Explanation of symbols and translation of AWG cable sections

American wire gauge

AWG
The abbreviation AWG itself is of American origin and stands for American Wire Gauge, which translates as “American wire gauge”. It does not indicate the diameter of the internal cores in millimeters, which is what we are used to, but the number of runs of the cable through the forming machine in the production process.

For example, a 24 AWG wire has a smaller core diameter than a 22 AWG wire because during manufacturing the first cable passed through the molding machine 24 times, and the second only 22.

Examples of wires according to the AWG (American wire guide) standard

The calibration, in accordance with the presented standard, differs slightly from the standard nomenclature of diameters in millimeters. Recalculation into the usual dimensions of a single-core and stranded conductor is carried out using different formulas.

The AWG standard itself concerns not only power cables and wires used in electrical wiring. It is also used in the digital industry, for example for marking HDMI and USB cables, twisted pairs, etc.

Space saving

Typically, the diameter of these cables is much smaller than standard ones. For example, the diameter of a 28 AWG cable is 4.1 mm, and a standard 24 AWG cable is 5.9 mm, that is, 28 AWG is almost one and a half times thinner. The differences in diameter are especially noticeable in photographs showing bundles of standard cable and 28 AWG cable. When you calculate the physical dimensions of cable harnesses, it becomes apparent that using fine-strand cables can save more than 50% of the space in cable ducts and managers compared to traditional cables, a very significant difference for congested telecom rooms and data centers.

Where does AWG marking come from?

AWG wire marking table
The shape of the cable cores is similar to ordinary copper wire.

In the USA, wire was previously produced using the drawing (pulling) principle. To do this, the workpiece was passed through the rollers of the machine. For example, there is a workpiece with a cross-section of 12 mm. To reduce its diameter to the required one, the wire was pulled through the calibration hole a specific number of times, as a result of which it was stretched, the length indicator increased, and the diameter indicator decreased. So from the 12th diameter it was possible to make the 10th or 8th.

Each subsequent broaching procedure lowered the section and added one to the AWG value. At the start of the process, a workpiece with the largest caliber AWG 0 is used (corresponding to the thickest cable). With one wire pull, an AWG value of 1 will be obtained. If the workpiece passes through the machine twice, an AWG value of 2 will be obtained, and so on in increasing order.

The largest calibers larger than AWG 0 are designated AWG 00, AWG 000, etc.

This marking is a mirror image of the Russian one. We have become accustomed to the fact that the larger the number, the larger the cross-section of the conductors. Here everything is different - the larger the gauge value, the smaller the diameter of the conductors.

Greater efficiency

28 AWG cables meet or exceed TIA 568-C.2 specifications and pass all required tests. But today, only 22-26 AWG cables are included in the standard. It is likely that in the new version of the standard 28 AWG will be added to it. Another advantage of 28 AWG cables is that their thin conductors have higher NEXT and PS-NEXT levels because they have less copper in the jacket. A high NEXT level is a good indicator of cable performance because Bandwidth is calculated as the difference between the NEXT value and the attenuation: Bandwidth = NEXT - Insertion Loss.

Cable applications

Application in vehicles
Cables marked AWG are popularly called twisted pair, since their cores are woven in pairs and form a single wire. There are many industries using such cables.

The main ones:

• Electrical supply of socket networks and diode lamps in domestic and industrial premises. Often the current in such lines does not exceed 24V, and the most common voltage is 12V. This scheme makes it possible to reduce energy costs and is safer than 220V lines.
• Arrangement of wiring in the field of telephony and communications, for example, as lines for connecting to the Internet or local networks.
• In fact, all electrics in vehicles are represented by AWG cables of different gauges. The most commonly used twisted pair is 23 AWG with a longitudinal section, where the conductor can be either single-core or stranded. Power from the battery to the starter and motor is supplied using thicker wires labeled 16 AWG.

