LED Wires

LED Wire Gauge

Like any LED wire, gauge is the very important factor to consider when buying LED extension cable or LED strip light wire. The bigger the gauge, the larger current the LED wire can carry. Bigger gauge also means lower resistance from the wire in the circuit, and lower resistance means sustained voltage along the circuit.

American Wire Gauge, short for AWG, is the well-known standard measurement system for electrical wire in North America. It is mainly related to the diameter size of the wires. Most commonly used LED wires are 16 AWG, 18 AWG, 20 AWG, or 22 AWG. The smaller the number, the bigger the wire gauge. For example, 18 AWG wire is bigger in gauge than 20 AWG wire.

LED Wire Current Limit and Gauge

Bigger gauge means larger current limit allowed for the LED wire. As a rule of thumb reference, 22 AWG wire, its current limit is 2.8 Amps; 20 AWG wire, 5 Amps; and 18AWG wire, 6.5 Amps; and 16 AWG wire, 10 Amps.

16 AWG and 18 AWG LED Wire

Information on LED wire on our website is ONLY provided as knowledge to our understanding or as our opinion, not to any extent to replace any electrical safety standard or electrical operation regulation.

NOTE: For safety consideration, please always consult a certified electrician for choosing and installing any electrical parts.

16 AWG or 18 AWG LED wires are mainly used to connect power supply to wall outlet or mains.

• For load under 800 Watts, we recommend using 18 AWG wire.
• For load between 800 Watts 1200 Watts, we recommend using 16 AWG wire.
• For larger load, use 14 AWG or even bigger gauge wire.

18 AWG and 22 AWG wire

18 AWG and 22 AWG wires are often used to make multiple conductor wires, such as 2 pin, 3 pin, 4 pin, 5 pin, and 6 pin LED extension cables, to connect two pieces of LED strip lights. If the length of extension cable needed is going to be long, usually 18 AWG wires are used. 22 AWG wires are usually used for short distance connection, such as where LED strips make turns, or jumper extension, like going through wood panels. The multiple conductor wires can be easily separated to fit installation needs.

When connecting to LED strip lights, 18 AWG and 22 AWG wires are often used together with LED strip light connectors, or soldered onto the printed circuit board of the LED strip lights. Below are the mostly popular LED wires used as LED extension cables. They are specially made for the ease of installing different types of LED strip lights. There are differences among them. See below for the detailed explanation.

2 pin LED wire - white or single colored LED strip light extension cable

2 Pin LED wire is 2 conductor wire. It is used to connect two pieces of white or single colored LED strips, connect them to dimmer controller, or connect the LED strips to DC power directly.

3 pin LED wire - tunable white LED strip light extension cable

3 pin LED wire is 3 conductor wire, used to connect two pieces of tunable white LED strip lights, or connect them to tunable white LED controller. Tunable white LED strips are also called white adjustable LED strips, adjustable color temperature LED strips, or CCT changeable LED strips. Tunable white LED strip lights are NOT to be connected to power directly.

4 pin LED wire - RGB color changing LED strip light extension cable

4 pin LED wire is 4 conductor wire, used to connect two pieces of RGB color changing LED strip lights, or connect them to RGB controller. RGB LED strip lights are NOT to be connected to power directly.

5 pin LED wire - RGBW color changing LED strip light extension cable

5 pin LED wire is 5 conductor wire, used to connect two pieces of RGBW color changing LED strip lights, or connect them to RGBW controller. RGBW LED strips are also called 4-in-1 LED strips, which can be either RGB + warm white, or RGB + cool white LED strips. They are NOT to be connected to power directly.

6 pin LED wire - RGB + tunable white LED strip light extension cable

6 pin LED wire is 6 conductor wire, used to connect two pieces of RGB + tunable white LED strip lights, or connect them to RGB + tunable white LED controller. RGB + tunable white LED strips are also called 5-in-1 LED strips, or RGB+CCT LED strips. They can NOT be connected to power directly.