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At what distance of cable run should 24 VDC be considered instead of 12 VDC?

  • Updated

The maximum length that cable can be run for low voltage power varies based on three factors.

  1. Does your device require 12 volts DC or 24 volt AC power?

  2. How much power does the device require?

  3. What size wire is being used? (18 gauge, 16 gauge, 22 gauge, etc.) Cable size is specified in AWG which stands for "American Wire Gauge".

12V DC Power Max Wire Distance Chart

The left column notes the amount of power, in milli-amps, that the device you are powering requires. For example, if you are using a device that requires a max of 300mA using 18 gauge power cable, it can be run up to 289 feet.

  24 AWG 22 AWG 20 AWG 18 AWG 16 AWG 14 AWG 12 AWG
DC 100mA 216 feet 342 feet 594 feet 867 feet 1,379 feet 2,197 feet 3,508 feet
DC 200mA 108 feet 171 feet 297 feet 433 feet 689 feet 1,098 feet 1,755 feet
DC 300mA 72 feet 113 feet 198 feet 289 feet 459 feet 732 feet 1,169 feet
DC 400mA 54 feet 85 feet 148 feet 216 feet 344 feet 549 feet 877 feet
DC 500mA 43 feet 68 feet 119 feet 173 feet 275 feet 439 feet 701 feet
DC 750mA 28 feet 45 feet 79 feet 115 feet 183 feet 293 feet 467 feet
DC 1000mA 21 feet 34 feet 59 feet 86 feet 137 feet 219 feet 350 feet

 

24V AC Power Max Wire Distance Chart

The AC voltage cable distance chart works the same way as the DC chart. However, most 24VAC power supplies are measured in voltage amps ("VA"), or watts. Voltage amps/watts can be converted to milli-amps. Use the voltage-to-watts conversion tool below if the value you need is not in the chart.

  • The formula is Amps * Volts = Watts. For example, if you have a current of 2 Amps and a voltage of 5 Volts, the power calculation is 2A * 5V = 10W. 

Using the chart, if you are using a device that requires up to 417mA of power, you can run 18 gauge wire up to 451 feet.

  24 AWG 22 AWG 20 AWG 18 AWG 16 AWG 14 AWG 12 AWG
10 VA
(417mA)		 103 feet 283 feet 286 feet 451 feet 716 feet 1,142 feet 1,811 feet
20 VA
(833mA)		 52 feet 141 feet 142 feet 225 feet 358 feet 571 feet 905 feet
30 VA
(1,250mA)		 34 feet 94 feet 95 feet 150 feet 238 feet 380 feet 603 feet
40 VA
(1,667mA)		 26 feet 70 feet 71 feet 112 feet 179 feet 285 feet 452 feet
50 VA
(2,083mA)		 20 feet 56 feet 57 feet 90 feet 143 feet 228 feet 362 feet

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