What Size Wire for 60 Amps at 150 Feet?
Voltage-drop-aware wire sizing for a 60-amp circuit running 150 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 2.3%. For ≤5% drop: 6 (3.7%).
Actual drop 2.4%. For ≤5% drop: 4 (3.8%).
At 150 ft, voltage drop governs: ampacity alone would allow 6 AWG copper, but staying ≤3% requires upsizing to 4.
Voltage Drop at 150 Feet
Voltage drop is calculated for a 240V single-phase circuit over a 150 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%? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 3.7% | 6.1% | — |
| 4 | 2.3% | 3.8% | |
| 3 | 1.8% | 3.0% | |
| 2 | 1.5% | 2.4% | |
| 1 | 1.2% | 1.9% | |
| 1/0 | 0.9% | 1.5% |
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 60A, 240V, 150 ft to adjust material, temperature and drop target.