Wire Size for 60 Amp Circuit

Find the wire gauge for a 60 amp breaker and check the voltage drop for the length of your run.

Assumes NEC 2023 Table 310.16: copper or aluminum, up to 3 current-carrying conductors in a raceway or cable, 30 °C ambient, 60 °C terminals for a 60 A circuit (110.14(C)), 3 % drop target; ground wire not included. Free, runs in your browser. Verify with your local code and a licensed electrician before you install.

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The wire size for a 60 amp breaker is 4 AWG copper or 3 AWG aluminum when the terminals count as 60 °C, and 6 AWG copper or 4 AWG aluminum when the breaker and equipment are listed for 75 °C. Give the calculator your breaker, load, voltage and one-way length and it tests the wire twice: its allowed ampacity against the breaker, then the voltage drop over the run. Starting values of a 48 A load on 240 V over 75 ft of copper give 4 AWG with a 0.925 % drop. The result lists the copper and aluminum sizes side by side, names the limit that decided the answer, and gives the longest run of each size for your drop target.

How to use the 60 Amp Wire Size Calculator

Keep 60 in “Breaker rating (A)” or enter the rating of your breaker.
Enter the nameplate or calculated current in “Load current (A)”. Leave it empty to size for the full 60 A.
Tick “Continuous load (3 hours or more)” for an EV charger, a heat pump or other long-running load.
Choose the “Supply type” and type the “Voltage (V)”. For three phase, use the line-to-line voltage.
Enter the “One-way length” in ft or m, panel to load along the route.
Select Copper or Aluminum under “Conductor”.
Match the “Insulation temperature rating” to the cable: 60 °C for NM-B or UF-B, 75 °C for THW, THWN or XHHW, 90 °C for THHN, THWN-2 or XHHW-2.
Keep “Allowed voltage drop (%)” at 3 or type your own target.
In the advanced settings, change “Terminal temperature rating” only when the equipment is listed for 75 °C, and set “Ambient temperature” and “Current-carrying conductors in the raceway or cable” if they differ from 30 °C and three.
Read “Recommended wire size”, “Deciding limit” and the warnings.

The example buttons above the form load a 60 A subpanel at 100 ft, a welder, a heat pump, an EV charger or a shop 200 ft away on aluminum. “Copy result”, “Copy link” and “Print / save as PDF” keep the answer, and Reset clears your changes.

What size wire do I need for 60 amps?

Under the Auto terminal setting, use 4 AWG copper or 3 AWG aluminum for a 60 amp breaker. NEC 110.14(C)(1) treats circuits of 100 A or less as 60 °C at the terminals unless the equipment is listed for 75 °C, and in that column 6 AWG copper falls short of 60 A while 4 AWG reaches 70 A.

60 A breaker, 48 A load, 240 V, 75 ft	Copper	Aluminum
Terminal rating Auto	4 AWG	3 AWG
Terminal rating 75 °C (listed equipment)	6 AWG	4 AWG

The steps for copper show the chain: 4 AWG is 85 A in the 75 °C column of NEC 310.16, the ambient and conductor-count factors are 1, and the 60 °C terminal value of 70 A becomes the allowed ampacity.

Why does one table say 6 AWG copper is 55A while another says 75A?

Both numbers come from the same NEC 310.16 row, read in different temperature columns. 55 A is the 60 °C column and 75 A is the 90 °C column, with 65 A at 75 °C in between. The terminal rating, not the insulation alone, decides which value a 60 A circuit may use.

90 °C insulation such as THHN helps when the ampacity has to be reduced for heat or for more than three current-carrying conductors, because the reduction starts from the higher value. The result still cannot go above the terminal column, so 6 AWG THHN on 60 °C terminals stays at 55 A.

Does the 125% rule apply to a 60 amp breaker?

Only to continuous loads, those expected to run three hours or more. NEC 210.20(A) then requires the breaker to be at least 125 % of the load, so a 60 A breaker serves a continuous load of up to 48 A. The “EV charger, 48 A continuous” example sits exactly at that limit.

Load on a 60 A breaker	Design current	What the tool says
48 A continuous	60 A	fits, 4 AWG copper
50 A non-continuous	50 A	fits
50 A continuous	62.5 A	warns that the breaker would trip

Worked examples

Input	Result
60 A breaker, 48 A load, 240 V, 75 ft, copper 75 °C	4 AWG (0.925 %)
60 A breaker, 48 A load, 240 V, 50 ft, copper 75 °C	4 AWG (0.616 %)
60 A breaker, 48 A load, 240 V, 40 ft, copper 60 °C	4 AWG (0.493 %)
60 A breaker, 50 A load, 240 V, 200 ft, aluminum 75 °C	2 AWG (2.66 %)
60 A breaker, 40 A load, 208 V, 100 ft, copper 75 °C	4 AWG (1.03 %)

Calculated by the tool above; open it with the same values to see each step.

Questions, briefly answered

Can I use 8 AWG on a 60 amp breaker?

No. Copper 8 AWG stays below 60 A in the 60 °C and 75 °C columns, so the tool never offers it for this breaker.

Can 10 AWG handle 60 amps?

No. NEC 240.4(D) limits 10 AWG copper to a 30 A breaker.

Is 6/3 Romex enough for 60 amps?

The calculator says no. NM-B is sized in the 60 °C column (NEC 334.80), where 6 AWG is 55 A, so it gives 4 AWG. NEC 240.4(B) can allow the next standard breaker above a 55 A conductor on some circuits; the tool does not apply that rule and prints a warning about it.

What size aluminum wire is used for a 60 amp breaker?

3 AWG aluminum with the Auto terminal setting, or 4 AWG when the equipment is listed for 75 °C. For the “Shop 200 ft away, aluminum” example the drop pushes it to 1 AWG, at 2.53 %.

How far can 4 AWG run on a 60 amp breaker?

At a full 60 A on 240 V, 4 AWG copper runs about 195 ft one way within a 3 % drop. At 48 A it reaches about 243 ft.

Does the calculator size the ground wire?

No. Size the equipment grounding conductor from NEC Table 250.122 for the 60 A breaker rating.

Do I need a permit?

A new 60 A circuit or subpanel usually needs a permit and an inspection, but the rules are local. Check with your building department before you start.

Wire Size for 50 Amp Circuit: for ranges, 50 A RV pedestals and smaller EV chargers.
Wire Size for 30 Amp Circuit: for dryers, water heaters and 30 A RV hookups.
Wire Size Calculator: for any other breaker, a load in watts or three phase.
Wire Ampacity Calculator: to see what one wire size carries with heat or bundling.
Voltage Drop Calculator: to check the drop of a long feeder you already have.
Electrical Load Calculator: to work out what a subpanel will draw.
Conduit Fill Calculator: to choose the conduit for your feeder conductors.
Wire and Cable Calculators: every wire sizing tool on the site.

Updated October 2026