American wire gauge

American wire gauge (AWG), also known as the Brown & Sharpe wire gauge, is a standardized wire gauge system used in the United States and other countries, especially for nonferrous, electrically conducting wire. The steel industry uses a different numbering system for their wire thickness gauges (for example, W&M Wire Gauge or US Steel Wire Gauge or the different Music Wire Gauge) so data below does not apply to steel wire.
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<hardware, standard> (AWG, sometimes "Brown and Sharpe Wire Gauge") A U.S. standard set of non-ferrous wire conductor sizes. Typical household wiring is AWG number 12 or 14. Telephone wire is usually 22, 24, or 26. The higher the gauge number, the smaller the diameter and the thinner the wire. Thicker wire is better for long distances due to its lower resistance per unit length.
(2001-03-26)