Difference Between Solid Wire And Stranded Wire?

Electricians often must decide whether to use solid or stranded wire for house wiring, especially when it comes to specific types of applications – like wiring a thermostat or connecting powerlines to furnaces and high-heat generating cooking appliances.

For example, what's the difference between a 12 gauge wire that’s made of a solid core versus one with stranded core. They’re both 12-gauge, so what’s the difference? To make the right choice as to whether to use stranded or solid wire, it’s important to understand the difference between the two.

Stranded wire, as is highlighted in the image on the right (red) is constructed from multiple strands of thin individual wires that are braided together (like a rope) to form a single conductor. The thickness of the individual strands depends on the stranded wire gauge chosen for the application. When it comes to solid wire, like in the image to the left (white), it is made from a single, solid core of continuous material.

Another difference between stranded versus solid wire is the flexibility of the two types of wires. Solid wires are less flexible, while a stranded wire has greater flexibility. Also, when understanding the difference between stranded wire vs solid wire, electricians must realize that solid wire has the tendency to break if it is flexed repeatedly. It’s stranded counterpart, however, is more resilient to flexing. Then there’s the matter of tension and strength. Using a stranded wire for applications where there’s a lot of pulling and stretching may cause the wire to break. On the other hand, solid wires are less likely to break when pulled or tugged during installation.