Gauged Copper

3. Gauged Copper

Gauged copper grounding wires vary in size. You can find them in 1/0, 2, 4, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 gauge. The larger the gauge number, the smaller the wire actually is. The more current you need for something, the bigger the ground copper wire must be.

• 16 gauge is generally used for home circuits because the maximum amps allowed for any current in a home is 15 amps. So the 16 gauge wire is perfect for grounding.
• 14 gauge is generally used for circuits that have a maximum of 25 amps going through circuits.
• 20 amp breakers tend to need the 12 gauge copper wire for grounding. For example, GFCI outlets should use 12 gauge.
• 10 gauge is generally used for appliances that produce 30 amps such as your washer and dryer.
• 8 gauge is commonly used for large appliances that put out a maximum of 40 amps of circuit power.
• 4, 2 and 1 are mostly used in the industries when dealing with large industrial types of equipment exceeding 70 amps.