Electrical System:Maximum Fuse Size to Corresponding Wire Size

Calculating Wire Diameter and Area:
Here in the US, we use the AWG (American Wire Gauge), circular mils and square mils. In most other parts of the world, they use mm2.

Solid Wire Diameter:
This section will address the diameter of solid wire. Stranded wire has air spaces between conductors and different combinations of different gauge strands will result in different overall diameters. Keep in mind that, in the following description, we are talking about the area of the wire in a circular shape. This means that the total cross sectional area is doubled when the diameter is increased by a factor of 1.414.
For a reference that's relatively easy to remember, lets use 10g wire again. It's ~0.1" in diameter. If we go up in wire size 6 sizes again (to 4g), the diameter is going to be double the 10g wire. The multiplier is ~1.123 per gauge.

Diameter = .1*1.123^(difference between 4g and 10g) Diameter = .1*1.123^6 Diameter = .1*2.005 Diameter = approximately 0.2" in diameter


These are the recommended Generally Safe maximum fuse ratings for the corresponding wire size.

Wire Gauge	Recommended Maximum Fuse Size
00 awg	400 amps
0 awg	325 amps
1 awg	250 amps
2 awg	200 amps
4 awg	125 amps
6 awg	80 amps
8 awg	50 amps
10 awg	30 amps
12 awg	20 amps
14 awg	15 amps
16 awg	7.5 amps

Calculating Resistance:
At some point in time, you may need to determine the resistance in a length of wire but you may not have a reference book available. This section will help you to calculate resistance for different wire sizes and lengths. To make quick calculations with an easy reference I use 10g wire as the starting point. It's resistance is approximately 1 ohm per thousand feet of wire length which makes it easy to remember. For non critical calculations, I round it to 1 ohm/1000 ft or 0.001 ohms/foot of wire. If you have a 15 foot run of 10g wire and want to determine the resistance in that run of wire, you simply multiply the resistance per foot by the length of the wire.

Resistance = .001*15 Resistance = .015 ohms

For 4g wire:
Resistance = 1/1.26^(difference between 4g and 10g) Resistance = 1/1.26^6 Resistance = 1/4 ohms per 1000 feet of wire Resistance = .25 ohms per 1000 feet of wire (or 0.00025 ohms per foot)

for 16g wire:
Resistance = 1*1.26^(difference between 16g and 10g) Resistance = 1*1.26^6 Resistance = 1*4 ohms per 1000 feet of wire Resistance = 4 ohms per 1000 feet of wire (or 0.004 ohms per foot)

for 20g wire:
Resistance = 1*1.26^(difference between 20g and 10g) Resistance = 1*1.26^10 Resistance = 1*10 ohms per 1000 feet of wire Resistance = 10 ohms per 1000 feet of wire (or 0.01 ohms per foot)

Voltage Drop
Voltage Drop = current flow * (length of wire in feet * resistance per foot) Voltage Drop = 150 * (15*.00025)
Voltage Drop = 150 *.00375 ohms Voltage Drop = .563 volts at 150 amps of current

Common Wire Designations
T	Thermoplastic insulator (generally PVC)
H	-Dry location - household/building wire (generally the first 'H' if there are 2 Hs) -High temperature (second H if there are 2 Hs)
N	Nylon outer insulator (protects against abrasion)
S	-Silicone rubber (if used at beginning of designation) Generally used in high temp applications. -Switchboard wire (if used at end of designation)
B	Braided
W	Wet locations
R	Rubber (non specific)
RU	Latex rubber
A	Asbestos
F	Fixture Wiring
Specific Wire Designations (individual conductors)
THHN	High temperature (90°C 194°F max.) thermoplastic for use in dry locations like building wiring with a nylon outer insulator.
THWN	Standard temperature (75°C 167°F) thermoplastic for use in wet or dry locations with a nylon outer coating.
RW	Moisture resistant rubber
R	Rubber
RH	Rubber moderate temperature (75°C 167°F)
RHH	Rubber high temperature (90°C 194°F)
TBS	Thermoplastic insulator with braided cover (generally used for switchboard applications)
RUH	Heat resistant latex rubber

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Download a zipped PDF file electrical specifications chart below.
Current&Fuses.zip