Hookup Wires

Hookup wires are used in low current, low voltage (under 1000 V) applications within enclosed electronic equipment. They are also used in control panels, meters, computers, business machines, and appliances. Hookup wires are insulated with a variety of thermoplastic and rubber materials to prevent the leakage of current. Examples include ethylene propylene diene elastomer (EPDM), neoprene, polyethylene (PE), polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and silicon rubber. Both products are registered trademarks of DuPont and feature excellent electrical properties, heat resistance, chemical resistance and toughness. For hazardous and extreme environments, hookup wires often provide resistance to oils, alkalis, acids, flame and moisture.

Hookup wires include a conductor that consists of a wire or combination of wires that are not insulated from one another. Typically, wire conductors are made of aluminum, aluminum alloys, aluminum clad-steel, copper, copper alloys or copper-clad steel. Copper, the most widely used electrical conductor, has a relatively low strength-to-weight ratio but loses strength at elevated temperature. Aluminum, a metallic element with good electrical conductivity, has a density that is approximately 70% less than steel, copper, or nickel. On a volume basis, copper has the conductivity of the most common (non-precious metals). Both aluminum and copper offer excellent corrosion resistance and high thermal conductivity for hookup wires.

There are several conductor sizes for hookup wires. In North America, wire area is expressed in American wire gauge (AWG), a measurement that represents the number of times a wire is run through a diameter-reducing machine. Higher AWG numbers denote thinner wires and more runs through the machine. For example, 24-gauge wire is thinner than 18-gauge wire and requires six extra passes through a wire machine. Larger AWG conductor sizes include 2/0, 3/0 and 4/0. Sizes that are larger than 4/0 are expressed in circular mils (CM) or thousand circular mils (MCM). Outside of North America, conductor sizes for hookup wires are expressed in metric measurements such as square millimeters (mm²).

Hookup wires meet the requirements of product safety and standards organizations. For example, CSA marks are registered certification marks of the Canadian Standards Association. They may appear alone or with indicators. The CSA mark appears alone when a product is certified for only the Canadian market, and with “C” and “US” indicators when certified for both the Canadian and U.S. markets. Underwriters Laboratories, another product safety testing organization, also provides certification marks for hookup wires.

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Part Numbers for Hookup Wires