What Size Wire For 60 Amps? Full Guide

What size wire for 60 amps? Full Guide

You should use No. 4 AWG size for a 60 amp wire. This is the best size wire for 60 amps and 50 amps. However, with a 60 amp wire, you can go sometimes use a 6 gauge wire if it is only a short run.

A certified electrician is necessary for handling these types of amperages and wiring.

What Is the Correct 60-Amp Breaker Wire Size?

Use a 4 AWG wire for a 60 amp breaker. Wire gauge is very important. Resistance will trigger the wire to get too hot when the optimum current level for which the breaker is ranked passes through it if you try to use wire that's too small of amperage. If that happens, a fire might be started and you really do not want that to happen. On the other hand, a heavy-gauge wire is tough to deal with, hard to link/connect and have a high cost. Be sure not to use too much of an oversized wire.

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What is ampacity?

Ampacity is defined as the total amount of current that a cable or wire can carry safely. You can think of ampacity as the maximum amount of current that can flow for a given wire size with temperature and voltage drop at the limits.

What is gauge?

It is very important to understand what gauge means: It is not the size of the conductor (i.e., its physical dimensions). Rather, it reflects only the amount of electrical current that can flow through it safely under certain conditions, conditions such as operating temperature, operating voltage and the type of insulation.

WIRE SIZE AMPACITY CHART

Gauge	Amperage
14-gauge wire	15 amps
12-gauge wire	20 amps
10-gauge wire	30 amps
8-gauge wire	40 amps
6-gauge wire	55 amps
4-gauge wire	70 amps
3-gauge wire	85 amps
2-gauge wire	95 amps

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60 amp wire size

In order to use 60 amps, a 4 gauge wire is required. But, if you plan on running the wire over a short distances then you can use one of 6 AWG.

We all use appliances and electronics everyday. Here are some of the most common electronics and appliances that we use daily along with their wattage and amperage.

Domestic Portable Appliance	Amps Used	Watts Used
Mobile phone charger	<0.5	<12
Electric blanket	<0.5	60
Mini Fridge	<0.5	100
Fridge	0.65	150
Laptop	<0.5	65 - 100
Freezer	0.86	200
Fridge Freezer	1.5	350
Single oven	13.0	3000
Satellite TV box	<0.5	30
Printer	<0.5	50
Radiator	8.5	2000
Kettle	13	3000
Desk lamp (with 60 W lamp)	<0.5	60
DVD player	<0.5	28
Radio	<0.5	40
Hair straighteners	<0.5	60 - 100
Hair dryer	10.0	2200
Computer monitor	<0.5	100
Desktop computer	3.0	700
Wi-Fi router	<0.5	10
Television 42" HD	0.5	120
Vacuum cleaner	9.0	2000
Washing machine	10	2200
Toaster	9.0	2000
Game consoles	0.86	<200
Tumble dryer	11.0	2500
Iron	12.5	2800
Dishwasher	10.0	2200
Microwave	4.5	1000

Copper vs Aluminum Wires

Table showing the different ratings of different types of wires.
Rating	Copper conductor	Aluminum conductor
60 amp	#4 AWG	#3 AWG
50 amp	#6 AWG	#4 AWG
40 amp	#8 AWG	#6 AWG
30 amp	#10 AWG	#10 AWG
20 amp	#12 AWG	#12 AWG

Want to know the wire sizes of other amperages? Visit some of our other pages below.

• Wire size for 100 amps?
• Wire size for 200 amps?
• Wire size for 400 amp service?
• 200 amp panel upgrade cost
• Installing a 50 amp rv outlet
• 30 amp wire size

Using wrong wire size for your breaker.

There are so many different things that can happen when you use the wrong wire size for your breaker. If you use a wire size that is too big for your 60 amp breaker, not much will happen except having to pay a high price for said wire. On the other hand, if you use too much of a small wire for your 60 amp breaker, then there are so many things that can go wrong.

Conclusion

Knowing what gauge wire is right for your next project is crucial. Hopefully you have done the necessary research before taking on any type of DIY or hired a professional. Above i went over all you need to know about using 60 amps.