Wire Ampacity Chart

The smallest wire for each standard breaker size from 15 to 200 A, from NEC 2026 Table 310.16, for copper and aluminum.

Smallest AWG wire for each breaker size. 60 °C: NM-B, UF and 60 °C terminals. 75 °C: THHN/XHHW in conduit with 75 °C terminals. Includes the NEC 240.4(D) limits for 14, 12 and 10 AWG. 30 °C ambient, up to three current-carrying conductors.
Breaker Copper, 60 °C Copper, 75 °C Aluminum, 60 °C Aluminum, 75 °C
15 A14141212
20 A12121010
25 A10101010
30 A101088
35 A8888
40 A8868
45 A6846
50 A6846
60 A4634
70 A4423
80 A3412
90 A231/02
100 A131/01
110 A122/01/0
125 A1/013/02/0
150 A3/01/04/03/0
175 A4/02/0over 4/04/0
200 Aover 4/03/0over 4/0over 4/0

Ampacity by wire size

Allowable ampacity in amps, NEC 2026 Table 310.16. * The breaker is limited below this value by NEC 240.4(D): copper 14 AWG 15 A, 12 AWG 20 A, 10 AWG 30 A; aluminum 12 AWG 15 A, 10 AWG 25 A. Aluminum isn't listed below 12 AWG.
AWG Copper 60 °C Copper 75 °C Copper 90 °C Aluminum 60 °C Aluminum 75 °C Aluminum 90 °C
141520*25*---
122025*30*1520*25*
103035*40*2530*35*
8405055354045
6556575405055
4708595556575
385100115657585
2951151307590100
111013014585100115
1/0125150170100120135
2/0145175195115135150
3/0165200225130155175
4/0195230260150180205

Use this next

Find your breaker in the first table and read across to the column for your wire. With NM-B cable ("Romex"), the usual house wiring, use a 60 °C column: NEC 334.80(A) limits NM-B to its 60 °C ampacity, and the same goes for UF cable and for any breaker or device whose terminals are rated 60 °C. The 75 °C columns are for individual wires such as THHN or XHHW in conduit, and only when the terminals at both ends, the breaker and the equipment, are rated 75 °C. If that can't be confirmed, the 60 °C column applies.

A few rows show how it works. A 30 A breaker takes 10 AWG copper or 8 AWG aluminum in every column. At 70 A, copper needs 4 AWG in both the 60 and 75 °C columns, while aluminum needs 2 AWG at 60 °C or 3 AWG at 75 °C. At 100 A it is 1 AWG copper at 60 °C or 3 AWG at 75 °C. At 200 A, 3/0 copper at 75 °C is enough, while nothing up to 4/0 works at 60 °C or in aluminum.

Table 310.16 rates 12 AWG copper at 25 A in the 75 °C column, yet a 25 A breaker needs 10 AWG. NEC 240.4(D) sets a lower breaker limit for the smallest sizes, and in the 75 °C columns that pushes the 20 to 35 A rows up a size; without it, 10 AWG copper (35 A at 75 °C) would also cover a 35 A breaker. That's why the 20 to 35 A rows name the same size in the 60 and 75 °C columns for each metal. The ampacity table marks each capped value with an asterisk.

Every row follows one rule: the breaker protects the wire. A breaker only trips when the current goes over its rating, so the wire's allowed current must be at least the breaker rating, or the wire could be overloaded with the breaker never tripping. That's why you choose the wire from the breaker.

NEC 240.4(B) sometimes allows the next standard breaker size above a wire's ampacity, when the ampacity doesn't match a standard rating and the circuit doesn't supply more than one receptacle for plug-in portable loads. This chart doesn't use that allowance: every wire it lists is rated at least the full breaker size. Whether 240.4(B) fits a particular circuit is for your electrician or inspector to decide.

The ampacity-by-size table is the same Table 310.16 data as the wire gauge chart on the home page, with all six columns side by side. Pick a breaker from the 60 and 75 °C columns only. The 90 °C values come into play when a wire is derated for crowding or heat, as the figure the reductions start from.

What the chart doesn't cover: length, crowding and heat. It sizes wire for heat, not voltage drop, so a long run can need a bigger size. On a 60 A circuit at 240 V with 60 °C wire, 4 AWG copper covers a run of up to 150 feet within 3%; at 200 feet it would drop 3.02%, so the size goes to 3 AWG. For your own distance, use the wire size calculator. More than three current-carrying conductors together, or surroundings above 30 °C (86 °F), call for the NEC 310.15 adjustments.

A home's main service, or a feeder that carries the whole home's load, is a separate case: NEC 310.12 lets those conductors be sized at 83% of the rating. This chart doesn't apply that rule; the 100 amp wire size page explains when it applies and what it allows.

Frequently asked questions

What size wire for a 40 amp breaker?

8 AWG copper, in both the 60 °C (NM-B) and 75 °C columns: 8 AWG copper is rated 40 A at 60 °C and 50 A at 75 °C. In aluminum it is 6 AWG at 60 °C or 8 AWG at 75 °C, both rated 40 A.

What is the ampacity of 10 AWG copper?

30 A at 60 °C, 35 A at 75 °C and 40 A at 90 °C in NEC Table 310.16. NEC 240.4(D) still limits the breaker to 30 A, so 10 AWG copper goes on a 30 A breaker at most.

What's the difference between ampacity and breaker size?

Ampacity is the current a wire can carry continuously without going over its insulation's temperature rating. Breaker size is the breaker's rating: the current it's built to carry, above which it trips on overload. The breaker is there to protect the wire, so the wire's ampacity, after the 240.4(D) limits, must be at least the breaker size.

What size wire for a 60 amp breaker?

4 AWG copper with NM-B or another 60 °C wire (70 A), or 6 AWG copper where the 75 °C column applies (65 A). In aluminum, 3 AWG at 60 °C or 4 AWG at 75 °C.

Does this chart work for aluminum?

Yes. The aluminum columns are Table 310.16's aluminum values, which are lower than copper's for the same size, so aluminum runs a size or two larger: a 30 A breaker takes 8 AWG aluminum against 10 AWG copper. Every breaker, receptacle, switch and terminal on an aluminum circuit must be listed for aluminum; check the marking on each one, or ask an electrician.