What is the difference between a 3/16 solid copper wire and a 3/16 braided copper wire? What's the gauge?

Question

I need to know if there's a difference in capacity and what the gauge is.

Answer 1

The wire designation is:

3 conductors

16 gauge

The wire gauge is determined by the cross sectional area of the actual copper so any wire designated 16 gauge will handle the same amount of current.  Since stranded (braided) wire has some air in it, it's a little bit bigger in diameter than solid wire of the same gauge.

We use stranded wire in applications where the cables must be flexible.  Solid wire is less expensive and appropriate where wire is installed once and left alone.

Answer 2

3/16 is 0.1875"

for solid copper

#4 = 0.2043 inch = 204.3 mils = 41,740 cm

#5 = 0.1819 inch = 181.9 mils = 33,100 cm

#6 = 0.1620 inch = 162.0 mils = 26,250 cm

closer to #5 awg

braided means stranded, to achieve flexibility the conductor is made of many smaller strands of wires, could be 7 or 19

the ampacity is based on cm, the cm cross section area of cu or the corresponding gage of wire is the same whether it is stranded or solid

diam of each strand = (cm / no. of strands) ^ (1/2)

cm = (mil) ^ 2

mil = 0.001 inch

Answer 3

I dont know. Here is some websites, you can try to get it from these.

http://ocw.mit.edu/NR/rdonlyres/AB825ADF...

http://www.britishwiring.com/CAT02_07.PD...

Hope this helps.