RC Battery Wire Gauge Chart: Best Pairing of Connector and Wire

This article provides a detailed wire gauge chart primarily used in RC hobbies, especially for wires connecting battery connectors. In addition to this chart, there is also an RC Battery Connector Chart. You can use these charts to achieve the optimal pairing of wires with battery connectors.

Due to the variation in materials used by different manufacturers, the following data may have some inaccuracies, but these errors are not significant. The data provided below are from Gens Ace and Tattu, which are authoritative sources and offer strong reference value.

RC Battery Wire Gauge Chart

AWG	Continuous Current	IR	Outer Diameter	Conductor Cross-Section Area	Weight
8AWG	209.5A	4.2 Ohm/km	6.5mm	8.29mm	101.25g/meter
10AWG	140.6A	6.3 Ohm/km	5.5mm	5.3mm	70.55g/meter
12AWG	88.4A	9.8 Ohm/km	4.5mm	3.4mm	46.32g/meter
14AWG	55.6A	15.6 Ohm/km	3.5mm	2mm	27.375g/meter
16AWG	35A	24.4 Ohm/km	3mm	1.27mm	18.725g/meter
18AWG	22A	39.5 Ohm/km	2.3mm	0.75mm	11.025g/meter
20AWG	13.87A	62.5 Ohm/km	1.8mm	0.5mm	7.275g/meter
22AWG	8.73A	88.6 Ohm/km	1.7mm	0.33mm	5.35g/meter
24AWG	5A	97.6 Ohm/km	1.6mm	0.2mm	3.925g/meter
26AWG	3.5A	123 Ohm/km	1.5mm	0.15mm	3.34g/meter
28AWG	1.25A	227.2 Ohm/km	1.3mm	0.08mm	2.15g/meter

• AWG (American Wire Gauge): A standard system used to denote the thickness of wire. The lower the number, the thicker the wire.
• Continuous Current: The maximum current that the wire can carry continuously without overheating or degrading.
• IR (Internal Resistance): Measured in Ohms per kilometer (Ohm/km), this indicates the resistance of the wire which affects how much energy is lost as heat.
• Outer Diameter: The overall thickness of the wire including insulation.
• Conductor Cross-Section Area: The area of the wire’s conductive material, usually in square millimeters (mm²), which correlates with the wire’s capacity to carry current.
• Weight: The weight of the wire per meter, typically given in grams per meter (g/meter), which can be important for weight-sensitive applications like RC vehicles.

RC Battery Connector Chart

Connector (Plug)	Name	Continuous Current	Max. Current	Max. Wire Gauge
	Micro Deans-T	10A	15A	20AWG
	Deans-T	40A	60A	10AWG
	XT30	15A	30A	16AWG
	XT60	40A	70A	12AWG
	XT60H	30A	60A	12AWG
	XT60U	30A	60A	12AWG
	XT90	60A	100A	10AWG
	XT150	80A	120A	8AWG
	AS150	100A	150A	10AWG
	QS8	110A	500A	8AWG
	EC2	20A	30A	14AWG
	EC3	30A	50A	12AWG
	EC5	70A	110A	10AWG
	IC2	20A	30A	14AWG
	IC3	30A	50A	12AWG
	IC5	70A	110A	10AWG
	TRX (Traxxas)	30A	60A	10AWG
	Tamiya	40A	60A	12AWG
	Tamiya Mini	10A	30A	14AWG
	PH2.0 (JST-PHR-2P)	3A	4A	18AWG
	JST-SYP	3A	4A	18AWG
	JST-XHR	3A	5A	20AWG
	GNB27	9A	15A	18AWG
	A30	9A	15A	20AWG
	BT2.0	9A	15A	22AWG
	Molex (Molex-51005-2P)	2A	3A	22AWG
	Banana (2.0mm)	10A	20A	18AWG
	Banana (4.0mm)	30A	45A	12AWG

• Connector (Plug): This column lists the types of connectors, which are used to join electric circuits together, specifically for RC batteries.
• Continuous Current: This is the maximum current that the connector can handle for an extended period without overheating or failing.
• Max. Current: This refers to the maximum peak current that the connector can handle for a short duration without damage.
• Max. Wire Gauge: This indicates the largest diameter of wire that can be used with the connector in American Wire Gauge (AWG) terms.

How can the Best Combination of Wires, and Connectors be Achieved?

It depends on your actual current requirements. The formula for calculating this is:

Rated Current (A)=Capacity (Ah)×C-rating

The peak current usually is twice the rated current.

However, the mAh (milliamp-hour) and C-rating of LiPo batteries in the market are sometimes exaggerated, and the degree of this exaggeration varies among manufacturers. This makes determining the true rated and peak currents of these batteries more challenging. But you can use battery testers or dischargers to check the real capacity and C-rate: Specialized equipment can be used to test the actual discharge capabilities of batteries. These devices can measure the capacity and maximum discharge rate of the batteries through actual discharge tests.

Besides, opting for batteries from well-known brands is usually more reliable. These brands are more likely to provide accurate specifications as they need to maintain their reputation. If you want to save time in the process of finding the best battery for your RC models, as well as avoid buying an inferior battery, then you can use our Battery Finder, which will recommend the best battery for you.

About JST and Molex Series Connectors

There are many JST series connectors, often referred to simply as JST connectors. For example, the full name of the balanced connector for Lipo 3S batteries is JST-XHR-4P. Similarly, the Molex family of connectors is often referred to simply as Molex connectors.

In the JST-XHR-4P connector nomenclature, “XHR” is the series name of the connector, and “4P” stands for 4 pins, indicating that the connector has four conductive pins. Therefore, a JST-XHR-4P is a model from the JST-XH series with four pins and is typically used for balancing charging leads on battery packs. These connectors are often found on the balance charging interface of batteries, where each pin connects to a cell within the battery pack to ensure equal voltage across the cells during charging.

What is the Anti-spark Connector?

QS8 and XT150 anti-spark connectors versions are specially designed to handle high currents while minimizing electrical sparking during connection and disconnection. These connectors are crucial for high-power systems, as the rapid change in current when plugging or unplugging connectors can create sparks at the contact points, which may lead to equipment damage and even safety hazards.