  
  TV backlight using AWG wires

• These conductors are also used in music centers and televisions. For example, headphones and microphones use 22 or 24 AWG twisted pair, the cross-section in mm of which will be indicated below.
• Cables with the smallest gauge, less than 26 AWG, are used in car alarms, temperature sensors for gas or electric boilers, as well as in automatic fire extinguishing systems. They cannot withstand high voltages, but for networks with low current values ​​they are the best option. For example, 28 AWG wires are widely used in automobile airbag contactors. 30 AWG cable is widely used in Internet connection outlets.

It is strictly forbidden to connect low-current wires to a fixed 220V/380V network. This will inevitably lead to a short circuit.

All of the above areas of wire application are key; in practice, there are significantly more of them. In these industries, non-standard gauge conductors are often found performing data transmission functions.

Low-current networks do not pose a threat to people and animals. The impact of such current is literally not felt by the human body; such networks are the safest and are used in astronautics and other technical industries. Even during open contact with bare wires, a person does not feel an electric shock, so repair work can be carried out without disconnecting the network.

Fiber optic cables manufactured using US technology and marked as 24 AWG (in mm equals 0.644) are actively used. Such networks are stretched both externally and underground. They are designed to transmit data at high speeds.

Cable assignment

AWG conductors are used in the same industries as any other similar in structure. Most often these are the following areas of application:

1. Construction of communication lines. If there is a screen, the cables can be used to lay the Internet or telephone network.
2. Use in audio technology. AWG 22 and 24 transmit sound in some headphone models. This speaker wire is suitable for such purposes due to its high flexibility.
3. Most wiring in cars is done using AWG wire. Typically 23 gauge twisted pair is used.
4. Connecting LED strips and other low-voltage diode lighting sources. Due to its small thickness and flexibility, it fits conveniently into the grooves for wiring. This property allows you to create a hidden power line.
5. Thin wires with a gauge of less than 24 are used in alarm and automation systems. From them lines are drawn for temperature, pressure and humidity sensors of industrial equipment.

Speaker Wire AWG

Cable design and composition

In accordance with the task being solved, conductors marked as AWG can have different gauges and types of external winding.

This primarily applies to single-core conductors with different base thicknesses and an outer insulating layer of polypropylene foam. The core can be braided and consist of several layers of aluminum or copper strands twisted in a spiral manner. Their thickness index directly affects the degree of current resistance - the greater the number of cores and their thickness index, the weaker the resistance value and loss per meter of conductor will be. This value also affects the degree of heating of the metal under increased loads. Large-caliber conductors are more resistant to heat, which significantly extends the life of common lines.

What is AWG cable

This abbreviation stands for American Wire Gauge. This can be translated as "American Wire Standard". Unlike markings in the form of a cross-section of conductors, which is familiar to Russian consumers, this involves the number of passes of the conductor product through the molding machine during its production. Products manufactured according to the American standard cover a wide range of applications: this includes power cables, twisted pairs, USB cords, and electrical wiring components.

Important! During molding, the product becomes thinner and stretched in length, which implies an inverse relationship between the size of the gauge and the diameter: the larger the number marked with the awg cable, the smaller the diameter of its veins in diameter. For example, an awg 26 cable will have thinner cores than an awg 20 cable.

Cable containing 100 twisted pairs

AWG Stranded Wires

22 AWG stranded
Stranded wires are somewhat more complex in their design, so it is extremely difficult to correctly calculate the load that is comfortable for them. You need to start from the characteristics of one core and calculate the coefficient ratio.

The cables themselves, the caliber of which is indicated by the number before the abbreviation AWG, can have a cylindrical shape or the shape of a triangle woven into a solid rod. Due to the elasticity of the metal, the wire can be twisted at various angles, which is very convenient for installation work in hard-to-reach points, for example, wall cable ducts.

The insulating layer made of polypropylene or PVC is also highly flexible and can withstand mechanical stress when sifting the soil or deforming part of the highway. The insulation is absolutely dielectric, so even when connecting cable bundles to each other, a short circuit is excluded.

