What Is American Wire Gauge (AWG)?

Posted on May 3, 2022Categories Business and ManagementTags ,

American Wire Gauge, a standard gauge system for measuring diameters of non-ferrous and electrically conducting wires in the United States, is known as the American Wire Gauge. 

Here, "Gauge" refers to the diameter of an electrical wire, speaker wire, automotive wire, or any other type of wire. This is the American standard method of classifying wires. It can be used to classify aluminum, copper, and other non-ferrous metals. However, it is most commonly used for copper household wiring, and telephone wiring.

American Wire Gauge

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The typical household wiring AWG number is 12 or 14. Telephone wires are usually 22-24 or 26. The wire's diameter gets smaller as the gauge number increases. Because thicker wires can carry more current and have less electrical resistance over a longer length, they are best suited to long distances.

This is why a company installing a network might prefer a phone wire that is thinner and lower gauge than AWG 24 to 26, because of the distance. AWG is also known by Brown and Sharpe (B&S), as Wire Gauge. The AWG size is determined by measuring the diameter of a bare wire, which is a wire that has no insulation. The most important factors when determining the wire's diameter are its current capacity and the distance it should travel.

People tend to use thicker wires that are recommended. The American Wire Gauge uses a logarithmic scale. If you know the diameter and resistance of a gauge number, you can easily find the resistance and diameter for another gauge number by simply doing basic addition and subtraction.