Translate American Wire Gauge to metric cross-sections and back — essential when pairing imported equipment specs with North American cable.
| Size | Dia mm | mm² | Circular Mils | Ω/kft Cu | Ω/kft Al | Amp 75°C Cu | Amp 75°C Al |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 AWG | 1.63 | 2.1 | 4,110 | 3.07 | 5.06 | 20 | — |
| 12 AWG | 2.05 | 3.3 | 6,530 | 1.93 | 3.18 | 25 | 20 |
| 10 AWG | 2.59 | 5.3 | 10,380 | 1.21 | 2 | 35 | 30 |
| 8 AWG | 3.26 | 8.4 | 16,510 | 0.764 | 1.26 | 50 | 40 |
| 6 AWG | 4.11 | 13.3 | 26,240 | 0.491 | 0.808 | 65 | 50 |
| 4 AWG | 5.19 | 21.1 | 41,740 | 0.308 | 0.508 | 85 | 65 |
| 3 AWG | 5.83 | 26.7 | 52,620 | 0.245 | 0.403 | 100 | 75 |
| 2 AWG | 6.54 | 33.6 | 66,360 | 0.194 | 0.319 | 115 | 90 |
| 1 AWG | 7.35 | 42.4 | 83,690 | 0.154 | 0.253 | 130 | 100 |
| 1/0 AWG | 8.25 | 53.5 | 105,600 | 0.122 | 0.201 | 150 | 120 |
| 2/0 AWG | 9.27 | 67.4 | 133,100 | 0.0967 | 0.159 | 175 | 135 |
| 3/0 AWG | 10.40 | 85.0 | 167,800 | 0.0766 | 0.126 | 200 | 155 |
| 4/0 AWG | 11.68 | 107.2 | 211,600 | 0.0608 | 0.1 | 230 | 180 |
| 250 kcmil | 12.70 | 126.7 | 250,000 | 0.0515 | 0.0847 | 255 | 205 |
| 300 kcmil | 13.91 | 152.0 | 300,000 | 0.0429 | 0.0707 | 285 | 230 |
| 350 kcmil | 15.03 | 177.3 | 350,000 | 0.0367 | 0.0605 | 310 | 250 |
| 400 kcmil | 16.06 | 202.7 | 400,000 | 0.0321 | 0.0529 | 335 | 270 |
| 500 kcmil | 17.96 | 253.3 | 500,000 | 0.0258 | 0.0424 | 380 | 310 |
Metric areas are derived from circular mils (1 cmil = 5.067×10⁻⁴ mm²). When matching a metric spec, always round up to the next AWG size — a 6 mm² requirement is not met by 10 AWG (5.26 mm²) but is by 8 AWG (8.37 mm²).
Close but not equal — 14 AWG is 2.08 mm², about 17% smaller. For a 2.5 mm² requirement, use 12 AWG (3.31 mm²).
Above 4/0 the AWG ladder ends and sizes are stated directly in thousands of circular mils — 250 kcmil is simply a 250,000-cmil conductor.