions.
In some applications wire sizes are specified as the cross sectional area of the wire, usually in mm2. Advantages of this system include the ability to readily calculate the physical dimensions or weight of wire, ability to take account of non-circular wire, and ease of calculation of electrical properties.
See also
- (PDF)
- IEC 60228, the metric wire-size standard used in most parts of the world.
- Circular mil, Electrical industry standard for wires larger than 4/0.
- American Wire Gauge (AWG), used primarily in the US and Canada
- Standard Wire Gauge (SWG), the British imperial standard BS3737
- Jewelry wire gauge
- Body jewelry sizes
References
- ^ Engineers, Institution of Electrical (1879). Proceedings of the Institution of Electrical Engineers. Institution of Electrical Engineers. p. 481.
- ^ "Collections Online | British Museum".
- ^ ISBN 978-1-351-83308-0.
External links
- Wire Gauge to Diameter—Diameter to Wire Gauge Converter - Online calculator converts gauge to diameter or diameter to gauge for any wire size.
- Calculation: round electric cable diameter to circle cross-sectional area and vice versa
- Wire gauge conversion chart