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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.

Copper Wire Spool Weight for a 100 Amp, 150 Foot Feeder

A long copper feeder where the spool weight matters as much as the gauge.

Formula SSC-2026.1

K method · SSC-2026.1

Minimum size

2 AWG · 33.6 mm²

Single conductor set

Voltage drop

5.83 V

2.43% · end 234.2 V

Power loss

583 W

I²R at the operating current

Required ampacity

100.0 A

Each conductor 115 A

Material estimate

$2,248.50

3 conductors + PVC

Conductor weight

105.8 lb

48.0 kg · approximate insulated weight

Single-line and conductor gaugeLive scaled blueprint
MAIN PANELSingle-phase 240 VPVC · 150 ft · 2 AWG · 33.6 mm²Copper feeder100 ASelected gauge2 AWGaluminum1/0 AWGDrop 2.43%End 234.2 VLoss 583 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 2 AWG · 33.6 mm²150 ft one waycuts excluded3 conductorsUSD$2,106.00
PVC conduit150 ft—150 ftUSD$142.50
Copper versus aluminum at this run
MaterialMinimum sizemm²DropEnd voltageLoss
copper2 AWG · 33.6 mm²33.62.43%234.2 V583 W
aluminum1/0 AWG · 53.5 mm²53.52.51%234.0 V602 W
Same load at other one-way distances
DistanceMinimum sizeDropPercentEnd voltage
75 ft3 AWG · 26.7 mm²3.68 V1.53%236.3 V
150 ft2 AWG · 33.6 mm²5.83 V2.43%234.2 V
200 ft1 AWG · 42.4 mm²6.17 V2.57%233.8 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

The circuit is 100 A, 240 V, 150 ft, copper, 3 percent, in PVC. The weight line uses an approximate insulated-copper weight for the selected size times the conductor count. Aluminum is about a third of that weight at the same size, but it usually requires a larger size. Use the copper-versus-aluminum table, then the weight, before you choose a spool. The price per foot is editable because copper moves.

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

Does the weight include the conduit?
No. Conduit is a separate cost line. The weight is the conductors, including the ground allowance count.
Why might 150 feet step the wire up?
Ampacity may be satisfied by a smaller conductor that then fails the 3 percent drop. The minimum size meets both.
Can the yard quote aluminum instead?
Switch the conductor control or read the comparison table. Recheck the weight after the size changes.