Over 50 feet one-way, 8 AWG copper drops 1.3% at 20A on 120V and 1.6% at 50A on 240V: loads up to 40A stay under 3% at 120V, and every load here up to 50A stays under 3% at 240V.
Single phase, copper conductor, one-way distance. ✅ = under 3%, ⚠️ = 3-5%, ❌ = over 5%
| Load | V-Drop | @ 120V | @ 240V |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20A | 1.6V | ✅ 1.3% | ✅ 0.6% |
| 30A | 2.3V | ✅ 1.9% | ✅ 1.0% |
| 40A | 3.1V | ✅ 2.6% | ✅ 1.3% |
| 50A* | 3.9V | ⚠️ 3.2% | ✅ 1.6% |
Longest one-way distance that keeps single-phase copper within 3%.
| Load | @ 120V | @ 240V |
|---|---|---|
| 20A | 115 ft | 230 ft |
| 30A | 75 ft | 155 ft |
| 40A | 60 ft | 115 ft |
| 50A | 45 ft | 95 ft |
* Above 40A, 8 AWG needs 75°C-rated terminations at both ends (NEC 110.14(C)); most breakers and panels rated 100A or less assume 60°C unless marked 75°C.
Voltage drop for single-phase circuits: Vdrop = 2 × I × R × L
Where I = current in amps, R = resistance per foot (0.000778 Ω/ft for 8 AWG copper, from NEC Chapter 9 Table 8 at 75°C), and L = one-way distance (50 ft).
The factor of 2 accounts for both the supply and return conductors. NEC recommends a maximum 3% voltage drop for branch circuits and 5% for the total circuit (feeder + branch).
If voltage drop is too high: Use the next larger wire size. Each single AWG step up in size cuts voltage drop by about 21% — it takes three steps to roughly halve it, since each step increases the conductor area by a factor of 1.26. Alternatively, for 120V loads, consider rewiring for 240V — same absolute drop but half the percentage.
It depends on the load and voltage. With NEC Table 8 resistance (0.778 Ω per 1000 ft at 75°C), a 50-foot run of 8 AWG copper drops 1.3% at 20A, 1.9% at 30A, 2.6% at 40A, 3.2% at 50A on 120V, and half those percentages on 240V. All of these meet the 3% branch-circuit guideline at 240V.
To stay within 3% voltage drop, 8 AWG copper can run about 115 ft at 20A on 120V, or 95 ft at 50A on 240V (one-way). Its maximum load is 50A at 75°C; lighter loads can run proportionally farther.
Upsize when your load pushes drop above 3%. At 50A on 240V over 50 feet, 8 AWG drops 1.6%; stepping up to 6 AWG cuts that to 1.0%. For motors, well pumps or sensitive electronics, aim for 2% or less.