What Size Wire for 200 Amps at 250 Feet?
Voltage-drop-aware wire sizing for a 200-amp circuit running 250 ft (one-way) at 240V — 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 2.5%. For ≤5% drop: 3/0 (3.2%).
Actual drop 2.9%. For ≤5% drop: 250 kcmil (3.5%).
At 250 ft, voltage drop governs: ampacity alone would allow 3/0 AWG copper, but staying ≤3% requires upsizing to 4/0.
Voltage Drop at 250 Feet
Voltage drop is calculated for a 240V single-phase circuit over a 250 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%? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/0 | 3.2% | 5.3% | — |
| 4/0 | 2.5% | 4.2% | |
| 250 kcmil | 2.1% | 3.5% | |
| 300 kcmil | 1.8% | 2.9% | |
| 350 kcmil | 1.5% | 2.5% | |
| 400 kcmil | 1.3% | 2.2% |
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 200A, 240V, 250 ft to adjust material, temperature and drop target.