Magnet wire is an insulated copper or aluminum electrical conductor primarily used in the winding of transformers, motors, and coils. Its sizing is crucial for electrical performance and physical fit.
AWG to mm ConversionThe conversion is necessary because AWG and metric (mm) (or mm2) are two different standards for measuring wire size.
The AWG System
AWG stands for American Wire Gauge.
It’s a standardized, logarithmic system for classifying the diameter of solid, round, non-ferrous, electrically conducting wire.
A higher AWG number indicates a smaller wire diameter. For example, 30 AWG is much thinner than 10 AWG.
AWG refers to the diameter of the bare conductor, not including the insulation thickness (which can vary, referred to as “build,” such as single, heavy, etc.).
Magnet Wire AWG to mm Chart (Bare Conductor)
Since the formula is complex for everyday use, conversions are typically done using standardized tables. The table below shows the nominal bare conductor size for common magnet wire gauges.
| AWG # | Diameter (mm) |
Diameter (inch) |
Area (mm²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0000 (4/0) | 11.684 | 0.46 | 107.2193 |
| 000 (3/0) | 10.4049 | 0.4096 | 85.0288 |
| 00 (2/0) | 9.2658 | 0.3648 | 67.4309 |
| 0 (1/0) | 8.2515 | 0.3249 | 53.4751 |
| 1 | 7.3481 | 0.2893 | 42.4077 |
| 2 | 6.5437 | 0.2576 | 33.6308 |
| 3 | 5.8273 | 0.2294 | 26.6705 |
| 4 | 5.1894 | 0.2043 | 21.1506 |
| 5 | 4.6213 | 0.1819 | 16.7732 |
| 6 | 4.1154 | 0.162 | 13.3018 |
| 7 | 3.6649 | 0.1443 | 10.5488 |
| 8 | 3.2636 | 0.1285 | 8.3656 |
| 9 | 2.9064 | 0.1144 | 6.6342 |
| 10 | 2.5882 | 0.1019 | 5.2612 |
| 11 | 2.3048 | 0.0907 | 4.1723 |
| 12 | 2.0525 | 0.0808 | 3.3088 |
| 13 | 1.8278 | 0.072 | 2.624 |
| 14 | 1.6277 | 0.0641 | 2.0809 |
| 15 | 1.4495 | 0.0571 | 1.6502 |
| 16 | 1.2908 | 0.0508 | 1.3087 |
| 17 | 1.1495 | 0.0453 | 1.0378 |
| 18 | 1.0237 | 0.0403 | 0.823 |
| 19 | 0.9116 | 0.0359 | 0.6527 |
| 20 | 0.8118 | 0.032 | 0.5176 |
| 21 | 0.7229 | 0.0285 | 0.4105 |
| 22 | 0.6438 | 0.0253 | 0.3255 |
| 23 | 0.5733 | 0.0226 | 0.2582 |
| 24 | 0.5106 | 0.0201 | 0.2047 |
| 25 | 0.4547 | 0.0179 | 0.1624 |
| 26 | 0.4049 | 0.0159 | 0.1288 |
| 27 | 0.3606 | 0.0142 | 0.1021 |
| 28 | 0.3211 | 0.0126 | 0.081 |
| 29 | 0.2859 | 0.0113 | 0.0642 |
| 30 | 0.2546 | 0.01 | 0.0509 |
| 31 | 0.2268 | 0.0089 | 0.0404 |
| 32 | 0.2019 | 0.008 | 0.032 |
| 33 | 0.1798 | 0.0071 | 0.0254 |
| 34 | 0.1601 | 0.0063 | 0.0201 |
| 35 | 0.1426 | 0.0056 | 0.016 |
| 36 | 0.127 | 0.005 | 0.0127 |
| 37 | 0.1131 | 0.0045 | 0.01 |
| 38 | 0.1007 | 0.004 | 0.008 |
| 39 | 0.0897 | 0.0035 | 0.0063 |
| 40 | 0.0799 | 0.0031 | 0.005 |
| 41 | 0.1118 | 0.0028 | 0.0098 |
| 42 | 0.1016 | 0.0025 | 0.0081 |
| 43 | 0.0914 | 0.0022 | 0.0066 |
| 44 | 0.0813 | 0.0020 | 0.0052 |
| 45 | 0.0711 | 0.0018 | 0.0040 |
| 46 | 0.0610 | 0.0016 | 0.0029 |
| 47 | 0.0508 | 0.0014 | 0.0020 |
| 48 | 0.0406 | 0.0012 | 0.0013 |
| 49 | 0.0305 | 0.0011 | 0.0007 |
| 50 | 0.0254 | 0.0010 | 0.0005 |
| 51 | 0.0224 | 0.00088 | 0.000394 |
| 52 | 0.0198 | 0.00078 | 0.000308 |
| 53 | 0.0178 | 0.00070 | 0.000249 |
| 54 | 0.0158 | 0.00062 | 0.000194 |
| 55 | 0.0140 | 0.00055 | 0.000154 |
| 56 | 0.0124 | 0.00049 | 0.000121 |