What does 10mm2 wire mean?

[demonboy]

What I mean is, if I am wiring something where the recommended 12v supply wire is supposed to be 10mm2, does that mean the entire housing is 10mm in diameter, or each cable within the housing (the red and the black wires) are 10mm2 each?

 

[Allan]

Each of the wires has a cross sectional area of 10 square mm.
Allan

 

[pvb]

It means that the total cross-sectional area of the strands in one core is 10 sq mm.

 

[demonboy]

Thank you both for that. You've made me look less of an idiot when I next nip into the chandlers (later this morning).

 

[savageseadog]

First important point is that we're talking about the wire itself, the copper bit, the aggregate cross section of the copper. Where it's stranded add together the area of each stand to get the total or more approximately bunch together and measure overall. Area is pi x Dsquared divided by 4. pi is 3.142 or approx 22 divided by 7.

 

[kingfisher]

Yes, where Pi or π is a mathematical constant whose value is the ratio of any circle's circumference to its diameter in Euclidean space; this is the same value as the ratio of a circle's area to the square of its radius. It is approximately equal to 3.14159 in the usual decimal notation (see the table for its representation in some other bases).

I know he already got his anwser from the first post, but I felt it important to show off my wisdom.

 

[LadyInBed]

This table helps put it in perspective

 

[tri39]

Clarity at last! Thnx.

 

[demonboy]

I bought me wire today, thanks to the above posts. Now I have a rough idea what 10mm2 looks like it will make future purchases easier. Mind you, it did help that it had 10mm2 printed on the plastic sheath!