Factors for Determining Ampacity of Conductors

How can you determine the ampacity of conductors and apply adjustment factors,
based on the requirements in Sec. 310-10.

The ampacities of conductors vary depending on their conditions of use and

exposure to surrounding ambient temperatures. This article covers how to
determine the ampacity of conductors, based on the requirements in Sec. 310-10,
Fine Print Notes (FPNs) (1) through (4).

The conductor ampacities listed in Tables 310-16 through 310-19 are based on
four determining factors:

- Ambient temperature;
- Internal conductor heat (based on load current);
- Rate of heat dissipation; and
- Effect of adjacent load carrying conductors.

Sec. 310-10, FPN (1). If the temperature surrounding the conductor (along its entire length) varies
from 860F (300C), the allowable ampacity as listed in Table 310-16 shall be corrected, according to
the correction factors noted below the Table.

For example, three current-carrying copper conductors in a raceway exposed

to a 40oC (104oF) ambient temperature shall have their ampacities derated by
91%. However, ambient temperature will not affect the ampacity of
conductors if that portion of the conductor routed through the higher ambient
zone is 10 ft. or less and does not exceed 10% of the total length of such
conductors (per Sec. 310-15(a)(2), Ex.).

Sec. 310-10, FPN (2). To comply with this rule, size the ampacity of a conductor to carry the load
without overheating its insulation beyond the listed temperature per Table 310-13 and Table 310-
16. A properly sized conductor serves as a heat sink to remove heat away from the terminals of
devices and equipment. To ensure conductors are adequately sized to supply the load without
overheating its insulation, you must compute the loads per Sec. 210-19(a) for branch-circuits and
Sec. 215-2(a) for feeder-circuits.

Continuous loads shall have a full-load current increase of 125%. Then, you
add this value to noncontinuous loads at 100% or to demand factors, if any
such loads are present.
Sec. 310-10, FPN (3). If you don't select the ampacities of conductors according to the lowest
temperature rating of devices and equipment, the higher temperatures in the insulation will
deteriorate internal working parts.

If you connect a conductor with 90oC insulation to a terminal rated 60oC, you
must heat the 90oC insulation above 90oC before heat can dissipate into the
surrounding ambient medium. Matching the 90oC ampacity of the conductor to
the 60oC ampacities of the overcurrent protection device and equipment limits the
unwanted heating effects of internal components (see Fig. 4).

Sec. 310-10, FPN (4). The proximity heating effect of conductors occurs where you bundle or pull
conductors together in raceways or cables. When you install conductors in this manner, you reduce
their ability to dissipate heat. You must apply adjustment factors per Sec. 310-15(b)(2)(a) to
compensate for such heating and to prevent damage to insulation and components of devices and
equipment.

If you pull 4 or more current-carrying conductors (0V to 2000V) through a

raceway or bundle in a cable for a distance greater than 24 in., you'll reduce
(derate) the allowable ampacity of such conductors by the factors
(percentages) listed in Table 310-15(b)(2)(a).

For example, nine current-carrying conductors in a raceway shall have their

ampacities listed in Table 310-16 reduced by 70%, so their insulation rating
will not overheat if they should ever become fully loaded.

Conductor Size Matters

When sizing conductors, don't get burned by ampacity adjustments
The NEC provides minimum size requirements for conductors to prevent
overheating and fire. 1. Insulation type, 2. Ambient temperature and 3.
Conductor bundling are 3 primary factors in determining how big a conductor
has to be for it to safely carry the current imposed on it.

The ampacity of a conductor is the amount of current the conductor can carry
continuously under specific conditions of use [Art. 100 definition]. The
ampacity of a conductor is not what size breaker can be used to protect the wire; it
is simply the amount of current the conductor can carry.

Temperature correction
Table 310.16 lists ampacities under two conditions:

1) No more than 3 current-carrying conductors bundled together

2) An ambient temperature of 86°F (30°C).

If either of these two values changes the ampacity of the conductor must change as
well. If you look at the bottom of Table 310.16, you'll see temperature
correction factors in 5°C increments from 21°C through 80°C.

Fig. 1 Table 310.16 provides guidelines on how to determine the THHN/THWN conductor size.

When sizing conductors, you can't use a temperature rating any higher than the lowest
temperature rating of any connected termination or device [110.14(C)].

