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AWG

Increasing gauge numbers denote decreasing wire diameters, which is similar to many other non-metric gauging systems such as British Standard Wire Gauge (SWG), but unlike IEC 60228, the metric wire-size standard used in most parts of the world.

This gauge system originated in the number of drawing operations used to produce a given gauge of wire. Very fine wire (for example, 30 gauge) required more passes through the drawing dies than 0 gauge wire did. Manufacturers of wire formerly had proprietary wire gauge systems; the development of standardized wire gauges rationalized selection of wire for a particular purpose. -- Wikip

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Reply to
micky
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A-merican W-ire G-auge

Somewhere between Caliber (which is fractions of an inch) and arbitrary con vention. Once upon a time, wire was measured in fractions-of-whatever, much as railway timetables were arbitrary and based on local time. After a larg e number of crashes, railroads created a convention which is now GMT.

And, US wire manufacturers adopted a similar convention so as to be able to sell products beyond their back yards - somewhere just before the Civil Wa r as I remember - mid 1850s or so.

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Peter Wieck Melrose Park, PA

Reply to
pfjw

Micky, if you've paid any attention at all, the AWG numbers follow a logarithmic pattern.

The "gauge" refers to the cross section area of the wire. Moving the "gauges" 3 numbers either doubles or halves the area.

In doing so, it doubles or halves the current carrying capacity of the wire.

#1 can carry twice the current as #4. #12 can carry half the current of #9; And so forth.

--
"I am a river to my people." 
Jeff-1.0 
WA6FWi 
http:foxsmercantile.com
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Fox's Mercantile

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