How Many Amps Can 6mm Cable Carry? (With Examples)


how many amps 6mm cable can carry

You cannot operate electronic devices and appliances without electrical cables. But you have to match each device to the appropriate cable size. Otherwise, you will overload the conductors, resulting in electrocution or electrical fires.

How Many Amps Can 6mm Cable Carry?

6mm cable carries 48 amps. But the amp rating of a cable varies depending on various factors including the length of the cable and ambient temperature.

You can check out the 6mm cable amps in different situations!

Situation (6mm)Amps
Wire enclosed in an insulated wall32A
Enclosed in conduit34A
Clipped47A
Thermal insulation in contact with the ceiling < 100mm34A
Thermal insulation in contact with the ceiling > 100mm27A
Thermal Insulation cable not touching the wall35A
Thermal Insulation cable touching the wall23.5A
https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/cablesizes.htm

In most cases, manufacturers print the size of the cable on the jacket. Though, if your wire doesn’t have this information, you can determine the size by calculating the diameter. Jayde Auto Cables have tables that reveal the amp rating they associate with specific cable sizes.

Related post:

How Do You Check Amps On A 6mm Cable?

If you want to check the amp rating of 6mm cables you found in a home, you can use a clamp ammeter.

You can watch this video that shows you how to test the amperage of electrical wires using an ammeter. You don’t have to break the circuit to determine the volume of electricity passing through the cables.

The most challenging aspect of this process is determining the size of the cable. If you don’t know the cable size, you have to measure the radius of the wire before calculating the radius squared and multiplying by pi to get the diameter.

If you already know the size of the cable (6mm), find a table such as the one DIY doctor has published. Use the size (6mm) to find the corresponding amp rating in the table.

What Is a 6mm Cable Used For?

6mm cables are significantly larger, capable of withstanding 48 amps. Therefore, you can trust them to operate more powerful appliances such as electric showers and ovens. The goal is to keep the load below the amp rating of the cable.

The ‘mm’ unit reveals the thickness of the cable, which, in turn, tells you the amount of current that can safely pass through the conductor. You can accommodate sockets with 2.5mm cables. You can use 2-core 1mm2 cables for lighting.

You cannot determine the maximum load of the cable by simply relying on a table. Many experts expect 6mm cables to accommodate 48 amps. But the exact capacity will depend on factors like the load’s duty cycle, temperature, cable length, etc.

This is why you have to leave this decision in the hands of an expert. Let an experienced electrician determine whether or not a 6mm cable is appropriate for the application you have in mind. They can account for all the factors above.

6mm Cable Size VS Amps – Does Size Change The Amps?

The size changes the amps. Amperage speaks to the volume of current passing through the wire. The current will encounter resistance as it transitions through the wire, producing heat in the process.

If the wires are too thin, the excess heat generated may start a fire. This is why you cannot afford to use the wrong wire size. Powerful appliances such as cookers and heaters require thicker cables that can safely transport the electricity they need without overheating or causing so much voltage drop that the devices cannot function optimally.

In the case of 6mm cables, you don’t want to use 1.5mm wire in a situation that requires 6mm wire. Otherwise, the 1.5mm wire could melt, starting a fire.

Does 6mm SWA Wire Carry More Amps?

The protective layers do not affect the cable’s carrying capacity. The carrying capacity depends on the size of the conductor, not to mention factors like the temperature. Precluding some exceptions, the differences the armor causes in the amperage are insignificant.

You typically use SWA wire in mains supply electricity. It can withstand harsh conditions because it has additional protective layers. For that reason, people deploy it in extreme settings. SWA cable is perfect for underground applications.

6mm Max VS Minimum Amps

6mm cable can safely handle 48 amps. You cannot determine the cable’s maximum capacity without considering other factors, including the length of the conductors, ambient temperature, and load.

Where are you going to lay the cable? Will you hide it behind several layers of insulation? If that is the case, you have to limit the volume of current it will carry because it cannot disperse the heat it will generate effectively.

