What Size Wire for 15 Amps at 25 Feet?
Voltage-drop-aware wire sizing for a 15-amp circuit running 25 ft (one-way) at 120V — because over distance, voltage drop, not ampacity, often sets the wire size.
Calculations are built on the 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) and cross-checked against the published code tables. How we verify. Last reviewed June 2026.
Actual drop 1.9%. For ≤5% drop: 14 (1.9%).
Actual drop 2.0%. For ≤5% drop: 12 (2.0%).
At 25 ft, ampacity still governs: 14 AWG copper carries 15A and its drop (1.9%) is already within 3% — no upsizing needed.
Voltage Drop at 25 Feet
Voltage drop is calculated for a 120V single-phase circuit over a 25 ft one-way run (conductor length doubled for the return). Sizes meeting the ≤3% target are highlighted.
| Wire size | Copper drop | Aluminum drop | Within 3%? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1.9% | 3.2% | |
| 12 | 1.2% | 2.0% | |
| 10 | 0.8% | 1.3% | |
| 8 | 0.5% | 0.8% | |
| 6 | 0.3% | 0.5% | |
| 4 | 0.2% | 0.3% |
Drop % uses NEC Chapter 9, Table 8 DC resistance — an accepted approximation for typical power-factor AC branch circuits. The wire must also meet ampacity; both checks are applied above.
Different distance or voltage?
Open the calculator pre-filled with 15A, 120V, 25 ft to adjust material, temperature and drop target.