Generally, you don't find terminals rated above 75°C, so why is there a 90°C
column for conductors? True, most terminations simply aren't rated to carry 90°C,
but remember that when you adjust the ampacity of a conductor due to ambient
temperature or conductor bundling, you use the 90°C column to begin the
calculation (assuming you are using a conductor 90°C insulation rating). Read
through example D3 (a) in Annex D and you'll understand exactly why this
column exists.

Use the conductor ampacity as listed in Table 310.16, and apply temperature adjustment factors
based on the insulation rating of the conductor. Do not base conductor ampacity adjustment on the
temperature terminal ratings discussed in 110.14(C).

Understand that the location (wet, dry, or damp) influences which column ampacity of Table 310.16
to use. You can find this information in Table 310.13(A).
For example, notice THHW is a 90°C conductor in a dry location, but it's a
75°C conductor in a wet location.

Fig. 2 When conductors are bundled together, they lose some of their ability to dissipate heat. Refer
to Table 310.15(B)(2)(a) for clarification.

Let's work an example for practice. What's the minimum size THHN/THWN
conductor you can use to supply a 40A noncontinuous load in a dry location, if the
conductors pass through an ambient temperature of 100°F (Fig. 1)?

Corrected Ampacity = Table 310.16 Ampacity × Ambient Temperature Correction

Factor

For a dry location, use the 90°C column for THHN.

Ambient Temperature Correction Factor for 100°F = 0.91 for THHN
Table 310.16 ampacity for 10 THHN is 40A at 90°C in a dry location
10 THHN = 40A × 0.91 = 36.40A. This is too small for the 40A load.
Table 310.16 ampacity for 8 THHN is 55A at 90°C in a dry location: Use the
THHN 90°C column.

8 THHN = 55A × 0.91 = 50A

Therefore, an 8 AWG conductor is the answer to this question.

If this were in a wet location, would 8 THHN/THWN still be adequate?

Table 310.16 ampacity for 8 THWN is 50A at 75°C in a wet location: use the
THWN 75°C column.

