FieldCalcEngineering calculators

10 AWG copper voltage drop chart

97 ft at 30 ALongest 240 V single-phase run under 3% drop

V
A
ftDistance from the panel to the load, not round trip.

ResultsVoltage Drop

The short answer

10 AWG copper (10,380 circular mils) carrying 30 A on a 240 V single-phase circuit reaches 3% voltage drop at about 97 feet. At lighter loads it can go farther, as the tables below show.

Percent voltage drop at 240 V single-phase

Values over 3% are marked.

Load25 ft50 ft75 ft100 ft150 ft200 ft250 ft300 ft
5 A0.1%0.3%0.4%0.5%0.8%1%1.3%1.6%
10 A0.3%0.5%0.8%1%1.6%2.1%2.6%3.1%
15 A0.4%0.8%1.2%1.6%2.3%3.1%3.9%4.7%
20 A0.5%1%1.6%2.1%3.1%4.1%5.2%6.2%
25 A0.6%1.3%1.9%2.6%3.9%5.2%6.5%7.8%
30 A0.8%1.6%2.3%3.1%4.7%6.2%7.8%9.3%

Longest run that stays under 3%

Load120 V 1φ240 V 1φ208 V 3φ480 V 3φ
5 A290 ft579 ft580 ft1,338 ft
10 A145 ft290 ft290 ft669 ft
15 A97 ft193 ft193 ft446 ft
20 A72 ft145 ft145 ft334 ft
25 A58 ft116 ft116 ft268 ft
30 A48 ft97 ft97 ft223 ft

How it's calculated

Single-phase: VD = 2 × K × I × L ÷ CM Three-phase: VD = 1.732 × K × I × L ÷ CM K = 12.9 (copper), CM = 10,380 for 10 AWG

Table 310.16 lists 10 AWG copper at 30 A (60 °C) and 35 A (75 °C), before any 240.4(D) limit on the breaker size. Voltage drop is a separate check. On long runs it usually decides the wire size.

Other copper sizes

12 AWG · 14 AWG · 8 AWG · 6 AWG · 4 AWG · 2 AWG · 3 AWG · 1 AWG · 1/0 AWG · 2/0 AWG · 3/0 AWG · 4/0 AWG

Open the full voltage drop calculator with these numbers

Results are estimates for planning and education. Verify against the current code edition your jurisdiction has adopted, manufacturer data and a licensed professional before you build or install.