This isn’t a sophisticated situation because the LED light system is pretty straightforward. You don’t have to complicate the system as it only requires a certain amount of current or electricity. You’ll be fine with any wire that you can find.

But no, we’re not done yet. There are a few things that you must know to find the appropriate size of wiring for your LED light bar. Let’s get going.

Before you go ahead and select a wire, you must know that there are two types of wires such as stranded and solid core.

1. Solid Core – this type has one solid conductor. This is basically copper with a plastic insulating wrap around the conductor.
2. Stranded wire – this type has more than one conductor. In fact, there are several conductors in a specific bundle along with an insulating jacket wrap.

However, if you pick stranded wire, you must know that it’s flexible but a little bit complicated to handle. In order to connect it in, you have to consider some soldering so that it stiffens up.

The solid core wire is more flexible than the stranded wire, and it’s comfortable too. You can get connections using this wire without much difficulty.

In conclusion, you can use both wires for LED lighting, but the solid core is your call if you don’t want to spend a lot of time. It’s easy to use.

What is the Wire Gauge?

This is vital because if you don’t select the appropriate gauge, your system might not turn out successful as you assume. Therefore, make sure to find the perfect gauge that suits the wiring system – a bigger gauge is the better choice.

But there are a few problems with bigger ones. You may have difficulties with termination, and they are not easy to handle since they’re not flexible enough.

The good news is you don’t need large wires as LED lights don’t require much current, so there is no requirement for large wires.

When you’re selecting wires, it’s important to check the AWG designation. So AWG means American Wire Gauge. This is to check the rate of wirework. Interestingly, the number mentions the size of the wire.

If the number is small, then the wire is large. For example, 16-gauge wire is smaller compared to 14-gauge wire.

What Should We Consider When We Choose the Wire?

Two things that you must take into account when selecting the wire are wire ampacity and voltage drop.

Though copper is considered the ideal electricity conductor, it has several innate issues. The longer cable will show more resistance in the circuit. To measure this resistance, ohms is used.

When the wire becomes smaller, the resistance will increase. This happens because the area where electrons flow is small.

You will experience a voltage drop when there’s an increase in resistance. For example, if there’s a small wire with a reasonable length, you may have to handle a voltage drop from 36 to 34 volts.

(Below is a video to show you what size wire of 240W LED Light bar we use and you will see the AMP Draw of 240W. 14 Gauge & Current is 12.5 A @ 13V)

When you encounter regular changes in the voltage system, there could be a higher level of current draw, inadvertently. Therefore, you must check the right wire gauge before you think about the length or size.

Another vital factor to consider is wire ampacity. You must check and ensure that the wire you use has the capacity to manage the amount of electricity that course through it.

If you use a small wire, it might heat up because of resistance and can be dangerous. This will lead to the melting of the jacket wrapped around the wire. Or even worse, it could start a fire.

A higher percentage of home LED setups include short wires. Additionally, they’re managed in series, so they require only a low flow of current.

You can easily use a small wire, but if your interest is installing many lights, we suggest thinking twice before considering small wires. It’ll require a lot of power that may have to course through the wire you decided.

So, make sure to look up the ways to handle various wire gauges.

Wire Gauge Standard Chart

Step-by-Step Guide on Determining the Proper Wire Gauge

Check and calculate the wire length that’s required for a connection, such as an LED strip.

Once that’s done, find the current flow that the wire is capable of handling. You can do this by calculating the LED strip length that is attached to your power supply.

Once you get the number, you have to multiply it by watts per foot. For example, if your LED light might consume 5.5 watts per foot, then you are planning to use around 14 feet, then you have to multiply 5.5 by 14, then you get 77 watts.

After that, you have to divide the total calculated wattage on the above step by 12. By doing so, you will find the current or total amps. It means 77 watts divided by 12, which is 6.416 amps.

You can check the chart below to get the appropriate wire gauge. The answer you get at the intersection of feet and amps. For example, for 40 feet and 10 amps, the appropriate wire gauge is 8.

Bear in mind, the current is drawn by the wire itself. This is why you have to ensure to use thick wires if you are using long wires. The below-mentioned scale shows that a lower number means the wire is thicker.

Wire Gauges and Sizing

Many appliances and household lighting fixtures need wire that is around 12- or 14-gauge. This requirement is mentioned as a number, dash, and another number. For example, it will be like 14-4 or 14/4.

The first number is the diameter of the wire, while the next is the number of wires in the cable. Sheathed wire bundles are the cable mentioned here, and this is usually covered in plastic insulation.

Wire Color Coding

It would be best to consider another standard, the sheath’s color or insulation covering the cables or wires. The color will help you identify the encapsulated wire inside.

• Red or black insulation means that there is a hot or live wire inside.
• Brown or white cover means that you will find a neutral able or a wire.
• Yellow/green or yellow cover means a ground wire inside.

Please bear in mind that electricity or current can run through a neutral wire, so you have to be cautious when handling them. Before you handle any installations, you must switch off the light or circuit breaker.

You might often get recommendations to use a solid core wire with an 18-gauge. If you’re thinking about the cost, then the difference between this and a smaller cable is not much.

If you want the wires to match the terminals or holders, then the 18-gauge can get big, as you imply. This particular wire size can handle above the average system you have.