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Recommended Power, Ground, & Speaker Wire Size and Length

To calculate the proper power and ground cable sizes, find the distance of the power cable along the top row. If your measurement is between two measurements, use the higher one. Next, find the total RMS power the cable must support on the left. If your measurement is between two measurements, use the higher one. The size listed where your two measurements meet is the recommended cable size.

* Note: These figures have been rounded off for easy reference. Ground cables should be the same size (or larger) as the power cable. ** Current Draw figures are based on RMS Power of the amplifier with a 50% efficiency rating. *** Although wire gauge sizes smaller than 10 gauge may be acceptable for the amount of current draw, we recommend using 10 gauge as the smallest wire size for any amplifier of 100 watts or more. The goal is to provide as much current to the amplifier as it could possibly need for optimal performance.

Also see:
American Wire Gauge Sizes

See below for speaker wire size by load and distance.


Recommended Cable Size by Power and Distance
Total RMS
Power (watts)
Distance
4 feet 8 feet 12 feet 16 feet 20 feet
100 10 gauge 10 gauge 8 gauge 8 gauge 4 gauge
200 10 gauge 8 gauge 8 gauge 4 gauge 4 gauge
400 8 gauge 8 gauge 4 gauge 4 gauge 4 gauge
600 8 gauge 4 gauge 4 gauge 4 gauge 4 gauge
800 4 gauge 4 gauge 4 gauge 2 gauge 2 gauge
1000 4 gauge 4 gauge 2 gauge 2 gauge 2 gauge
1400 4 gauge 2 gauge 2 gauge 2 gauge 2 gauge

Current Draw by Power
Total RMS
Power (watts)
Current
Amps
100       16      
200 32
400 64
600 96
800 128
1000 160
1200 172
1400 188
Power & Ground Cable Specs
Cable Size
Wire Gauge
Current Capacity
Amperage (amps)
1/0 350
2 225
4 150
8 100
10 60
12 40
14 25
16 15

Recommended Speaker Wire Size by Load and Distance
Wire Size 2 ohm load 4 ohm load 6 ohm load 8 ohm load
22 AWG 3 feet max 6 feet max 9 feet max 12 feet max
20 AWG 5 feet max 10 feet max 15 feet max 20 feet max
18 AWG 8 feet max 16 feet max 24 feet max 32 feet max
16 AWG 12 feet max 24 feet max 36 feet max 48 feet max
14 AWG 20 feet max 40 feet max 60 feet** 80 feet**
12 AWG 30 feet max 60 feet** 90 feet** 120 feet**
10 AWG 50 feet max 100 feet** 150 feet** 200 feet**
  **Over 50 feet. Reference: Roger-Russell.com


Also see:
American Wire Gauge Sizes

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BasicsCar AudioCar SecurityCruise ControlsDiodesDoor LocksOhm's LawPassive CrossoversRelaysResistorsSubwoofer Enclosures Search
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