Aluminum Wire Sizing & Ampacity Chart [From 4/0 to 12 AWG]

Do you rack your brain finding out the 4/0 aluminum wire ampacity? 

The ampacity chart is the standard method to find out how many amps aluminum wires can tolerate. The following aluminum wire ampacity table lists the ampacities (number of amps a wire can support) for the cable at three different temperatures: 60°C (140°F), 75°C (167°F), and 90°C (194°F). 

Additionally, you can discover the maximum permitted amps on different types of aluminum wires at an average ambient temperature of 75°C, which satisfies the 80% NEC requirement.

Aluminum Wire Ampacity Chart Based On Sizing

Aluminum AWG wire size	Ampacity at 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius)	Ampacity at 167 degrees Fahrenheit (75 degrees Celsius)	Ampacity at 194 degrees Fahrenheit (90 degrees Celsius)	Maximum allowable amps (75 degrees Celsius)
0000 (4/0) AWG	150 Amps	180 Amps	205 Amps	144 Amps
000 (3/0) AWG	130 Amps	155 Amps	175 Amps	124 Amps
00 (2/0) AWG	115 Amps	135 Amps	150 Amps	108 Amps
0 (1/0) AWG	100 Amps	120 Amps	135 Amps	96 Amps
1 AWG	85 Amps	100 Amps	115 Amps	80 Amps
2 AWG	75 Amps	90 Amps	100 Amps	72 Amps
3 AWG	65 Amps	75 Amps	85 Amps	60 Amps
4 AWG	55 Amps	65 Amps	75 Amps	52 Amps
6 AWG	40 Amps	50 Amps	60 Amps	40 Amps
8 AWG	30 Amps	40 Amps	45 Amps	32 Amps
10 AWG	25 Amps	30 Amps	35 Amps	24 Amps
12 AWG	20 Amps	20 Amps	25 Amps	16 Amps

How To Read Aluminum Wire Amp Rating Chart

The table contains the following:

The AWG sizes for aluminum electrical wires are shown in the first chart, ranging from 4/0 to 12 AWG. These are regarded as smaller wires since they have a 180A median ampacity.

Aluminum kcmil wires are available in the following gauges: 250, 300, 350, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 1250, 1500, 1750, and 2000 kcmil. These wires are identical to MCM aluminum wires. The larger size and thicker ones have capacities of up to 560A.

It’s not difficult to interpret this ampacity chart for aluminum wires. Locate the AWG wire you are interested in and look at the ampacity. In the last column, you will also get the maximum that an AWG aluminum wire can conduct at a median temperature of 75°C.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Many Amps Is Aluminum Wire Good For?

There is no precise answer to this question. The ampacity of your aluminum wire should depend on the type of wire and your working purposes.

What Is #2 Aluminum Wire Rated For?

On average, the aluminum wire in the 2 AWG gauge has an ampacity of 90A at an ambient air temperature of 75°C (167°F).

How Many Amps Will 3 0 Aluminum Wire Carry?

If you check at the 75°C rated ampacity, 3 gauge copper wire is the wire size requirement for 100 amps. The wire diameter, measured in mm, is 5.827 mm, which enables an electric current of this ampacity to flow through it.

What Is Aluminum Wire Rated For 60 Amps?

The maximum conductor size allowed by code for 60 amps of electricity is 4 or 6 AWG copper.

AWG means American Wire Gauge, and the normal wire size in the US is 6 AWG or 4 AWG for 220V electricity. For 60 amps at 220V, an amateur will utilize wire size 6 AWG. Meanwhile, a professional engineer or electrician will always utilize a 4 AWG wire size for that case.

What Size Wire Do I Need To Run 60 Amps 100 Feet?

As a rule of thumb, a 60-amp cable with 100 ft length will experience a 20% voltage drop. To connect a 60A breaker at more than 100 ft, a 3 AWG wire may be substituted for a 4 AWG wire.

How Many Amps Will A 2 0 Aluminum Wire Carry?

First, make sure you distinguish 2 0 and #2 aluminum wires clearly. The thickness is what distinguishes #2 AWG wire from 2 0 wire. The latter one will be thicker than a wire designated #2 AWG. 

Additionally, lower AWG wires often have larger amps, the fundamental unit of an electrical current. For instance, a 2 0 copper wire can carry up to 200 amps, whereas a 2 AWG copper wire can carry 125 amps.

A 2 0 aluminum wire carries 150 amps at 90 degrees Celsius. Therefore, 2 metal wires are ideal for your 100 amp sub panel to prevent issues like short circuits that might result in electrical harm to your components.

Conclusion

The aluminum wire amp rating and size chart should not cause you any reading difficulty. Check the above table to choose the correct size wire and know more about it.

See more:

• 10 gauge wire amp rating
• 12 gauge wire amp rating
• 14 gauge wire amp rating
• 18 gauge wire amp rating