American Wire Gauge (AWG) is the standard measurement of wire sizes in the United States. The higher the gauge number, the thinner the conductor.

Gauge	Diameter(inch)	Diameter(mm)	Cross Section(mm2)
0000	0.4600	11.68	107.16
000	0.4096	10.40	84.97
00	0.3648	9.27	67.40
0	0.3249	8.25	53.46
1	0.2893	7.35	42.39
2	0.2576	6.54	33.61
3	0.2294	5.83	26.65
4	0.2043	5.19	21.14
5	0.1819	4.62	16.76
6	0.1620	4.11	13.29
7	0.1443	3.67	10.55
8	0.1285	3.26	8.36
9	0.1144	2.91	6.63
10	0.1019	2.59	5.26
11	0.0907	2.30	4.17
12	0.0808	2.05	3.31
13	0.0720	1.83	2.63
14	0.0641	1.63	2.08
15	0.0571	1.45	1.65
16	0.0508	1.29	1.31
17	0.0453	1.15	1.04
18	0.0403	1.02	0.82
20	0.0320	0.81	0.52
22	0.0254	0.65	0.33
24	0.0201	0.51	0.20

Recommended Wire Gauges

Heavier gauge wire is required when either amperage or wire length increases. Overloaded wire can negatively affect reliability and safety due to excessive voltage drop and heat. Wires thinner than 18AWG are not recommended for vehicular use.The tables Below provide general guidelines for choosing wire. Remember that common ground wires must be adequate to carry the TOTAL amperage of the circuit, even when separate hot wires are used. The data included here only illustrates general wiring principles. Variables such as the exact type of wiring used and the type of devices connected willeffect the actual performance of any circuit.Always verify proper operation after installation.

Wire Gauge Required for 3% Voltage Drop @ 12 Volts

11.64V	1 AMP	5 Amp	10 AMP	20 AMP	30 Amp	40 Amp	50Amp
10 feet	18	16	14	12	10	8	8
20 feet	16	14	12	8	6	6	4
30 feet	16	12	10	6	4	4	2
40 feet	16	12	8	6	4	2	2
50 feet	16	10	8	4	2	2	1
60 feet	16	10	6	4	2	1	0
80 feet	14	8	6	2	1	0	00
100 feet	14	6	4	2	0	00	000
120 feet	14	6	4	1	00	000	0000

Wire Gauge Required for 10% Voltage Drop @ 12 Volts

10.8V	1 AMP	5 Amp	10 AMP	20 AMP	30 Amp	40 Amp	50Amp
10 feet	24	18	18	16	14	14	12
20 feet	22	18	16	14	12	10	10
30 feet	20	18	16	12	10	8	8
40 feet	20	16	14	10	8	8	6
50 feet	18	16	12	10	6	6	2
60 feet	18	16	12	8	4	4	2
80 feet	16	10	8	4	2	2	1
100 feet	16	8	6	4	2	1	0
120 feet	14	8	6	2	1	0	00

Finding the Amperage of a Light

Finding how much current your lights will draw is not as dificult as one might think. To start with we only need to know two things

• 1. At what voltage does the system operate?
• 2. What is the wattage of the lamp being used.(This Might be the tricky part.)

Once we have these two numbers amperage is a simple calculation away.  

Watts/Volts=Amps (EX: 5W/12V=.42Amps)

Most newer Peterson lights have the wattage and voltage etched into the back of the lights. And for the older lights the information can be found by finding the replacement bulb information. however you can always call us @ 1-877-476-5444 if you need help.(Sometimes we have to do some digging to get the answer.)