Bus Bar Quick Selector - Knowing the ampacity, designers and estimators can get the approximate bus bar size. Ampacity of the bus bar selected must then be verified by checking table 1.
Required
Ampacity,*
(Range)
Amp		 Busbar Dimensions,In.**
30°C Rise 50°C Rise 65°C Rise
100 1/16 x 1/2 Copper Bus Bar 1/16 x 1/2  
(100-149) Ampacity Range 1/16 x 3/4 Copper Bus Bar
150 1/16 x 1 Copper Bus Bar 1/16 x 3/4 1/16 x 1/2
(150-199) Ampacity Range 1/8 x 1/2 Copper Bus Bar
  3/16 x 1/2 Copper Bus Bar
200 1/8 x 3/4 Copper Bus Bar 1/8 x 1/2 1/16 x 3/4
(200-249) Ampacity Range 1/4 x 1/2 Copper Bus Bar 1/8 x 1/2
250 1/16 x 1 1/2 Copper Bus Bar 1/16 x 1 1/16 x 1
(250-299) Ampacity Range 1/8 x 1 Copper Bus Bar 1/8 x 3/4
  3/16 x 3/4 Copper Bus Bar 3/16 x 1/2
300 1/16 x 2 Copper Bus Bar 1/4 x 1/2 1/8 x 3/4
(300-349) Ampacity Range 3/16 x 1 Copper Bus Bar 3/16 x 1/2
  1/4 x 3/4 Copper Bus Bar  
350 1/8 x 1 1/2 Copper Bus Bar 1/16 x 1 1/2 1/4 x 1/2
(350-399) Ampacity Range 1/8 x 1
  3/16 x 3/4
400 1/4 x 3/4 Copper Bus Bar 1/4 x 3/4 1/4 x 1/2
(400-449) Ampacity Range 3/8 x 3/4 Copper Bus Bar
400 1/4 x 1 Copper Bus Bar 1/4 x 3/4 1/16 x 1 1/2
(400-449) Ampacity Range 3/8 x 3/4 Copper Bus Bar 1/8 x 1
    3/16 x 3/4
450 1/8 x 2 Copper Bus Bar 1/16 x 2 1/4 x 3/4
(450-499) Ampacity Range 3/16 x 1/2 Copper Bus Bar 3/16 x 1
500 1/4 x 1 1/2 Copper Bus Bar 1/8 x 1 1/2 1/16 x 2
(500-599) Ampacity Range 3/8 x 1 Copper Bus Bar 1/4 x 1 1/8 x 1 1/2
    3/8 x 3/4 3/16 x 1
600 1/8 x 2 1/2 Copper Bus Bar 1/8 x 2 1/4 x 1
(600-699) Ampacity Range 3/16 x 2 Copper Bus Bar 3/16 x 1 1/2 3/8 x 3/4
  1/2 x 1 Copper Bus Bar 1/4 x 1  
700 1/8 x 3 Copper Bus Bar 1/4 x 1 1/2 1/8 x 2
(700-799) Ampacity Range 3/16 x 2 1/2 Copper Bus Bar 3/16 x 1 1/2
  1/4 x 2 Copper Bus Bar 3/8 x 1
  3/8 x 1 1/2 Copper Bus Bar  
800 1/8 x 3 1/2 Copper Bus Bar 1/8 x 2 1/2 1/4 x 1 1/2
(800-899) Ampacity Range 3/16 x 3 Copper Bus Bar 3/16 x 2
  1/4 x 2 1/2 Copper Bus Bar 1/2 x 1
  3/8 x 2 Copper Bus Bar  
900 1/8 x 4 Copper Bus Bar 1/8 x 3 1/8 x 2 1/2
(900-999) Ampacity Range 3/16 x 3 1/2 Copper Bus Bar 3/16 x 2 1/2 1/2 x 1
  1/4 x 3 Copper Bus Bar 1/4 x 2  
    3/8 x 1 1/2  
1000 3/16 x 4 Copper Bus Bar 1/8 x 4 1/8 x 3
(1000-1249) Ampacity Range 1/4 x 3 1/2 Copper Bus Bar 1/8 x 4 1/8 x 3
  3/8 x 2 1/2 Copper Bus Bar 3/16 x 3 3/16 x 2 1/2
  3/8 x 3 Copper Bus Bar 1/4 x 2 1/2, 3/8 x 2 1/4 x 2, 3/8 x 1 1/2
  1/2 x 2 Copper Bus Bar 1/4 x 2 1/2, 3/8 x 2 1/4 x 2, 3/8 x 1 1/2
  1/2 x 2 1/2 Copper Bus Bar 1/4 x 2 1/2, 3/8 x 2 1/4 x 2, 3/8 x 1 1/2
1250 1/4 x 4 Copper Bus Bar 3/16 x 3 1/2, 3/16 x 4 1/8 x 4
