Skip to content
SiteSpecCalc

Length imperial. Weight lb. Currency USD. Weight uses 1 lb = 0.45359237 kg. Currency converts US-dollar planning prices and does not change volumes, counts, or geometry.

30A RV Hookup Wire Size at 100 Feet

One hundred feet at 30 A and 120 V is a voltage-drop page. The pedestal breaker size alone is not the answer.

Formula SSC-2026.1

K method · SSC-2026.1

Minimum size

6 AWG · 13.3 mm²

Single conductor set

Voltage drop

2.95 V

2.46% · end 117.1 V

Power loss

88 W

I²R at the operating current

Required ampacity

30.0 A

Each conductor 65 A

Material estimate

$796.00

3 conductors + EMT

Conductor weight

29.4 lb

13.3 kg · approximate insulated weight

Single-line and conductor gaugeLive scaled blueprint
MAIN PANELSingle-phase 120 VEMT · 100 ft · 6 AWG · 13.3 mm²30A RV30 ASelected gauge6 AWGaluminum4 AWGDrop 2.46%End 117.1 VLoss 88 W

Circle diameters track circular mils. The drawing is a schematic, not a conduit-fill layout.

Bill of materials and shopping list
ItemNetWasteOrderUnit priceLine total
copper 6 AWG · 13.3 mm²100 ft one waycuts excluded3 conductorsUSD$611.00
EMT conduit100 ft—100 ftUSD$185.00
Copper versus aluminum at this run
MaterialMinimum sizemm²DropEnd voltageLoss
copper6 AWG · 13.3 mm²13.32.46%117.1 V88 W
aluminum4 AWG · 21.2 mm²21.22.54%117.0 V91 W
Same load at other one-way distances
DistanceMinimum sizeDropPercentEnd voltage
75 ft8 AWG · 8.37 mm²3.52 V2.93%116.5 V
100 ft6 AWG · 13.3 mm²2.95 V2.46%117.1 V
125 ft4 AWG · 21.2 mm²2.32 V1.93%117.7 V
Show the deterministic formula

Single phase: Vdrop = 2 × K × I × D / cmil. Three phase: Vdrop = 1.732 × K × I × D / cmil. K is 12.9 for copper and 21.2 for aluminum. D is one-way feet.

Percent drop = Vdrop ÷ source voltage × 100. Green is 3% or less, amber is 3 to 5%, and red is over 5%. Power loss is I²R on the current-carrying conductors.

The smallest conductor that meets both the ampacity (125% when continuous) and the drop limit is selected. Ampacity does not include bundling or temperature correction.

Engineering notes

One hundred feet at 30 A and 120 V is a voltage-drop page. The pedestal breaker size alone is not the answer. The run is 100 ft one way at 30 A on 1ph-120. K is 12.9 for copper and 21.2 for aluminum. Ambient temperature, bundling, and rooftop adders are not applied.

Code reference

NEC 210.19(A) and 215.2(A) informational notes recommend 3 percent on a branch circuit and 5 percent total with the feeder. Ampacity follows the 75°C column of Table 310.16 plus the small-conductor limits. Confirm the adopted edition.

Field questions

What current is used for the 30 A voltage drop?
Both the drop and the ampacity check use the entered amps, because this preset is not marked continuous.
Does this replace the equipment installation manual?
No. The nameplate, the breaker, and the adopted NEC edition still control. This page is the K-method size and the percent drop.
Can I switch copper and aluminum?
Yes. The conductor control and the comparison table both recompute size, drop, and the planning cost.

Explore Related Engineering Calculations