UTP twisted pair cable (U/UTP), category 5, 100 pairs (24 AWG)

In individual twisted pairs of optical fiber, excluding the standard jacket, there is a reinforcing thread between the core and the insulating layer, which is twisted in a spiral. It gives the product strength even during twisting. This insulation prevents the wires from stretching, constantly returning the core and outer layer to acceptable levels.

A separate class should include television cables for transmitting a signal from an antenna or amplifier. These conductors have a copper core, which is sealed in polyethylene foam. From the center of the cable to the edge there is a foil sheath, which is responsible for the delivery of negative particles. The outer layer is PVC insulation that tightly fits the entire product. The conductor is assembled using special metal adapters with a tightening apparatus. They securely fix the wire and guarantee accurate contact.

Copper wires have greater strength than aluminum wires. Therefore, their service life is longer. They are less susceptible to wear and tear from mechanical impacts, but the cost of such products is higher.

Conversion table for cable and wire AWG to millimeters

In order not to recalculate the caliber of each conductor to the diameter in square millimeters on a calculator, you can resort to using a table with ready-made numbers:

In the USA, 22 AWG wires are most often used for Internet communications, with a cross-section in mm of 0.644. The maximum gauge for use in industrial applications is not limited in any way, but the most popular conductors are 4 AWG and 8 AWG.

Calculation formulas

The formula for converting calibers to millimeters is as follows:

The indicator 0.005 inches, when converted, is 0.127 mm. The value n is the caliber nomenclature. The presented formula is valid only for solid cores of cables and wires.

The values ​​“36”, “39” and “92” are present in the formula for a reason. In the late 90s, the AWG indicator, the diameter of which is equal to 0.005 inch, corresponded to gauge 36. In those years, this was the thinnest wire. The thickest cable was caliber AWG 0000. The ratio between the smallest and largest diameter is exactly “92”.

The calibration range, starting from marking AWG 36, consists of 38 consecutive calibers and the ratio between them is a constant value. Between adjacent calibers the ratio is 1.1229. This figure is the 39th root of 92.

For large calibers, the role of “n” is the negative indicator -(m-1).

Formulas for calculation

When dealing with AWG wires and calculating their cross-section, you can use the formulas below.

Convert caliber to diameter (inches inch)

Where,

• n - wire gauge;
• dinch - diameter in inches.

Convert caliber to diameter (in mm)

Where,

• n - caliber;
• dmm — wire diameter, mm.

In some situations it is necessary to calculate the wire cross-section by gauge. For a similar case, a formula (simplified) is also derived:

Here,

• An - wire cross-section, sq. mm;
• n - caliber (note the “-” sign);

And finally, a few general formulas that will be useful in calculations. Wire cross-section through diameter:

Where,

• A - wire cross-section, sq. mm (inches);
• d—diameter, mm (inches).

Convert diameter in inches to millimeters:

Here,

• dmm - wire diameter in mm;
• dinch - diameter in inches.

Rules of thumb

The sixth level of the ratio of the diameters of two adjacent AWG calibers is extremely close to 2 (2.005), which dictates the following rules:

1. Doubling the cable diameter leads to a reduction in gauge by 6 notches.
2. Doubling the cable cross-section entails a reduction in caliber by 3 units.
3. Reducing the gauge by 4 units doubles the melting current of the cable.

Lowering the caliber by 10 units increases the area and mass by approximately 10 times and also reduces the degree of resistance by approximately 10 times.

terms of Use

Tension Cable
AWG cables have the same insulation layer and outer sheath as traditional metric wire. When installing products and their operation, you must follow the basic rules:

1. When laying a line in the ground, it is impossible to install conductors without a protective corrugation or asbestos sleeve.
2. When tensioning wires between supports, it is necessary to use guide cables that relieve tension from the conductors.
3. If the cable is laid on the bottom of a reservoir, its connections must be carefully insulated with polyethylene foam.

Do not apply more voltage to the conductors than its specific rating - this can lead to overheating and short circuits.