Between its neighbours
28 AWG has 58 % more copper than 30 AWG and 37 % less than 26 AWG. Its DC resistance is 78.829 Ω per 1000 ft at 75 °C, and 1000 ft of it carries 0.48 lb of copper.
28 AWG wire: amps, diameter & uses
28 AWG wire is 0.0126" across, 0.321 mm, about 79 turns per inch wound tight. Ten turns measure 3.21 mm, the reliable way to check it; the nearest British size is SWG 30 (0.315 mm). Its copper resistance is 64.8 Ω per 1000 ft at 20 °C. Used for ribbon cable, wire-wrap and fine beading.
01 · 1:1 wire gauge · coil wrap
28 AWG · bare solid copper
THIS IS:
28 AWG COPPER · NOT BUILDING WIRE · 0.32 MM COPPER
Gauge
28 AWG
bare solid copper
Breaker
n/a
not building wire
Measured
0.320 mm
0.0126"
10 turns over 3.20 mm is 0.320 mm per turn: 28 AWG (0.321 mm), SWG 30.
- Drawn at true sizecalibrated screen
28 AWG
- Solid diameter
- 0.0126"0.321 mm · ASTM B258 formula
- Area
- 160 cmil0.081 mm² · nearest IEC 0.5 mm²
- DC resistance, 75 °C
- 78.829 Ω/1000 ftcopper, from resistivity
- Copper weight
- 0.48 lb/1000 ft
Ampacity
- Table 310.16
- not listedsmaller than building wire: see the chassis and craft notes
Other gauges
- Nearest SWG
- SWG 300.0124" · 0.315 mm
- IEC 60228
- 0.5 mm²between — and 0.5 mm²
28 AWG at a glance
Size
- Solid diameter
- 0.0126" · 0.321 mm
- Area
- 160 cmil · 0.081 mm²
- Metric
- — – 0.5 mm²
- SWG nearest
- 30 (0.315 mm)
Electrical
- Resistance 20 °C
- 64.82 Ω/1000 ft
- Resistance 75 °C
- 78.829 Ω/1000 ft
- As cord
- not rated
- Copper weight
- 0.48 lb/1000 ft
Measure & run
- 10 turns measure
- 3.21 mm
- Turns per inch
- 79.1
- 12 V at 1 A
- 2 ft at 3 %
28 AWG reference 20 rows
Sort any column, print a shop sheet, download CSV. Click a row to load it in the calculator.
| Actions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 22 | 45 | ||
| 1 | 11 | 22 | ||
| 0 | 4 | 9 | ||
| 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 0 |
05 / Field guide
28 AWG
measured by the coil.
28 AWG wire is 0.0126" across, 0.321 mm, about 79 turns per inch wound tight. Ten turns measure 3.21 mm, the reliable way to check it; the nearest British size is SWG 30 (0.315 mm). Its copper resistance is 64.8 Ω per 1000 ft at 20 °C. Used for ribbon cable, wire-wrap and fine beading.
Electronics and craft
28 AWG is used for ribbon cable, wire-wrap and fine beading. At 79 turns to the inch it is fine enough that a single pixel on most screens is 62 % of its width.
On the 1:1 gauge
The caliper above opens at 0.321 mm. This is finer than a screen pixel can resolve reliably, so the stage opens on the coil ruler: wind 10 turns and close the jaw on the coil.
Questions
Answered plainly.
01How many amps can 28 AWG wire carry?
+−
Table 310.16 does not rate it: 28 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 28 AWG wire?
+−
0.0126 inch (0.321 mm) solid.
03What is 28 AWG in mm²?
+−
0.081 mm² (160 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 28 AWG wire?
+−
Wind 10 tight turns side by side and measure the coil: 3.21 mm for 28 AWG. A ruler or a screen cannot resolve a single strand this fine.
05What is 28 AWG in SWG?
+−
The nearest British Standard Wire Gauge is SWG 30 at 0.315 mm, against 0.321 mm for 28 AWG.