What Is a Cable Gauge?

History

• The standard wire-gauge system used in the United States is known as American wire gauge, or AWG. It has been used since the middle of the nineteenth century.
  
  

Properties

• Generally, the wider the electrical cable (made of copper wire), the more current it can safely conduct from a source of electricity to an appliance or light fixture, and the higher electrical resistance it has.
  
  

Scale

• AWG numbers run from 0000 to 40. They measure solid wire as well as cable that is made up of several strands of wire woven together. The higher the gauge number, the thinner the cable.
  
  

Use

• There are standard cable gauges for common usages. AWG 24 cable, for example, is used for computer networks. Coaxial cable is measured on the RG ("radio guide") scale, with the standard for cable television and cable modems being RG6.
  
  

Labeling

• The gauge number is printed at intervals on the cable itself for easy reference. It is also printed along the edges of the wire gauge, an instrument that is available in any good hardware or electrical shop.