What Size Wire for 80 Amps at 25 Feet?
Voltage-drop-aware wire sizing for a 80-amp circuit running 25 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 0.5%. For ≤5% drop: 4 (0.5%).
Actual drop 0.5%. For ≤5% drop: 2 (0.5%).
At 25 ft, ampacity still governs: 4 AWG copper carries 80A and its drop (0.5%) is already within 3% — no upsizing needed.
Voltage Drop at 25 Feet
Voltage drop is calculated for a 240V 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%? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0.5% | 0.8% | |
| 3 | 0.4% | 0.7% | |
| 2 | 0.3% | 0.5% | |
| 1 | 0.3% | 0.4% | |
| 1/0 | 0.2% | 0.3% | |
| 2/0 | 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 80A, 240V, 25 ft to adjust material, temperature and drop target.