Lab

Wire size

Spec 55 tin-plated copper wire. Voltage drop with temperature-compensated resistance.

Circuit Current (A) Length

Voltage (V) Max voltage drop (%) Conductor temperature (°C) Type

Hookup (55A011X): lightweight single-wall 0.006", 12–30 AWG, for equipment/internal wiring.
Airframe (55A081X): dual-wall 0.010", 26–00 AWG, more robust for harnesses and larger sizes.

Nearby sizes

Guides

Spec 55 continuous rating –65 °C to 200 °C (silver/nickel) or 150 °C (tin).
Resistance temperature compensation uses copper α = 0.00393/°C from 20 °C.
Voltage-drop targets: critical / electronics, aim for ≤ 3–5 %. General power or high-load, weight-sensitive runs can accept 10–15 % to save weight; the trade-off is lost power.

Colour code

Spec 55 colours follow MIL-STD-681. The digits after the wire size in the part number are the colour code: base colour first, then up to two stripe colours.

0 Black 1 Brown 2 Red 3 Orange 4 Yellow 5 Green 6 Blue 7 Violet 8 Gray 9 White 2L Pink

2L Pink is listed in TE's Spec 55 catalogue colour key alongside the 0–9 codes.
55A0111-22-9: 22 AWG, white. 55A0111-22-90: white with black stripe. 92 = white with red stripe.
White (9) is the preferred colour on TE's Spec 55 drawings and the usual stock colour.
Common practice, not part of Spec 55 or MIL-STD-681: red = positive supply, black = ground / return.

Sources: TE 55A0111 drawing · MIL-STD-681 colour codes (NASA NPSL)

Stranding build-up

Concentric stranding: a core strand, then layers of 6, 12, 18… strands, each twisted around the layer below.

Cross-sections

7 strands: 30–28 AWG hookup. 19 strands: 26–14 AWG. 37 strands: 12–10 AWG.