What about the appliance? Do you want the 6mm cable to operate a device with a motor whose electrical requirements multiply by three or four times whenever it starts?

Even if the cable can meet the requirements of that appliance, the appliance could still overwhelm the cable whenever it starts. As such, you cannot assign 6mm cables to any random application.

You must consult an expert who can take all those factors into account before determining the maximum amperage the 6mm cable can withstand.

How Many Watts Can a 6mm Cable Take?

Cable SizeAmpsVoltWatt
6mm48A1205760W
6mm48A24011520W

The units of wattage and voltage are intertwined. You have to multiply the volts by the amps to get the watts. If you don’t have the voltage and amps, you can’t find the wattage of a 6mm cable.

Most people do not consider the wattage. They tend to emphasize the amp rating. If your appliance has a watt rating and you want to know whether or not it can work with a particular cable size, your electrician will encourage you to turn the wattage into amperage before comparing it to the wire’s rating.

If you can turn the wattage into amperage, it becomes a simple matter of using one of the thousands of online tables showing the amp ratings connected to each cable size.

You can also experiment with the numerous online calculators, but most won’t help you. Yes, they will calculate the wattage for you, but only if you provide the voltage.

Again, it is easier to leave these calculations in the hands of an electrician. Otherwise, the wrong appliance could easily overwhelm your 6mm cable, starting a fire as a result.

Can I run a 10.5 kW shower on a 6mm cable?

6mm cable with 120v & 220v carry 5.76kW & 10.56kW respectively. Thus, 6mm with 120v is unable to run a 10.5kW shower while a 6mm cable with 220v is able to run a 10.5kW shower.

Can I run an 8.5 kW shower on a 6mm cable?

You can run an 8.5kW shower with a 6mm cable 220v.

Is a 6mm cable OK for a 9.5 kW shower?

You can run a 9.5kW shower with a 6mm cable with 220v.

How Many Amps Can 6mm 12V Cable Carry?

The average consumer considers the gauge rather than the diameter. 6mm cables correlate to approximately 10AWG. A 10-gauge wire can carry roughly 30A at 12V.

But in most situations, the exact amperage will depend on the application. You can look at the amperage limits that wire tables have set, but they don’t account for specific considerations like the temperature and load’s duty cycle.

It is also worth noting that 12 volts are very low, so much so that the voltage drop is going to present a challenge. The wire tables are only relevant when you reach 120V.

They cannot help you with 12V because the voltage drop presents a significant problem. For instance, a 30A rating makes sense for 10-gauge wire, but not if that wire is 50 feet.

You have to use tables and calculations like the ones RPC has published to determine the voltage drop. If you know the voltage drop, you can identify the appropriate cable size for your application.

If you trust the tables blindly, you may conclude that a 6mm 12V cable can work with 50 amps, which is the conclusion caravan parts reached. Though, they also pointed out that 50 amps are a problem for a 6mm 12V cable.

6mm Cable Amp Rating 240V

6mm(10AWG ) wire carries 30Amps at 220V volts.

The difference between 220 and 240V is marginal. Additionally, a 10AWG cable equates roughly to 6mm.

However, you have to consider other factors, such as the material, temperature, distance, load, etc.

6mm cable Vs MCB

MCB Amp6mm cable
32 AmpWithstand
40 AmpWithstand
45 AmpWithstand

You can use a 6mm cable on 32,40 & 45 Amp MCB. I won’t suggest you use a 6mm cable with MCB exceeding 48 amps.

Can 6mm Cable Take 40 Amps?

A 6mm cable can withstand 48 amps. Therefore, it can contend with loads lower than 48 amps, including 40 amps. But again, you have to consider all the other factors that affect resistance, heat dissipation, and carrying capacity.

6mm Cable in AWG

6mm equates to 10 AWG.

Most people use the ‘AWG’ unit to determine the size of a wire because the gauge is easier to comprehend than millimeters. Some people believe that 6mm equates with 8AWG as well. But you can’t go wrong with either estimate. Both 10 AWG and 8 AWG are thick wires. 10AWG wire can work in places that require 8AWG wire.

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