⚡ Cu ρ (75°C): 0.0214 Ω·mm²/m 🔌 NEC / IEC Standards: NFPA 70 & IEC 60364 🇺🇸 US Grid Avg: $0.175/kWh 🇩🇪 DE Grid Avg: €0.345/kWh 🇸🇪 SE Elpris: 1.54 SEK/kWh 🇳🇴 NO Strøm: 1.17 NOK/kWh 🔩 Copper Ref: $9,650/t (2026-10-24)
🇺🇸 NEC NFPA 70 · Table 310.16 (75°C) · Voltage Drop Analysis

175 Amp Wire Size at 225 Feet (240V Split-Phase (US Dryer / EV / Subpanel))

Complete conductor sizing, Ohm's law voltage drop, $I^2R$ line power loss, and circuit breaker specification for a 175 A load over a 225 ft (68.6 m) one-way run.

Copper Wire (≤3% Drop)3/0 AWG85.01 mm² · Drop: 2.52%
Aluminum Wire (≤3% Drop)250 kcmilDrop: 6.69V (2.79%)
Voltage at Load End234.0 VLoss: 6.04 V (1057.4 W)
Power & Breaker (125%)42.0 kW225A Breaker Recommended

All AWG & kcmil Wire Gauges for 175 Amps at 225 Feet (240V)

Wire GaugeMetric AreaNEC 75°C Cu Ampacity Copper Voltage DropLoad VoltageAluminum DropLine Loss ($I^2R$)NEC Status
14 AWG2.08 mm²15 A246.95 V (102.9%)0.0 V407.36 V (169.73%)43216.9 WDrop/Amp High
12 AWG3.31 mm²20 A155.19 V (64.66%)84.8 V255.98 V (106.66%)27157.5 WDrop/Amp High
10 AWG5.26 mm²30 A97.65 V (40.69%)142.3 V161.08 V (67.12%)17089.6 WDrop/Amp High
8 AWG8.37 mm²50 A61.37 V (25.57%)178.6 V101.23 V (42.18%)10739.7 WDrop/Amp High
6 AWG13.3 mm²65 A38.62 V (16.09%)201.4 V63.71 V (26.54%)6758.7 WDrop/Amp High
4 AWG21.15 mm²85 A24.29 V (10.12%)215.7 V40.06 V (16.69%)4250.2 WDrop/Amp High
3 AWG26.67 mm²100 A19.26 V (8.02%)220.7 V31.77 V (13.24%)3370.5 WDrop/Amp High
2 AWG33.62 mm²115 A15.28 V (6.37%)224.7 V25.2 V (10.5%)2673.7 WDrop/Amp High
1 AWG42.41 mm²130 A12.11 V (5.05%)227.9 V19.98 V (8.32%)2119.6 WDrop/Amp High
1/0 AWG53.49 mm²150 A9.6 V (4.0%)230.4 V15.84 V (6.6%)1680.5 WDrop/Amp High
2/0 AWG67.43 mm²175 A7.62 V (3.17%)232.4 V12.57 V (5.24%)1333.1 W~ ≤5%
3/0 AWG85.01 mm²200 A6.04 V (2.52%)234.0 V9.97 V (4.15%)1057.4 W✓ PASS (≤3%)
4/0 AWG107.2 mm²230 A4.79 V (2.0%)235.2 V7.9 V (3.29%)838.5 W✓ PASS (≤3%)
250 kcmil126.7 mm²255 A4.05 V (1.69%)235.9 V6.69 V (2.79%)709.5 W✓ PASS (≤3%)
300 kcmil152.0 mm²285 A3.38 V (1.41%)236.6 V5.57 V (2.32%)591.4 W✓ PASS (≤3%)
350 kcmil177.3 mm²310 A2.9 V (1.21%)237.1 V4.78 V (1.99%)507.0 W✓ PASS (≤3%)
400 kcmil202.7 mm²335 A2.53 V (1.06%)237.5 V4.18 V (1.74%)443.5 W✓ PASS (≤3%)
500 kcmil253.4 mm²380 A2.03 V (0.84%)238.0 V3.34 V (1.39%)354.7 W✓ PASS (≤3%)
600 kcmil304.0 mm²420 A1.69 V (0.7%)238.3 V2.79 V (1.16%)295.7 W✓ PASS (≤3%)
750 kcmil380.0 mm²475 A1.35 V (0.56%)238.6 V2.23 V (0.93%)236.6 W✓ PASS (≤3%)
1000 kcmil506.7 mm²545 A1.01 V (0.42%)239.0 V1.67 V (0.7%)177.4 W✓ PASS (≤3%)

Frequently Asked Engineering Questions

What size copper wire do I need for 175 amps at 225 feet (240V)?

To stay within the NEC recommended 3% maximum voltage drop for a 175A load over 225 feet one-way at 240V (1-Phase), you need 3/0 AWG copper wire. This produces a voltage drop of 6.04V (2.52%) and delivers 234.0V at the load.

What size aluminum wire is required for 175 amps at 225 feet?

Using aluminum conductors (75°C rating), you should use 250 kcmil to maintain voltage drop at 6.69V (2.79%).

What breaker size is needed for a 175A continuous load?

Under NEC 210.20(A), continuous loads require a circuit breaker rated at 125% of the continuous current (175A × 1.25 = 218.8A), which corresponds to a standard 225A circuit breaker.