2 gauge wire is a heavy conductor rated 95 to 130 amps in copper, with the exact figure set by its insulation’s temperature rating.
Two runs of the same 2 gauge wire can legally carry different current. Copper 2 AWG tops out at 130 amps behind 90°C insulation and drops to 95 amps at 60°C, because ampacity is decided by the metal and by how much heat the insulation can take — not by the gauge number alone. What follows is what 2 AWG measures, what it’s rated to carry, and where it gets used.
2 Gauge Wire Size: Diameter, Area, And What The Scale Measures
A 2 AWG conductor measures 0.2576 inches (6.544 mm) across, with a cross-sectional area of 66,360 circular mils — about 33.6 square millimeters.
American Wire Gauge runs opposite to intuition: the lower the number, the thicker the metal.
The naming trips people up in one specific way. 2 AWG and 2/0 AWG are not the same size, and 2/0 is far larger, with roughly twice the metal cross-section and a much higher amp rating. Spoken aloud, 2/0 becomes “two-ought,” which is easy to mishear as plain “2.” Read the printing on the spool before ordering.
2 Gauge Wire Amp Rating: Why Material And Temperature Change It
A 2 AWG copper conductor is commonly listed at 95 amps (60°C), 115 amps (75°C), and 130 amps (90°C). The same size in aluminum is listed at 76, 92, and 104 amps for those same temperature columns.
Those figures come from ampacity charts built on NEC Table 310.16, which sorts conductors by the temperature their insulation can survive. Standard cable types fall into specific columns: THW, THWN, SE, USE, and XHHW land in the 75°C column, while THHN, THWN-2, XHHW-2, and USE-2 land in the 90°C column. The rating is usually printed on the cable jacket, so you can match the spool to the right column before the wire comes off the reel.
| Conductor | Insulation Temperature Rating | Chart Ampacity |
|---|---|---|
| 2 AWG copper | 60°C | 95 A |
| 2 AWG copper | 75°C | 115 A |
| 2 AWG copper | 90°C | 130 A |
| 2 AWG aluminum | 60°C | 76 A |
| 2 AWG aluminum | 75°C | 92 A |
| 2 AWG aluminum | 90°C | 104 A |
Two things pull those numbers down in a real installation. The chart assumes default conditions — a limited number of conductors at a moderate ambient temperature — and the permitted ampacity falls when heat builds up or cables are bundled in a raceway. The temperature rating of the terminations caps things again, so a 90°C wire is often sized as if it were 75°C wire. Cerrowire’s ampacity charts list the standard values, and Lapp Tannehill’s ampacity chart shows copper and aluminum side by side. Older or specialty cable types can carry different permitted ratings, so two spools stamped with the same gauge aren’t guaranteed the same ampacity.
Chart value, cable type, termination rating, and installation method all feed into the number a job is sized to — which is why 2 gauge wire has no universal amp rating.
What Is 2 Gauge Wire Used For?
2 gauge wire is a feeder and service-entrance size rather than a branch-circuit size. It shows up wherever a run has to move a lot of current without excessive voltage drop.
- Residential feeders and subpanel feeders, including many 100-amp subpanel runs
- Service entrance conductors for smaller residential services
- Large motor circuits
- Grounding electrode conductors
- High-current battery cables and EV charger cable, where flexible fine-strand versions are common
Battery and EV charger cable is where flexibility matters as much as ampacity, since stiff wire is hard to route inside a charger housing. Our roundup of tested 2 gauge wire picks compares those flexible options by strand count and insulation type.
Material choice changes the plan more than most people expect. At 75°C, 2 AWG aluminum is listed at 92 amps and 2 AWG copper at 115 amps, so a feeder that looks fine on paper in aluminum can need a second look once termination ratings and code rules are applied.
Three checks settle almost every 2 AWG decision before money changes hands:
- Find the temperature rating printed on the cable and read the matching column — 60°C, 75°C, or 90°C.
- Check the breaker and lug temperature ratings at both ends; they often limit you to the 75°C number.
- Match the wire size to the load and the overcurrent device, then confirm it against the NEC table your local inspector uses.
FAQs
Is 2 gauge the same as 2/0 gauge?
No. 2/0 AWG is a much larger conductor than 2 AWG and carries far more current, with roughly twice the metal cross-section. The slash-zero label gets shortened to “two-ought” in conversation, which is where many ordering mistakes begin. If a chart or a supplier writes 2/0, you’re looking at a heavier and bigger cable than plain 2 AWG.
Can 2 gauge wire feed a 100-amp subpanel?
Often yes with copper, but the decision belongs to your installation rather than the chart. Copper 2 AWG is listed at 115 amps at 75°C and 130 amps at 90°C, while aluminum 2 AWG is listed at 92 amps at 75°C and 104 amps at 90°C. Termination ratings, cable type, and local code requirements decide what’s permitted.
Why are copper and aluminum 2 AWG ratings different?
Aluminum carries less current per unit of area than copper, so the same 2 AWG size gets lower ampacity listings: 76, 92, and 104 amps across the 60°C, 75°C, and 90°C columns, against copper’s 95, 115, and 130. Aluminum is lighter and cheaper, which keeps it in use for service entrances and large feeders.
References & Sources
- Cerrowire. “Ampacity Charts | Wire Gauge Chart.” Supports the copper and aluminum ampacity columns used in the table.
- Lapp Tannehill. “Ampacity Chart | Wire & Cable Technical Resources.” Confirms the copper-versus-aluminum ampacity gap at 2 AWG.
- American Wire Gauge reference (University of Alberta course material). “American Wire Gauge.” Source for the 0.2576 in (6.544 mm) diameter and 66,360 circular mil area.
