2 mil conductor???????

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Alwayslearningelec

Senior Member
Location
NJ
Occupation
Estimator
Okay, I heard someone today asking for pricing on a "2 mil" conductor. I was confused when I heard this. I think they meant #2 which would be AWG and not "mil". 250-600 would be either kcmil or mcm. Am I thinking about this correctly? Thanks.
 

jim dungar

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Wisconsin
Occupation
PE (Retired) - Power Systems
2 mil is an absolutely meaningless term. It might be slang in some area but, that does not excuse its use.
You are correct, electrical wire in the US is measured in AWG or circular mils, in other parts of the world they use mm?.
 

broadgage

Senior Member
Location
London, England
Here in the UK "mill" though not strictly correct is a widely used term.
Generaly understood to be an abbreviation of "cross section of XX square millimeters"
In common parlance, UK electricians might say "you need at least at least 6 mill for that" or perhaps enquire as to the price of a roll of "4 mill"

It must however be said that " 2 mill" is not a standard size.
Standard sizes are 1.0, 1.5, 2.5, 4.0, 6, 10, 16, 25, 35, 50, mill and upwards. Usually written as "mm" but pronounced as "mill"
2.0 mm cable exists but is a special size not generally available.
 

infinity

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Staff member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Journeyman Electrician
"2 mil" is slang for 2,000,000 circular mils or 2000 kcmil conductors. It's actually used in the NYC subway system.
 
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