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AmpSize

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Minimum cable size for power points

Minimum conductor size lookup

Worked to AS/NZS 3000:2018. Tables checked 26 Sept 2026.

Minimum conductor size

2.5mm²

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This result is a design aid. Verify it against the current standard.

A drawn result card from the Minimum Conductor Size tool: minimum conductor size 2.5 mm².

The minimum copper conductor for a socket‑outlet circuit is 2.5 mm². The tool reads it from AS/NZS 3000:2018 Table 3.3. It is a floor, not a design: the current, the voltage drop and the loop impedance can each call for a larger size.

The exceptions

Table 3.3 carries two exceptions. Exception 1 can allow a smaller socket‑outlet conductor, but it sets conditions you must meet first. Read them in the standard before you use a smaller size.

Next step

Size the circuit itself with the cable size calculator. For a typical power point circuit it also selects 2.5 mm².

See also: What size cable for power points in NZ? and Minimum cable size for a lighting circuit.

Try it with these inputs

Conductor material
Copper
Use of the circuit
Socket‑outlets
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Where next

The ideas behind it

More worked examples

AmpSize is a design aid. Verify results against the current standard.

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