AWG 18 Wire

Diameter 0.0403″
Millimeters 1.024 mm
Cross-section 1,624 cmil
mm² 0.8229

Nominal bare-conductor dimensions per ASTM B258. AWG is geometric: d = 0.005 × 92(36−n)/39 in with n = 18; area is derived from the diameter. Ampacity depends on insulation, bundling, and the electrical code in force — it is a property of the installation, not the gauge.

Neighboring gauges

AWG Diameter mm vs AWG 18
16 0.0508″ 1.290 +0.0105″
17 0.0453″ 1.151 +0.0050″
18 0.0403″ 1.024
19 0.0359″ 0.912 −0.0044″
20 0.0320″ 0.813 −0.0083″

Measuring sheet metal, not wire? Sheet uses a different gauge scale — see 18 gauge sheet (steel: 0.0478″).

Data provenance. ASTM B258, Standard Specification for Nominal Diameters of AWG Sizes (ASTM International). See all data sources.