Ambient Temperature Correction Factor for 100°F = 0.88 for THWN

8 THWN = 50A × 0.88 = 44A

<b>Fig. 3.</b> The higher ampacity can be used if the length of the lower
ampacity is not more than 10 feet, and it is not longer than 10% of the higher
ampacity length.
The conductor must have an ampacity of at least 40A, after applying the ambient
temperature correction factor, in order to carry the load. In this example, the 8
THHN/THWN has sufficient ampacity after correction in either a wet or dry
location. That either/or result is not always the case, so pay attention to the wet/dry
question when using conductors with dual-rated insulation types, and use the
column that corresponds to the location. In addition, keep in mind that a conductor
with a “-2” after its insulation, such as THHN/THWN-2, is rated 90°C in a wet,
dry, or damp location[Table 310.13(A)].
What if you have conductors installed in raceways exposed to direct sunlight on or
above rooftops? In such cases, add the ambient temperature adjustment in Table
310.15(B)(2)(c) to the outdoor ambient temperature when applying ampacity
adjustment correction factors contained in Table 310.16.
Bundling
When conductors are bundled together, they lose some of their ability to dissipate
heat. In the NEC, the allowable ampacity starts dropping when four or more
current-carrying conductors are bundled together for more than 24 inches
[310.15(B)(2)(a)] (Fig. 2).
 <b>Fig. 4.</b> Neutral conductors that carry only unbalanced current from
other conductors from the same circuit are not considered a current-carrying
conductor.
Be aware that there are five exceptions described in 310.15(B)(2)(a), one of which
is for AC or MC cable, which allows up to 20 current-carrying conductors in 12
AWG, 2 or 3 conductor cables without having to adjust the ampacity.
If the ambient temperature is anything but 86°F — and more than three current-
carrying conductors are bundled together — adjust the ampacity (listed in Table
310.16) for both conditions.
To make that adjustment, multiply these three numbers together:
 Table 310.16 ampacity
 Temperature correction factor
 Bundling adjustment factor.
Always remember that the higher insulation temperature rating of 90°C rated
conductors provides a greater conductor ampacity for use in ampacity adjustment,
even though you size those conductors based on the column that corresponds to the
temperature listing of the terminals [110.14 (C)(1)]. When correcting or adjusting
conductor ampacity, use the temperature insulation rating of the conductor as listed
in Table 310.16, not the temperature rating of the terminal [110.14(C)].
If a single length of conductor has two ampacities, use the lower ampacity for the
entire circuit [310.15(A)(2)]. An exception applies: If that portion of the conductor
with reduced ampacity is not longer than 10 feet and is not longer than 10% of the
length of the part of the circuit with the higher ampacity, then you can use the
higher ampacity for the entire circuit [310.15(A(2) Ex] (Fig. 3 on page 46).
Current-carrying conductors
 <b>Fig. 5.</b> The neutral conductor for a 4-wire, 3-phase wye circuit is
considered a current-carrying conductor where more than 50% of the load
consists of nonlinear loads.
Table 310.15(B)(2)(a) adjustment factors apply only when there are more than
three current-carrying conductors bundled together. All phase conductors are
considered current carrying, but what about other conductors? Here's the rundown:
 Grounding and bonding conductors [310.15(B)(5)]
Grounding and bonding conductors are never considered current carrying. Don't
count grounding and bonding conductors when adjusting conductor ampacity for
the effects of conductor bundling [310.15(B)(5)]. They do, however, occupy space
in the raceway and are included in raceway fill calculations (see Chapter 9, Table
1, Note 3), so you are accounting for their presence. You just aren't counting them
as current-carrying conductors.
 2-wire circuits
The neutral and ungrounded conductors of a 2-wire circuit are considered current
carrying.
 Neutral conductor — unbalanced loads [310.15(B)(4)(a)]
A neutral conductor that carries only the unbalanced current from other conductors
of the same circuit is not considered a current-carrying conductor (Fig. 4 on page
48).
 Neutral conductor — unbalanced 3-wire wye circuit [310.15(B)(4)(b)]
The neutral conductor of a 3-wire circuit of a 4-wire, 3-phase, wye-connected
system carries about the same current as the line-to-neutral load currents of the
other conductors. As a result, it's considered a current-carrying conductor.
 Neutral conductor — nonlinear loads [310.15(B)(4)(c)]
The neutral conductor for a 4-wire, 3-phase wye circuit is considered a current-
carrying conductor where more than 50% of the load consists of nonlinear loads
(Fig. 5).
 Nonlinear loads supplied by a 4-wire, 3-phase, 120/208V or 277/480V wye-
connected system can produce unwanted and potentially hazardous harmonic
currents. Odd triplen harmonic currents (3rd, 9th, 15th, etc.) can add on the neutral
conductor. To prevent fire or equipment damage from excessive harmonic neutral
current, consider increasing the size of the neutral conductor or installing a
separate neutral for each phase. See 210.4(a) FPN, 220.61(C) FPN No. 2, and
450.3 FPN No. 2.
Meeting minimums
From an NEC standpoint, conductors must be of a certain size to prevent a fire
[90.1(B)]. This is the minimum conductor size, not necessarily the recommended
conductor size. From an operational efficiency standpoint, you should size
conductors to reduce voltage drop and/or to cope with nonlinear loads. Other
reasons for exceeding NEC minimums may also apply.
If your installation doesn't even meet the NEC requirements, it will fail to meet
other requirements that may also exist (such as those for operational efficiency).
To prevent that, remember the ampacity of a conductor changes with changing
conditions. Part of your job in sizing conductors is to anticipate what those
conditions will be. To determine the correct ampacity, you have to determine:
 Allowable ampacity, as listed in Table 310.16.
 Ambient temperature correction factors, if the ambient temperature is not 86°F.
 Conductor ampacity adjustment factors, if four or more current-carrying
conductors are bundled together.
The last two items are where things can get dicey if you don't do your homework.
Find out what the ambient temperature will be along the entire length of each
conductor. Such things as cable routing [see the example in Appendix D3(a)] and
ventilation can change ambient temperature considerably, so take the time to
review the entire installation — not just the electrical drawings.
If you correctly anticipate the ambient temperatures and perform the necessary
ampacity adjustments, then you'll meet the NEC minimums for conductor sizing.
From there, you can decide whether to allow for other considerations in making a
final determination of conductor size.