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12 Volt Current and Maximum Wire Length

Maximum copper wire length with 2% voltage drop
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Maximum Wire Length Calculator 

The calculator can be used to calculate maximum length of copper wires. Note that

 for a typical electrical circuit with two wires - one back and one forth - this is the
length of the two wires together. The maximum distance between the source and the
equipment is half the calculated distance
 in a car where equipment can be grounded to the chassis - the body of the car acts
as the negative wire. The electrical resistance in the chassis can normally be
neglected and the maximum distance equals the calculated distance
12

 Voltage (volts)

10

 Current (amps)

 Cross sectional area (mm2) -  AWG Wire Gauge vs. mm2

 Voltage Drop (%)

Maximum length (m): 6.96

 Maximum length (ft): 22.8
 Voltage drop (volts): 0.24
Maximum lengths for copper conductors from power source to loads in 12 volt systems
with 2% voltage drop are indicated below:

Wire Length - feet

 Download and print 12 Volt Electric Circuit Chart

Wire Length - meter

 Download and print 12 Volt Electric Circuit Chart

 double the distance if 4% loss is acceptable

 multiply distance by 2 for 24 volts
 multiply distance by 4 for 48 volts
Example - Maximum Length of Wire
The current to a light bulb with power 50 W can be calculated with Ohm's law

I = P / U                  (1)

where

I = current (amps)

P = power (watts)

U = voltage (volts)

(1) with values

  I = (50 W) / (12 V)
    = 4.2 A

From the diagram above the maximum length of the total wire back and forth should not
exceed approximately 8 m for gauge #10 (5.26 mm2). By increasing the size of the wire to
gauge #2 (33.6 mm2) the maximum length is limited to approximately 32 m.

Example - Calculate Maximum Wire Length

The electrical resistance in a copper conductor with cross sectional area 6 mm2 is 2.9 10-
3 
ohm/m. This is close to wire gauge 9. 

In a 12V system with maximum 2% voltage drop - and current 10 amps - the maximum total
length of the wire back and forth can be calculated with Ohm's law

U = R L I                (2)

where

R = electrical resistance (ohm/m)

L = length of wire (m)

(2) rearranged for L

L = U / (R I)                        (2b)

(2b) with values

L = (12 V) 0.02 / [(2.9 10-3 ohm/m) (10 amps)]

   =  8.3 m   

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Related Topics

 Electrical - Electrical units, amps and electrical wiring, wire gauge and AWG,
electrical formulas and motors
Related Documents

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lengths
 AWG vs. Square mm - Wire Gauge Converter - American Wire Gauge (AWG) vs.
cross sectional area in square mm.
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combinations
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Engineering ToolBox, (2010). 12 Volt Current and Maximum Wire Length. [online]
Available at: https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/12-volt-wire-loss-chart-d_1689.html
[Accessed Day Mo. Year].
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