What is Wire Gauge? How to Use Wire Gauge? Wire Gauge Tables

In Metrology, Wire gauges are used to measure the diameters of the wires.

These wire gauges are available in a circular or oblong shape and it is having notches along the edges of the shape(as shown in below picture) and each notch is stamped with wire size number.

This wire gauge can also be used to find out the thickness of sheet metal as well. The available Wire gauges are ranging from 0.1mm  To 10mm 

As you can see the picture below which is stamped with the Sizes on the notches. 

The most common names for this wire gauge is SWG(Standard Wire Guage). This wire gauge is constructed by improving Birmingham Wire Gauge(Stubs Iron Wire Gauge).

The metric wire-size standard used in most parts of the world.

So let’s see how we can measure the diameter of a wire or thickness of a sheet by using wire gauge.

Measuring with  Wire Gauge

take the wire/Sheet, and try to insert into the notch. It should pass thru the notch.

                                    

A)If the wire passes thru the notch very freely then try to pass it thru the adjacent small notch.

B) If the wire passes thru the notch with the correct tightness then it will be the size of the wire. take the size number from the wire gauge notch. (See the below conversion tables for the wire diameter corresponding to the Gauge size)

C)If the wire didn’t pass thru the notch, then try to pass it thru the adjacent bigger notch.

See the following GIF images to understand the procedure.

The different types of wire gauges are American Wire Gauge (AWG), Standard Wire Guage(SWG). the difference between these wire gauge is the standards.

We have listed the wire gauges equivalent sizes in different standards.

Conversion table for Wire Gauges

WIRE GAUGE SIZE	AMERICAN or BROWN AND SHARP DIAMETER (INCHS)	DIAMETER (MILLIMETERS)	BIRMINGHAM or STUBS	US STANDARD
1	0.2893	7.348	0.300	0.281
2	0.2576	6.544	0.284	0.266
3	0.2294	5.827	0.259	0.250
4	0.2043	5.189	0.238	0.234
5	0.1819	4.621	0.220	0.219
6	0.1620	4.115	0.203	0.203
7	0.1443	3.665	0.180	0.188
8	0.1285	3.264	0.165	0.172
9	0.1144	2.906	0.148	0.156
10	0.1019	2.588	0.134	0.141
11	0.0907	2.304	0.120	0.125
12	0.0808	2.053	0.109	0.109
13	0.0720	1.829	0.095	0.0938
14	0.0641	1.628	0.083	0.0781
15	0.0571	1.450	0.072	0.0703
16	0.0508	1.291	0.065	0.0625
17	0.0453	1.150	0.058	0.0563
18	0.0403	1.024	0.049	0.0500
19	0.0359	0.9116	0.042	0.0438
20	0.0320	0.8118	0.035	0.0375
21	0.0285	0.7230	0.032	0.0344
22	0.0253	0.6438	0.028	0.0313
23	0.0226	0.5733	0.025	0.0281
24	0.0201	0.5106	0.022	0.0250
25	0.0179	0.4547	0.020	0.0219
26	0.0159	0.4049	0.018	0.0188
27	0.0142	0.3606	0.016	0.0172
28	0.0126	0.3211	0.014	0.0156
29	0.0113	0.2859	0.013	0.0141
30	0.0100	0.2546	0.012	0.0125
31	0.0089	0.2268	0.010	0.0109
32	0.0080	0.2019	0.009	0.0102
33	0.00708	0.178	0.008	0.0094
34	0.00630	0.152	0.007	0.0086
35	0.00561	0.138	0.005	0.0078
36	0.00500	0.127	0.004	0.0070
37	0.00445	0.1131		0.0066
38	0.00397	0.1007		0.0063
39	0.00353	0.08969
40	0.00314	0.07987