Cable size is very important. It has to match the needs of your device. If the electrical requirements of the device are too high, the cable will overheat. If this issue goes unchecked, you may start a fire. Therefore, before you install 2.5mm wire in your residential or commercial setting, you must first determine whether or not it is suitable for the application you have in mind.
How Many Amps Can A 2.5mm Cable Carry?
2.5mm2 can accommodate anywhere between 16 and 45 amps depending on the location and temperature. Take factors such as the length and voltage drop into account because they can change the cable’s carrying capacity.
2.5mm Wire Amp With Respect To Temperature
| Temperature | Amp Rating |
| 60° | 17A |
| 70° | 25A |
| 85-90° | 30A |
| 105° | 35A |
| 125° | 40A |
| 200° | 45A |
With Respect To Single And Three Phase Electricity
| Phase | Amperage |
| Single Phase (2 cables) | 24A |
| 3 Phase (3-4 Cables) | 21A |
But you cannot use that range to determine the suitability of 2.5mm2 cable for your application. It is simply too broad.
Unless you have a low-capacity application in mind (for instance, if you want to wire the lighting in a house), don’t install conductors of this size without first consulting a professional.
Tell an electrician what you want to do, and they will determine whether or not this wire size is acceptable.
Contractors use these cables for indoor domestic purposes. That includes wiring sockets.
As you can see, the temperature matters because 2.5mm cable could handle 20 amps in free air. But you are more likely to encounter an average rating of 16 amps in a residential setting.
Let’s look at the 2.5mm cable amps in different situations.
| Situation (2.5mm) | Amps |
| Wire enclosed in an insulated wall | 20A |
| Enclosed in conduit | 23A |
| Clipped | 27A |
| Thermal insulation in contact with the ceiling < 100mm | 21A |
| Thermal insulation in contact with the ceiling > 100mm | 17A |
| Thermal Insulation cable touching the wall | 21A |
| Thermal Insulation cable not touching the wall | 13.5A |
Related post:
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How To Find Correct Amps For 2.5mm Cable?
You can use a clamp meter to measure the current.
But that will only tell you the volume of the current it is transmitting, not the maximum amount of current it can handle.
Fortunately, you don’t have to perform any calculations or measurements to find the amperage of a 2.5mm2 cable.
Most people use tables. They are quite easy to find. They will show you the size of the wire in AWG and mm2. If you follow each row, it will also show you the corresponding amperage of each wire size.
This is the easiest way to determine the number of amps the cable can carry.
It is also worth noting that 2.5mm is the cross-sectional area of the cable in millimeters. While many electricians prefer this unit of measurement because of its accuracy, you don’t have to use it.
You can rely on the gauge. It is much easier to interpret.
According to cable joints, a 2.5mm2 cable is 14AWG.
It isn’t the thickest. But it is wide enough to carry a substantial quantity of current.
Why Amp Rating Matters?
The amperage is a measurement of a wire’s current carrying capacity. To be more specific, the amperage tells you the amount of electricity the conductor can carry without melting.
The amperage matters because electricity generates heat whenever it passes through a wire. This is because conductors have a resistance that opposes the flow of current.
If you know the amperage, you can ensure that a cable doesn’t carry more current than it can handle.
To determine the carrying capacity of a conductor, you have to take into account the conductor’s size, ambient temperature, and the number of individual conductors.
- The conductor size is obvious. The larger the size of the conductor, the more current it can carry. The ambient temperature is also equally apparent because it affects the heat generated.
- The conductor number may confuse newcomers because they don’t realize that cables consist of multiple conductors that have been bundled together.
Things To Consider Before Using 2.5mm Wire
Finding the correct wire size for a particular application requires a lot of time and effort, especially for newcomers. You have to account for the following:
1). Type
According to smart gauge, you have to match the wire type to the voltage. They have used the example of applying a 1000V cable to a 24V system, which is perfectly fine. But the opposite (applying a 24V line to a 1000V system) is dangerous.
2). Durability
The strength and durability of the cable should match the type of application.
For instance, mobile devices use tiny wires (0.1mm2). You cannot use them in a setting that exposes the conductors to extreme stress because the cables won’t survive.
You must also consider additional threats such as chemicals and heat that can destroy the wire. The right cables can defend against corrosive components such as chemicals.
3). Medium
Do you expect to run the wire through a specific medium?
The medium changes the carrying capacity of the conductor. For instance, 2.5mm2 cable can withstand 30 amps, but that is primarily true for free air. If you want to run the wire through a conduit, it can safely withstand 20 amps.
The medium affects the amount of heat the current will generate as it runs through the conductor. Because a 2.5mm2 wire in conduit doesn’t have the same ventilation as a wire in free air, you have to use a smaller load. Otherwise, it may overheat.
If you have all these factors in mind, you can identify the best application for a 2.5mm2 cable. Because it isn’t necessarily the thickest of wires, newcomers might be tempted to apply this cable size to lighting circuits.
But you don’t need wire this thick for lighting applications in a domestic setting because1mm and even 1.5mm (twin and earth) cables are perfectly adequate.
You can get by with 1mm. But if you have more lights than usual, and the cable has to cover a relatively long distance, 1.5mm is the better option. It can compensate for the voltage drop.
The best fit for 2.5mm cables is sockets. It can work as a hot, neutral, or live wire. 2.5mm cable can work with lighting circuits.
In the eyes of some homeowners, sockets do not differ that drastically from lighting circuits. But you have to remember that the wiring behind a socket doesn’t accommodate that socket. The wiring behind a socket has to accommodate the appliance you will plug into that socket.
Therefore, you need larger cables to contend with the demands of those devices and appliances.
How Many Watts Can 2.5mm Cable Handle?
2.5mm2 cable can withstand 4800 watts of power.
| Cable Size | Amps | Volt | Watt |
| 2.5mm | 16A | 120 | 1920W |
| 2.5mm | 16A | 240 | 3840W |
You can perform these calculations yourself. You get the wattage by taking the current in amps and multiplying it by the voltage.
If your cable can take 16 amps and you have a 120V system, multiply 16 by 120. This gives you 1,920 watts. If you have a 240V system, multiplying 16 by 240V gives you 3,840 watts. Therefore, if you know the voltage and current, you can figure out the wattage on your own.
This approach is only problematic if you don’t know the amperage. This is why you have to consult an electrician. They can do a more accurate job of determining the amperage and its related wattage.
2.5mm Armored Cable Amp Rating
It can handle 36 amps. Though, like ordinary cabling, you have to consider factors like temperature and the medium.
Steel wire Armored cable has a protective layer that defends against damage. It is stronger and more reliable. People use it in harsh settings that would typically ruin ordinary cables. It is not suitable for flexible applications.