What gauge is this extension cord

[mm]

I have a 100' extension cord from the junk, and I wondered if there is a way to tell what gauge the wire is. The ends are molded on so I can't see the wire.

I only know that it is a lot heavier than my current 100' extension cord, but I don't know what gauge that one is. Also, sometimes they make things thicker and maybe heavier just by adding more rubber/vinyl.

And it has W-8 embossed on one end. I searched on W-8 'electric cord' and got two good hits but they were just about cords being recalled, and they said they cost between

6 and 90 dollars depending on length and gauge. So I guess W-8 doesn't tell me anything.

Is there any way to know?

[Big Al]

Sure, measure one wire with an Ohm meter and check a table like this:

or: Al

[Bennett Price]

If you've got an accurate ohmmeter, you can do as the above. Otherwise, go to a hardware store and look at what they've got that's equally fat with the same sort of insulation That may give you some indication of the wire gauge.

[zxcvbob]

The cord type and gauge should be embrossed or printed along the jacket, about every foot or two (I don't remember the minimum distance)

Bob

[Philip Lewis]

I'm assuming you've checked along the length of the insulation to see if it's printed/stamped on that... yes?

[mm]

Great charts, especially the first one. I should be able to get a decent reading. I'll check what the old one is too. Thanks.

[mgkelson]

Measuring the resistance of the 100-ft cord would give you the following example readings:

12AWG, 0.1619 ohms 14AWG, 0.2575 ohms 16AWG, 0.4094 ohms 18AWG, 0.6510 ohms

Unless you have a milli-ohm meter, you might have a hard time getting an accurate reading. Something else to try would be to measure the voltage drop by connecting a 1500W space heater to it. The approximate voltage drop based on the formula V=I x R would be:

12AWG, ~2V 14AWG, ~3V 16AWG, ~5V 18AWG, ~8V