Minimum Conductor Size for Equipment Operating at Less than 50V

Conductors for an appliance circuit supplying more than one appliance or appliance receptacle in an installation operating at less than 50V shall not be smaller than _____ AWG copper or equivalent.

Mike Holt

June 22, 2015

Conductors for an appliance circuit supplying more than one appliance or appliance receptacle in an installation operating at less than 50V shall not be smaller than _____ AWG copper or equivalent.

a) 18
b) 14
c) 12
d) 10

See answer and applicable Code reference

The correct answer is: d) 10

Article 720 covers installations operating at less than 50V — both AC and DC. As noted in Sec. 720.4, "Conductors shall not be smaller than 12 AWG copper or equivalent. Conductors for appliance branch circuits supplying more than one appliance or appliance receptacle shall not be smaller than 10 AWG copper or equivalent."

About the Author

Mike Holt

Mike Holt is the owner of Mike Holt Enterprises (www.MikeHolt.com), one of the largest electrical publishers in the United States. He earned a master's degree in the Business Administration Program (MBA) from the University of Miami. He earned his reputation as a National Electrical Code (NEC) expert by working his way up through the electrical trade. Formally a construction editor for two different trade publications, Mike started his career as an apprentice electrician and eventually became a master electrician, an electrical inspector, a contractor, and an educator. Mike has taught more than 1,000 classes on 30 different electrical-related subjects — ranging from alarm installations to exam preparation and voltage drop calculations. He continues to produce seminars, videos, books, and online training for the trade as well as contribute monthly Code content to EC&M magazine.