Conductor cross-sectional area

Illustrated explanation

Cable cores, strands and conductor area

4Conductor cross-sectional area
Cable cores, strands and conductor areaCallout 1: Insulated core. Callout 2: Stranding. Callout 3: Conductor class. Callout 4: Conducting area. Callout 5: AWG designation. Electrical conductor area describes the conducting metal rather than the complete insulated cable. Strand construction and size notation need to be read together. Current term: Conductor cross-sectional area, callout 4. 1Insulated core 2Stranding 3SolidStrandedConductor class 4Metal areaConducting area 5Gauge is a size systemAWG designation
  1. Core

    A core includes its conductor and surrounding insulation. Its diameter differs from both conductor area and complete cable diameter.

  2. Conductor stranding

    Separate wires form a stranded conductor. Strand number and diameter must be interpreted through the specified construction.

  3. Conductor class

    Solid and stranded examples show different construction. Use the actual conductor-class requirements when choosing terminals and tooling.

  4. Conductor cross-sectional areaThis term

    Area refers to the conducting metal section. Do not use that area as the complete cable diameter for a gland seal.

  5. AWG

    The size system describes conductor size. Verify the actual conductor and cable dimensions instead of selecting a gland from AWG alone.

Electrical conductor area describes the conducting metal rather than the complete insulated cable. Strand construction and size notation need to be read together.

Conceptual sections without gauge sizes or strand counts. Insulation thickness, cable layers and conductor class affect the complete cable geometry.

ReferencesIEC Electropedia — the world’s online electrotechnical vocabularyIEC 60079-14 — Electrical installations design, selection and installationIEC 60228:2023 — Conductors of insulated cablesWire and Cable Application Guide