AWG

In the American Wire Gauge or "AWG" System, as the Wire gets smaller, the number of the Wire gets larger. The smallest AWG size is 40 and looks like a metal thread.

American Wire Gauge System

Recepticle Circuit Wire

Common electrical Extension Cords on Lamps are typically "18-gauge" Wire. The smallest "gauge" allowed for Lighting and Receptacle Circuits in a house is "14-gauge" Wire. The "gauge" sizes get smaller with corresponding increases in the Wire's diameter all the way down to "0-gauge."

At that point, the industry labeled the next larger size as "double zero," commonly referred to as "2-ought." The next AWG size larger than "2-ought "is "triple zero" or "3-ought." "Four-ought" is the largest AWG wire-size designation. Wires larger than this size are designated by the Thousand Circular Mill System or "KCMIL" sizes.