(1250-1499) Ampacity Range 3/8 x 3 1/2 Copper Bus Bar 1/4 x 3 3/16 x 3
  1/2 x 3 Copper Bus Bar 3/8 x 2 1/2 1/4 x 2 1/2
    1/2 x 2 3/8 x 2
1500 1/4 x 5 Copper Bus Bar 1/4 x 3 1/2, 1/4 x 4 3/16 x 3 1/2, 3/16 x 4
(1500-1749) Ampacity Range 3/8 x 4 Copper Bus Bar 3/8 x 3 1/4 x 3
  1/2 x 3 1/2 Copper Bus Bar 1/2 x 2 1/2 3/8 x 2 1/2
  1/2 x 4 Copper Bus Bar   1/2 x 2
1750 1/4 x 6 Copper Bus Bar 3/8 x 3 1/2 1/4 x 3 1/2, 1/4 x 4
(1750-1999) Ampacity Range 3/8 x 5 Copper Bus Bar 1/2 x 3 3/8 x 3
      1/2 x 2 1/2
2000 1/4 x 8 Copper Bus Bar 1/4 x 6 1/4 x 5
(2000-2499) Ampacity Range 3/8 x 6 Copper Bus Bar 3/8 x 5 3/8 x 4
  1/2 x 5 Copper Bus Bar 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 3 1/2
  1/2 x 6 Copper Bus Bar 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 3 1/2
  3/4 x 4 Copper Bus Bar 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 3 1/2
  3/4 x 5 Copper Bus Bar 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 3 1/2
2500 1/4 x 10 Copper Bus Bar 3/8 x 6 1/4 x 6
(2500-2999) Ampacity Range 3/8 x 8 Copper Bus Bar 1/2 x 5 3/8 x 5
  3/4 x 6 Copper Bus Bar 3/4 x 4 1/2 x 4
3000 1/4 x 12 Copper Bus Bar 1/4 x 8 1/4 x 8
(3000-3499) Ampacity Range 3/8 x 10 Copper Bus Bar 1/2 x 6 3/8 x 6
  1/2 x 8 Copper Bus Bar 3/4 x 5 1/2 x 5
      3/4 x 4
3500 3/8 x 12 Copper Bus Bar 1/4 x 10 1/2 x 6
(3500-3999) Ampacity Range 1/2 x 10 Copper Bus Bar 3/8 x 8 3/4 x 5
  3/4 x 8 Copper Bus Bar 3/4 x 6  
4000 1/2 x 12 Copper Bus Bar 1/4 x 12 1/4 x 10
(4000-4499) Ampacity Range 3/4 x 10 Copper Bus Bar 3/8 x 10 3/8 x 8
    1/2 x 8 3/4 x 6
4500 3/4 x 12 Copper Bus Bar 1/2 x 10, 3/4 x 8 1/4 x 12
(4500-4999) Ampacity Range 3/8 x 10
  1/2 x 8
5000   3/8 x 12 3/8 x 12
(5000-5999) Ampacity Range 1/2 x 12 1/2 x 10
  3/4 x 10 3/4 x 8

* For 60 Hz current
** Table gives bus bar cross sections which will probably be large enough for ampacities within each range. Knowing required ampacity, determine possible bus bar dimentions from the table. Then check Table 1 to verify that size selected has the necessary ampacity.

Example: Assume that required ampacity is 185 amp at 30 °C rise. Table 3 indicates that 1/16 x 1 in. size would probably be adequate. This is confirmed by Table 1 which lists the ampacity of 1/16 x 1 in. bus bar as 187 amp.

Other Bus Bar Links

Aluminum Bus Bar General Information
Aluminum Bus Bar Chart
Copper Bus Bar General Information
Copper Bus Bar Ampacity Chart
Copper Bus Bar DC Ampacity
Copper Bus Bar Horizontal Properties
Copper Bus Bar Vertical Properties
Copper Emissivity Chart
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