That means that the circuit has to handle more amps in turn, the wire you’re using has to handle more amps. To counter this drop, you have to boost the initial amps. When sending electricity a long way from the sub panel, the voltage will drop with the distance.
#200 amp wire size how to#
The NEC 310-16 requirements cover this nicely: How To Account For Sub Panel Being 100 Feet Away? Now, if the sub panel is some distance away (50 feet, 100 feet, 150 feet, 200 feet, and so on), you will probably have to use an even bigger wire to counted the voltage drop.
![200 amp wire size 200 amp wire size](https://tonetastic.info/library/photos/thumb-what-size-electrical-wire-200-service-angie-s-list-amp-service-lauterborn-electric-rh-lauterbornelectric-wiring-amp-panel-with-44-27797.jpg)
That means that you can to use a wire that has an ampacity of 250A or higher in order to set up a 200 amp circuit.Īs you can see from the list of KMCIL wires above, the 250 KCMIL wire is perfect for a 200 amp service since it has an ampacity of 255A. In the case of the 200 amp circuit, here is how the calculation looks like (you have to leave 20% extra amps capacity for safety reasons):Ģ00 Amp Wire = 200A × 100% / 80% = 250A Ampacity To adequately determine the 200 amp wire gauge, you first need to calculate the minimum ampacity requirement as per the 80% NEC rule. How To Account For Sub Panel Being 100 Feet Away?Ģ00 Amp Wire Gauge Calculation: What Size Wire You Need For 200 Amp Circuit?.200 Amp Wire Gauge Calculation: What Size Wire You Need For 200 Amp Circuit?.On top of that, you will also need a bigger wire gauge if you want to send electricity 100 feet or 150 feet away from sub panel (we will show you how to calculate what size wire you need in this case as well). We will show you how this 250A ampacity is calculated. The 250 KCMIL wire is the perfect size wire for 200 amp service because it has 255A ampacity (a minimum of 250A ampacity requirement is satisfied). Here is a shortlist of KCMIL wires that can be used for 200 amps: KCMIL wires are bigger and can handle currents of 200 amps and higher. You have to go beyond the AWG chart at look at the KCMIL wire chart. Looking at the AWG wire chart, you will need an even bigger than #0000 AWG wire for 200 amps. In the case of 200 amps breakers, this means you will need a wire with at least 250A ampacity to connect a 200 amp service. This is known as NEC 80% requirement for wire sizing. Maximum loading for any branch circuit is 80% of the rating of the circuit for ampacity of wire for any load.
#200 amp wire size code#
That, however, will likely end with you frying the wire.įor safety measures (in order to avoid frying a 200 amp circuit), the National Electric Code (NEC) dictates the following requirement: If you look at the AWG gauge wire chart here, the answer seems to be quite clear (it’s not that simple, however):Īs you can see, the obvious – but wrong – the choice is using a #000 AWG wire for 200 amp service (also known as 3/0 AWG) because it has a 200A ampacity. What size wire do I need for 200 amp service? The common question for all these applications here is this:
![200 amp wire size 200 amp wire size](https://inspectapedia.com/electric/Electric_Receptacle_20A_117_DJFs.jpg)
They can be used as 200 amp ground wires, wires for 200 amp breaker, they can be copper or aluminum 200 amp wires.