See also music wire gauges.
Contents
Named wire gauges
The way wire is made leads to a “natural” series of sizes. A rod (made in a rolling mill) is pulled through a hole whose diameter is slightly smaller than the rod's. This process is repeated through ever-smaller holes until the wire is as fine as desired.
To reduce the number of steps for economy's sake, the manufacturer would like the change in size at each drawing to be as large as possible. On the other hand if the change in size is too great the wire will break while being drawn. Older wire gauges like the Birmingham, Washburn & Moen, and Lancashire came from calling the wire from the first drawing number 1, from the second drawing #2, and so on. Note that the higher the number, the finer the wire.
If this topic interests you, you might like to read a 1910 description of wire manufacture.
1
It is impossible to draw a wire to an exact size. Ordinary practice is to draw a No. 10 B. & S. wire between 101 and 103 mils. The resulting wire may average 102 or 101.9 mils, or something different from either. A table calculated on the exact size is, therefore, as nearly right as though ordinary shop sizes were used. The weight and resistance of an actual wire will very seldom correspond with any table.
Wire in Electrical Construction.
Trenton, NJ: John
A. Roebling's Sons Company, 1916.
Page 75.
More complete information (cross sectional area, weight, resistance) on these gauges can be found by following the links in the contents list above left.
Note that 4/0 (pronounced “four aught”) is an abbreviation for 0000, 2/0 for 00, and so on. The colored verticals are simply an aid to orientation. Click for a more printable version (pdf).
Gauge | American or Brown & Sharpe Wire Gauge |
Birming- ham or Stubs' Iron Wire |
Stubs' Steel Wire Gauge |
Wash- burn & Moen; Roebling; or American Steel and Wire Co. |
Imperial Wire Gauge |
Whit- worth's |
Steel Wire Gauge, Waterbury Co., 1917 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
9/0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0.005 |
8/0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0.0055 |
7/0 | — | — | — | 0.4900 | 0.5000 | — | 0.006 |
6/0 | 0.5800 | — | — | 0.4615 | 0.4640 | — | 0.0065 |
5/0 | 0.5165 | 0.500 | — | 0.4305 | 0.4320 | — | 0.007 |
4/0 | 0.4600 | 0.454 | — | 0.3938 | 0.4000 | — | 0.0075 |
3/0 | 0.4096 | 0.425 | — | 0.3625 | 0.3720 | — | 0.008 |
2/0 | 0.3648 | 0.380 | — | 0.3310 | 0.3480 | — | 0.0085 |
0 | 0.3249 | 0.340 | — | 0.3065 | 0.3240 | — | 0.009 |
1 | 0.2893 | 0.300 | 0.227 | 0.2830 | 0.3000 | 0.001 | 0.010 |
2 | 0.2576 | 0.284 | 0.219 | 0.2625 | 0.2760 | 0.002 | 0.011 |
3 | 0.2294 | 0.259 | 0.212 | 0.2437 | 0.2520 | 0.003 | 0.012 |
4 | 0.2043 | 0.238 | 0.207 | 0.2253 | 0.2320 | 0.004 | 0.013 |
5 | 0.1819 | 0.220 | 0.204 | 0.2070 | 0.2120 | 0.005 | 0.014 |
6 | 0.1620 | 0.203 | 0.201 | 0.1920 | 0.1920 | 0.006 | 0.016 |
7 | 0.1443 | 0.180 | 0.199 | 0.1770 | 0.1760 | 0.007 | 0.018 |
8 | 0.1285 | 0.165 | 0.197 | 0.1620 | 0.1600 | 0.008 | 0.020 |
9 | 0.1144 | 0.148 | 0.194 | 0.1483 | 0.1440 | 0.009 | 0.022 |
10 | 0.1019 | 0.134 | 0.191 | 0.1350 | 0.1280 | 0.010 | 0.024 |
11 | 0.0907 | 0.120 | 0.188 | 0.1205 | 0.1160 | 0.011 | 0.026 |
12 | 0.0808 | 0.109 | 0.185 | 0.1055 | 0.1040 | 0.012 | 0.028 |
13 | 0.0720 | 0.095 | 0.182 | 0.0915 | 0.0920 | 0.013 | 0.030 |
14 | 0.0641 | 0.083 | 0.180 | 0.0800 | 0.0800 | 0.014 | 0.032 |
15 | 0.0571 | 0.072 | 0.178 | 0.0720 | 0.0720 | 0.015 | 0.034 |
