mm² to AWG
| mm² | Diameter (mm) | Nearest AWG | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 | 0.798 | 20 | Signal and low-current DC |
| 0.75 | 0.977 | 19 | Flexible appliance cord |
| 1.0 | 1.128 | 17 | Light fittings |
| 1.5 | 1.382 | 16 | Lighting circuits |
| 2.5 | 1.784 | 14 | Socket circuits |
| 4 | 2.257 | 12 | Cookers, showers |
| 6 | 2.764 | 10 | Heavy circuits, EV chargers |
| 10 | 3.568 | 8 | Sub-mains |
| 16 | 4.514 | 6 | Meter tails, feeders |
A 1.5 mm² metric cable is closest to AWG 16, and 2.5 mm² to AWG 14. The gauges are not exact equivalents; the metric size is usually a little larger, which is why substituting metric for AWG is the safe direction and not the reverse.
How to convert mm² to AWG
The awkwardness is that AWG values are a fixed geometric series and metric sizes are a preferred-number series, so they interleave rather than match. A calculated result of "AWG 15.5" is real information: it means the metric cable sits between two gauges and neither is an exact replacement. In practice the decision is made by current rating and by what the terminal will accept, and a fractional gauge result is a prompt to check both rather than to round.
Questions
About AWG 13.4, so AWG 14 is the nearest standard gauge, but it is thinner, at 2.08 mm².
Because the two scales interleave. A fractional result tells you the metric size sits between two gauges.
Toward the thicker conductor; the lower AWG number, if the substitution has to carry the same current.
Close but not equal. 1.5 mm² is 1.5; AWG 16 is 1.31 mm², about 13% thinner.
Not for the conversion, but very much for whether the cable fits a gland or conduit. Check the overall diameter separately.