Welding cables, as common sense would have it, are designed to conduct electricity for the welding current used in welding operations. Welding cables are typically made of copper, wrapped in nylon, rubber or another non-conducting synthetic material, and the cable is very flexible – in order to ensure that there is the very least capacity for rupture.
Welding cable sizes matter incredibly when choosing a welding cable for the simple reason that power relayed through the cable increases based on the cable’s size.
Welding Cable Sizes
Electricity is like water. Welding cables, as per Lincoln Electric, are like water pipes. The larger the pipe, the more water can pass through given that the pressure increases.
In the very same way, welding cable sizes determine how much power goes through the cable.
There are other considerations to make, of course. Cable length and diameter also determines ohm, temperature, ampacity and more.
The better and bigger the cable, the less likely it is that the fine copper filament within won’t simply burn through. That would, indeed, be extremely unfortunate.
That being said, welding cables basically exist on a scale of sizes from 4 (the smallest), to 4/0 welding cables, or four zeroes, the largest. Equivalently, AWG sizes (American wire gauge) fluctuate from size 12, to size 5.
Determining which size works best for you – a 1, or perhaps a 1/0 (0), or a 4/0 welding cable (0000), what matters is that you source your cable from resident experts like EWCS Wire, and discuss thoroughly what your welding needs are, exact power specifications, and the cable properties you need – both in terms of diameter, size, length, and cable material composition.
True experts will let you drastically cut your costs by getting you the exact length and kind of cable to get your job done – without wastage.