16 | 0.0508 | 0.065 | 0.175 | 0.0625 | 0.0640 | 0.016 | 0.036 |
17 | 0.0453 | 0.058 | 0.172 | 0.0540 | 0.0560 | 0.017 | 0.038 |
18 | 0.0403 | 0.049 | 0.168 | 0.0475 | 0.0480 | 0.018 | 0.040 |
19 | 0.0359 | 0.042 | 0.164 | 0.0410 | 0.0400 | 0.019 | 0.042 |
20 | 0.0320 | 0.035 | 0.161 | 0.0348 | 0.0360 | 0.020 | 0.044 |
21 | 0.0285 | 0.032 | 0.157 | 0.03175 | 0.0320 | 0.021 | 0.046 |
22 | 0.0253 | 0.028 | 0.155 | 0.0286 | 0.0280 | 0.022 | 0.048 |
23 | 0.0226 | 0.025 | 0.153 | 0.0258 | 0.0240 | 0.023 | 0.051 |
24 | 0.0201 | 0.022 | 0.151 | 0.0230 | 0.0220 | 0.024 | 0.055 |
25 | 0.0179 | 0.020 | 0.148 | 0.0204 | 0.0200 | 0.025 | 0.059 |
26 | 0.0159 | 0.018 | 0.146 | 0.0181 | 0.0180 | 0.026 | 0.063 |
27 | 0.0142 | 0.016 | 0.143 | 0.0173 | 0.0164 | 0.027 | 0.067 |
28 | 0.0126 | 0.014 | 0.139 | 0.0162 | 0.0149 | 0.028 | 0.071 |
29 | 0.0113 | 0.013 | 0.134 | 0.0150 | 0.0136 | 0.029 | 0.074 |
30 | 0.0100 | 0.012 | 0.127 | 0.0140 | 0.0124 | 0.030 | 0.078 |
31 | 0.0089 | 0.010 | 0.120 | 0.0132 | 0.0116 | 0.031 | 0.082 |
32 | 0.0080 | 0.009 | 0.115 | 0.0128 | 0.0108 | 0.032 | 0.086 |
33 | 0.0071 | 0.008 | 0.112 | 0.0118 | 0.0100 | 0.033 | 0.090 |
34 | 0.0063 | 0.007 | 0.110 | 0.0104 | 0.0092 | 0.034 | 0.094 |
35 | 0.0056 | 0.005 | 0.108 | 0.0095 | 0.0084 | 0.035 | 0.098 |
36 | 0.0050 | 0.004 | 0.106 | 0.0090 | 0.0076 | 0.036 | 0.102 |
37 | 0.0045 | — | 0.103 | — | 0.0068 | 0.037 | 0.106 |
38 | 0.0040 | — | 0.101 | — | 0.0060 | 0.038 | 0.112 |
39 | 0.0035 | — | 0.099 | — | 0.0052 | 0.039 | 0.118 |
40 | 0.0031 | — | 0.097 | — | 0.0048 | 0.040 | 0.125 |
41 | 0.0028 | — | 0.095 | — | 0.0044 | 0.041 | 0.132 |
42 | 0.0025 | — | 0.092 | — | 0.0040 | 0.042 | 0.139 |
43 | 0.0022 | — | 0.088 | — | 0.0036 | 0.043 | 0.146 |
44 | 0.00198 | — | 0.085 | — | 0.0032 | 0.044 | 0.153 |
45 | 0.00176 | — | 0.081 | — | 0.0028 | 0.045 | 0.160 |
46 | 0.00157 | — | 0.079 | — | 0.0024 | 0.046 | — |
47 | 0.00140 | — | 0.077 | — | 0.0020 | 0.047 | — |
48 | 0.00124 | — | 0.075 | — | 0.0016 | 0.048 | — |
49 | 0.001108 | — | 0.072 | — | 0.0012 | 0.049 | — |
50 | 0.00099 | — | 0.069 | — | 0.0010 | 0.050 | — |
51 | — | 0.066 | — | — | 0.051 | — | |
52 | — | — | 0.063 | — | — | 0.052 | — |
53 | — | 0.058 | — | — | 0.053 | — | |
54 | — | — | 0.055 | — | — | 0.054 | — |
55 | — | — | 0.050 | — | — | 0.055 | — |
56 | — | — | 0.045 | — | — | 0.056 | — |
57 | 0.042 | 0.057 | |||||
58 | 0.041 | 0.058 | |||||
59 | 0.040 | 0.059 | |||||
60 | 0.039 | 0.060 | |||||
61 | 0.038 | 0.061 | |||||
62 | 0.037 | 0.062 | |||||
63 | 0.036 | 0.063 | |||||
64 | 0.035 | 0.064 | |||||
65 | 0.033 | 0.065 | |||||
66 | 0.032 | 0.066 | |||||
67 | 0.031 | 0.067 | |||||
68 | 0.030 | 0.068 | |||||
69 | 0.029 | 0.069 | |||||
70 | 0.027 | 0.070 | |||||
71 | 0.026 | 0.071 | |||||
72 | 0.024 | 0.072 | |||||
73 | 0.023 | 0.073 | |||||
74 | 0.022 | 0.074 | |||||
75 | 0.020 | 0.075 | |||||
76 | 0.018 | 0.076 | |||||
77 | 0.016 | 0.077 | |||||
78 | 0.015 | 0.078 | |||||
79 | 0.014 | 0.079 | |||||
80 | 0.013 | 0.080 |
It is a copy of the Lancashire gauge, the sizes being taken from wire and rod imported from Britain.
Used for drill rod and tool steel wire. It is the basis of, though not identical to, the numbered sizes of American Standard twist drills. Note that there is also a Stub's Iron Wire Gauge.
Also known as the London gage. 19th century. Used for brass and copper wire, especially brass wire for weaving.
Copyright © 2000 Sizes, Inc. All rights reserved.
Last revised: 7 April 2008.