Between its neighbours
22 AWG has 59 % more copper than 24 AWG and 37 % less than 20 AWG. Its DC resistance is 19.646 Ω per 1000 ft at 75 °C, and 1000 ft of it carries 1.94 lb of copper.
22 AWG wire: amps, diameter & uses
22 AWG wire is 0.0253" across, 0.644 mm, about 39 turns per inch wound tight. Ten turns measure 6.44 mm, the reliable way to check it; the nearest British size is SWG 23 (0.61 mm). Its copper resistance is 16.2 Ω per 1000 ft at 20 °C. Used for hook-up wire, breadboards and alarm and sensor runs.
01 · 1:1 wire gauge · coil wrap
22 AWG · bare solid copper
THIS IS:
22 AWG COPPER · NOT BUILDING WIRE · 0.64 MM COPPER
Gauge
22 AWG
bare solid copper
Breaker
n/a
not building wire
Measured
0.640 mm
0.0252"
10 turns over 6.40 mm is 0.640 mm per turn: 22 AWG (0.644 mm), SWG 23.
- Drawn at true sizecalibrated screen
22 AWG
- Solid diameter
- 0.0253"0.644 mm · ASTM B258 formula
- Area
- 642 cmil0.325 mm² · nearest IEC 0.5 mm²
- DC resistance, 75 °C
- 19.646 Ω/1000 ftcopper, from resistivity
- Copper weight
- 1.94 lb/1000 ft
Ampacity
- Table 310.16
- not listedsmaller than building wire: see the chassis and craft notes
Other gauges
- Nearest SWG
- SWG 230.024" · 0.61 mm
- IEC 60228
- 0.5 mm²between — and 0.5 mm²
22 AWG at a glance
Size
- Solid diameter
- 0.0253" · 0.644 mm
- Area
- 642 cmil · 0.325 mm²
- Metric
- — – 0.5 mm²
- SWG nearest
- 23 (0.61 mm)
Electrical
- Resistance 20 °C
- 16.15 Ω/1000 ft
- Resistance 75 °C
- 19.646 Ω/1000 ft
- As cord
- not rated
- Copper weight
- 1.94 lb/1000 ft
Measure & run
- 10 turns measure
- 6.44 mm
- Turns per inch
- 39.5
- 12 V at 1 A
- 9 ft at 3 %
22 AWG reference 20 rows
Sort any column, print a shop sheet, download CSV. Click a row to load it in the calculator.
| Actions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 91 | 183 | ||
| 4 | 45 | 91 | ||
| 1 | 18 | 36 | ||
| 0 | 9 | 18 | ||
| 0 | 6 | 12 | ||
| 0 | 4 | 9 | ||
| 0 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 0 |
05 / Field guide
22 AWG
measured by the coil.
22 AWG wire is 0.0253" across, 0.644 mm, about 39 turns per inch wound tight. Ten turns measure 6.44 mm, the reliable way to check it; the nearest British size is SWG 23 (0.61 mm). Its copper resistance is 16.2 Ω per 1000 ft at 20 °C. Used for hook-up wire, breadboards and alarm and sensor runs.
Electronics and craft
22 AWG is used for hook-up wire, breadboards and alarm and sensor runs. At 39 turns to the inch it is fine enough that a single pixel on most screens is 31 % of its width.
On the 1:1 gauge
The caliper above opens at 0.644 mm. Lay a stripped length along the lines and step the gauge with ← and → until the wire just fills the gap.
Questions
Answered plainly.
01How many amps can 22 AWG wire carry?
+−
Table 310.16 does not rate it: 22 AWG is electronics, signal and craft wire. In practice it carries well under 1 A in bundles; check the maker’s rating.
02What is the diameter of 22 AWG wire?
+−
0.0253 inch (0.644 mm) solid.
03What is 22 AWG in mm²?
+−
0.325 mm² (642 circular mils). The IEC sizes either side are none and 0.5 mm²; replace it with 0.5 mm², not the smaller one.
04How do I measure 22 AWG wire?
+−
Wind 10 tight turns side by side and measure the coil: 6.44 mm for 22 AWG. A ruler or a screen cannot resolve a single strand this fine.
05What is 22 AWG in SWG?
+−
The nearest British Standard Wire Gauge is SWG 23 at 0.61 mm, against 0.644 mm for 22 AWG.