Will #10 wire carry 40 amps?

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asked Apr 16, 2024 in Other-Home/Garden by pschyosse (2,490 points)
Will #10 wire carry 40 amps?

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answered Nov 28, 2024 by Gregorysharp (27,080 points)
#10 wire cannot and will not carry 40 amps as the amp capacity of #10 wire or 10 AWG wire is only 35 amps.

#10 wire can only safely handle up to 35 amps and drawing more than 35 amps on a #10 wire can cause a fire as the wires insulation can heat up and melt.

For 40 amps you want a #8 wire or 8 AWG.

The size wire that you need for a 40 amp breaker is a size 8 AWG which is an 8 gauge wire.

8 AWG wire is the standard wire size for electrical circuits that are on a 40 amp circuit breaker.

The gauge number of a wire indicates its thickness, with lower numbers representing thicker wires that can carry more current.

10 AWG wires and 12 AWG wires are not suitable for 40-amp circuit breakers.

10 AWG and 12 AWG copper wires have 35 Amp and 25 Amp wire ampacity.

Using the 10 AWG or 12 AWG for a 40 Amp circuit is inherently wrong and might result in an electric accident.

A 20-amp 240-volt circuit calls for 12-gauge wire.

A 30-amp circuit calls for 10-gauge wire.

A 40-amp circuit calls for 8-gauge wire.

And a 50-amp circuit calls for 6-gauge wire.

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