# Metric wire sizes (IEC 60228): 0.5 to 2500 mm² with strands and conductor diameter, and the nearest AWG

> What diameter is a 1.5 mm² or 2.5 mm² conductor, and what AWG is closest?

- Category: Electronics › Wiring & connectors
- Kind: Standard part
- Basis: IEC 60228 size list (Wikipedia / Wikiwand) and myElectrical's metric-to-AWG construction table, every row machine-checked; numbers only
- Page: https://xemstudio.com/objects/metric-wire-sizes-iec-60228-mm2-awg/ · JSON: https://xemstudio.com/api/geometry?object=metric-wire-sizes-iec-60228-mm2-awg · Plain text: https://xemstudio.com/objects/metric-wire-sizes-iec-60228-mm2-awg/sheet.txt
- License: dimension sheet CC BY 4.0 (Xem Studio); files CC BY 4.0 or their publisher's license
- Use in every chat: add https://xemstudio.com/mcp as a connector (https://xemstudio.com/use-with-ai/)

**Exact dimensions.** True size, with no tolerance added.

## Notes

- IEC 60228 conductor sizes (nominal cross-sections, mm²) as listed on Wikipedia / Wikiwand: 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.5, 2.5, 4, 6, 10, 16, 25, 35, 50, 70, 95, 120, 150, 185, 240, 300, 400, 500, 630, 800, 1000, 1200, 1400, 1600, 1800, 2000, 2500 (1400 and 1800 are marked non-preferred there). Classes: 1 solid, 2 stranded for fixed installation, 5 flexible, 6 very flexible. The standard also sets maximum conductor resistance (Ω/km) per size, class and type, and maximum diameters for each class; neither was in a source that could be read, so neither is on this page.
- The table is myElectrical's metric-to-AWG table, rows for the metric sizes only: solid or stranded construction, the diameter of the wire or of each strand and the overall conductor diameter. That page says it has not checked its tables against the standard, and its AWG-row for 1 AWG prints 9.43 mm for 0.332 in (that is 8.43 mm), so Xem checks every row: the overall diameter must equal strands across × strand diameter (1 across for solid, 7 strands 3, 19 strands 5, 37 strands 7, 61 strands 9, 91 strands 11). All 34 rows listed pass. Stranding numbers describe one common construction, not the only one the standard allows.
- The 625 mm² row appears in myElectrical's table but 625 is not among the IEC 60228 sizes read (630 is); it is kept as printed and marked.
- Insulated cable outside diameters depend on insulation, class and maker: no maker table that could be read is on this page. Typical cord OD numbers are on the cable-and-plug-sizes page.
- AWG sizes and diameters: see the AWG page (ASTM B258). From the ASTM B258 areas: 0.5 mm² lies between 20 AWG (0.519 mm²) and 21 AWG (0.412 mm²); 0.75 mm² lies between 18 AWG (0.823 mm²) and 19 AWG (0.653 mm²); 1 mm² lies between 17 AWG (1.04 mm²) and 18 AWG (0.823 mm²); 1.5 mm² lies between 15 AWG (1.65 mm²) and 16 AWG (1.31 mm²); 2.5 mm² lies between 13 AWG (2.63 mm²) and 14 AWG (2.08 mm²); 4 mm² lies between 11 AWG (4.17 mm²) and 12 AWG (3.31 mm²); 6 mm² lies between 9 AWG (6.63 mm²) and 10 AWG (5.26 mm²); 10 mm² lies between 7 AWG (10.6 mm²) and 8 AWG (8.37 mm²); 16 mm² lies between 5 AWG (16.8 mm²) and 6 AWG (13.3 mm²); 25 mm² lies between 3 AWG (26.7 mm²) and 4 AWG (21.1 mm²). These are nearest-size comparisons by area, not equivalences for current rating.

## Sizes

| conductor mm² | construction (source's table) | wire / strand diameter (mm) | overall conductor diameter (mm) | a size listed for IEC 60228 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 | solid | 0.813 | 0.81 | yes |
| 0.75 | solid | 0.991 | 0.99 | yes |
| 1 | solid | 1.14 | 1.14 | yes |
| 1 | 7 strands | 0.432 | 1.3 | yes |
| 1.5 | solid | 1.40 | 1.4 | yes |
| 1.5 | 7 strands | 0.533 | 1.6 | yes |
| 2.5 | solid | 1.80 | 1.8 | yes |
| 2.5 | 7 strands | 0.686 | 2.06 | yes |
| 4 | solid | 2.26 | 2.26 | yes |
| 4 | 7 strands | 0.864 | 2.59 | yes |
| 6 | solid | 2.77 | 2.77 | yes |
| 6 | 7 strands | 1.07 | 3.21 | yes |
| 10 | solid | 3.58 | 3.58 | yes |
| 10 | 7 strands | 1.37 | 4.12 | yes |
| 16 | 7 strands | 1.73 | 5.18 | yes |
| 25 | 7 strands | 2.16 | 6.48 | yes |
| 25 | 19 strands | 1.32 | 6.6 | yes |
| 35 | 7 strands | 2.54 | 7.62 | yes |
| 35 | 19 strands | 1.55 | 7.75 | yes |
| 50 | 19 strands | 1.85 | 9.27 | yes |
| 70 | 19 strands | 2.18 | 10.9 | yes |
| 95 | 19 strands | 2.57 | 12.8 | yes |
| 95 | 37 strands | 1.83 | 12.8 | yes |
| 120 | 37 strands | 2.06 | 14.4 | yes |
| 150 | 37 strands | 2.29 | 16 | yes |
| 185 | 37 strands | 2.54 | 17.8 | yes |
| 240 | 37 strands | 2.90 | 20.3 | yes |
| 240 | 61 strands | 2.26 | 20.3 | yes |
| 300 | 61 strands | 2.51 | 22.6 | yes |
| 400 | 61 strands | 2.90 | 26.1 | yes |
| 500 | 61 strands | 3.25 | 29.3 | yes |
| 625 | 91 strands | 2.97 | 32.7 | no (in the source table, not in the 30 IEC 60228 sizes read) |
| 800 | 91 strands | 3.35 | 36.9 | yes |
| 1000 | 91 strands | 3.73 | 41.1 | yes |

## Where the files are

- Wikiwand (Wikipedia): [IEC 60228: the standard cross-sectional areas 0.5 to 2500 mm2 and the conductor classes](https://www.wikiwand.com/en/articles/IEC_60228) — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts
- myElectrical: [Standard cable and wire sizes (IEC 60228): metric sizes and the metric-to-AWG table with strand counts and overall diameters](https://www.myelectrical.com/notes/entryid/166/standard-cable-wire-sizes) — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts

## Questions

**What is the diameter of a 2.5 mm² conductor?**

1.80 mm solid, or 2.06 mm overall for 7 strands of 0.686 mm (myElectrical's table).

**What AWG is 1.5 mm²?**

Between 15 and 16 AWG: 15 AWG is 1.65 mm² and 16 AWG is 1.31 mm² (ASTM B258).

**What sizes does IEC 60228 list?**

0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.5, 2.5, 4, 6, 10, 16, 25, 35, 50, 70, 95, 120, 150, 185, 240, 300, 400, 500, 630, 800, 1000, 1200, 1400, 1600, 1800, 2000, 2500 mm².

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