Copper Wire Weight Chart — Pounds per 1,000 ft & Feet per Pound by AWG
Copper wire weight and resistance by AWG: pounds per 1,000 ft, feet per pound, and ohms per 1,000 ft, computed from the ASTM B258 gauge formula.
Updated August 22, 2026
Every number in this chart is computed from one identity and two physical constants. ASTM B258 defines the American Wire Gauge as a geometric series — d = 0.005 × 92^((36−n)/39) inches — so a gauge number fixes the diameter exactly, the diameter fixes the area, and the area times the density of standard annealed copper (8.89 g/cm³ at 20 °C, the NBS/IACS standard value) gives the weight of solid bare wire. Resistance follows the same way from the 100% IACS resistivity, 1/58 Ω·mm²/m at 20 °C. That is why copper wire tables from 1914 to today print the same numbers: they all derive from these constants.
The weight column is solid, bare, annealed copper — what a scrap scale or a spool label for bare wire reflects. Insulation adds weight and stranding adds about 2–3% (a stranded conductor of the same AWG has the same total copper area spread over slightly longer strands because of the lay). Stranded conductors also measure larger across the outside; the AWG wire gauge chart tabulates those stranded diameters from NEC Chapter 9, Table 8 rather than repeating them here. Resistance is DC at 20 °C — copper rises about 0.39% per °C, so the NEC 75 °C values used for voltage-drop work run roughly 21% higher than this column.
Solid Copper Wire — Weight, Length & DC Resistance (20 °C)
| Size | Ø (in) | Area (cmil) | Area (mm²) | lb / 1,000 ft | ft per lb | Ω / 1,000 ft @ 20 °C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 AWG | 0.0201 | 404 | 0.2047 | 1.223 | 817.6 | 25.67 |
| 22 AWG | 0.0253 | 640 | 0.3255 | 1.945 | 514.2 | 16.14 |
| 20 AWG | 0.0320 | 1,020 | 0.5176 | 3.092 | 323.4 | 10.15 |
| 18 AWG | 0.0403 | 1,620 | 0.823 | 4.917 | 203.4 | 6.385 |
| 16 AWG | 0.0508 | 2,580 | 1.309 | 7.818 | 127.9 | 4.016 |
| 14 AWG | 0.0641 | 4,110 | 2.081 | 12.43 | 80.44 | 2.525 |
| 12 AWG | 0.0808 | 6,530 | 3.309 | 19.77 | 50.59 | 1.588 |
| 10 AWG | 0.1019 | 10,380 | 5.261 | 31.43 | 31.82 | 0.9989 |
| 8 AWG | 0.1285 | 16,510 | 8.366 | 49.97 | 20.01 | 0.6282 |
| 6 AWG | 0.1620 | 26,240 | 13.3 | 79.46 | 12.58 | 0.3951 |
| 4 AWG | 0.2043 | 41,740 | 21.15 | 126.3 | 7.915 | 0.2485 |
| 3 AWG | 0.2294 | 52,620 | 26.67 | 159.3 | 6.277 | 0.197 |
| 2 AWG | 0.2576 | 66,360 | 33.63 | 200.9 | 4.978 | 0.1563 |
| 1 AWG | 0.2893 | 83,690 | 42.41 | 253.3 | 3.947 | 0.1239 |
| 1/0 AWG | 0.3249 | 105,600 | 53.48 | 319.4 | 3.13 | 0.09827 |
| 2/0 AWG | 0.3648 | 133,100 | 67.43 | 402.8 | 2.483 | 0.07793 |
| 3/0 AWG | 0.4096 | 167,800 | 85.03 | 507.9 | 1.969 | 0.0618 |
| 4/0 AWG | 0.4600 | 211,600 | 107.2 | 640.5 | 1.561 | 0.04901 |
Solid, bare, standard annealed copper. All cells computed from the ASTM B258 diameter identity with density 8.89 g/cm³ and resistivity 1/58 Ω·mm²/m (100% IACS) at 20 °C. The cmil column follows the NBS/NEC published rounding so it matches NEC Chapter 9, Table 8; weight and resistance are computed from the exact diameter.
Sources & Further Reading
- ASTM B258 — Standard Specification for Nominal Diameters and Cross-Sectional Areas of AWG Sizes of Solid Round Wires (the defining diameter identity d = 0.005·92^((36−n)/39) in)
- NBS Handbook 100 — Copper Wire Tables (1966, public domain): standard annealed copper density 8.89 g/cm³ at 20 °C, mass resistivity 0.153 28 Ω·g/m² (= 1/58 Ω·mm²/m volume resistivity, 100% IACS), and Table 5 literal anchors for weight, feet-per-pound, and resistance
- Modern exact-formula reproductions (Wikipedia AWG table; Ness Engineering bare copper wire data) as independent cross-checks of the resistance and weight columns
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does 1,000 ft of copper wire weigh?
For solid bare copper it is fixed by the gauge: 12 AWG is 19.77 lb per 1,000 ft, 10 AWG is 31.43 lb, and 4/0 is 640.5 lb. The rule of thumb hiding in the math: weight in lb per 1,000 ft ≈ 0.003027 × the circular-mil area, because area drives everything at fixed density. Insulated conductors weigh more — THHN 12 AWG runs roughly 25–30% over the bare number once insulation is added.
Why does every 3-gauge step double the weight and halve the resistance?
Because AWG is a geometric series: 39 gauge steps span a ratio of 92 in diameter, so each step multiplies the area by 92^(2/39) ≈ 1.2610, and three steps give 1.2610³ ≈ 2.005 — almost exactly 2. Weight is proportional to area and resistance is inversely proportional to it, so three gauges down doubles the pounds per 1,000 ft and cuts the ohms in half. Ten steps change both by almost exactly a factor of 10.
Does stranded wire of the same AWG weigh the same as solid?
Almost — the AWG size fixes the total copper cross-section, so the copper weight is nominally identical, but the helical lay of the strands makes each strand slightly longer than the finished conductor, adding roughly 2–3% to weight and resistance. Stranded wire is also fatter overall (compare the stranded diameters in the AWG wire gauge chart with the solid diameters here) because of the air between strands.
Why is resistance quoted at 20 °C here but 75 °C in the NEC?
Two different jobs. 20 °C (68 °F) is the reference temperature physical constants are defined at — 100% IACS conductivity means exactly 1/58 Ω·mm²/m at 20 °C. The NEC quotes DC resistance at 75 °C because that is a realistic operating temperature for loaded conductors; copper resistance rises about 0.39% per °C, so multiply this column by roughly 1.216 to land on the 75 °C values the voltage drop calculator uses.
Try the Calculators
Copper Wire Weight Chart — Pounds per 1,000 ft & Feet per Pound by AWG — reuven.tools/reference/copper-wire-weight — verified against: ASTM B258 — Standard Specification for Nominal Diameters and Cross-Sectional Areas of AWG Sizes of Solid Round Wires (the defining diameter identity d = 0.005·92^((36−n)/39) in); NBS Handbook 100 — Copper Wire Tables (1966, public domain): standard annealed copper density 8.89 g/cm³ at 20 °C, mass resistivity 0.153 28 Ω·g/m² (= 1/58 Ω·mm²/m volume resistivity, 100% IACS), and Table 5 literal anchors for weight, feet-per-pound, and resistance; Modern exact-formula reproductions (Wikipedia AWG table; Ness Engineering bare copper wire data) as independent cross-checks of the resistance and weight columns