This information here is probably innately understood to most electricians and electrical engineers, but to the average homeowner or business operator, the electrical terms that get thrown around are probably fairly difficult to approach, let alone understand.

You may have noticed, while shopping for building wire, or just casually perusing a catalog, that there are a ton of different types of 600 volt wire out there. You may have also wondered to yourself, why 600 volts? We’ll break this down a little bit so it makes more sense.

What Is Voltage?

Electricity is a flow of electrons that are small, negatively charged particles. These particles exert a force on each other, and that force can be used to power devices, whether for light, mechanical purposes or otherwise.

Electrons are carried between places by conductors, which are generally wires or cables. Most conductors are metals that offer a relatively low resistance to the flow of electrons. Resistance is a measure of how difficult it is for the electrical current to flow along a conductor. Higher resistance causes overheating and inefficiency, whereas low resistance facilitates the flow. Copper and aluminum have very low resistance to electrical current, and therefore are common conductors.

Current is a measure of how “much” electricity flows along a conductor. Voltage is another important measurement of potential electrical energy that can be represented by the equation V=IR, or more fully, Voltage=(Current)(Resistance). As every conductor offers resistance to flow, voltage represents force pushing the electrons through a conductor.

Almost all homes in America are delivered a power supply of 240 volts, but most home outlets are 120 volt outlets, meaning that, at most, 120 volts of power could be delivered through conductors plugged into said outlet. This is one of the main reasons that 600 volt wire is so prevalent.

What is 600 Volt Wire?

Among other technical specifications, wires are given a rating according to the voltage to which they can be safely exposed. For example, wire rated to 600 volts indicates that 600 volts of potential is the greatest voltage the wire can be exposed to, given its resistivity and conductivity. Above 600 volts the wire would overheat or worse. Luckily, even 600v wire is hardly ever exposed to potential that even approaches that rating. As specified above, most homes provide 120v service and therefore wire such as 600v wire is well within its working range.

That answers the question of what is 600v wire, but to offer a little more information on why 600 bolts, all you have to do is ponder a little further on what we offered in the section above. Building wire is very often rated to 600 volts simply because that covers its working range and gives it some protection in the event of a surge. Because most building wire will never approach that potential, it is a safe rating to work with, much of the time. With that in mind, that does not mean by any stretch that 600v wire is safe for every domestic application. To be certain of the fitness of a given wire to a setting, you must consult an electrician or an electrical engineer.

We Offer Plenty of Options

Here at EWCS Wire, we offer plenty of building wire rated to 600 volts and colored so that you can keep track of circuits and power supply. In addition to our copper wire for building and residential purposes, we also offer bare copper wire to serve as ground wire, along with wires and cables for a number of specialty purposes.

In our collection of wires and cables, you will find electrical wiring for a number of different settings with very diverse needs. For example, you will find armored cable to feed power in industrial and agricultural settings, as well THHN and THWN wires to stand up better to the elements. We also offer a number of security and alarm cables for monitoring systems, and well as individually tinned marine battery cables and extremely tough, rugged welding cables that are well suited to in situ welding applications. After all, we are the Electrical Wire and Cable Specialists, so if you can’t find it here, we’d be surprised.

Give Us a Call!

While you’re shopping through our site, don’t feel like you have to navigate through everything on your own. We’d be more than happy to offer you some more information on the many types of wire and cable that we offer in our online store, as well as making recommendations based on your given situation. Remember, you should ultimately work with an electrician to complete your job, but we offer the products to get the job done.

You can reach our team at 800-262-1598 or at sales@ewcswire.com. Give us a call anytime you need a little more clarity on any of our products and we’d be glad to help.