#1 and #2 insulated wire question

If you want to get really technical, the "#2" refers to the hardness of the pencil lead, not its thickness. (And yeah, it's not lead either, it's graphite.)

It used to be lead one time. lol

A reply to a post I made earlier:



Strip the wire if it still has tin coating then it is number #2 no matter the gauge. #1 scrap copper wire is based on many variables including: 8 Gauge or heavier?, Is each individual strand as thick as a pencil lead / hanger? If so #1 unless tin coated or shelaq example some welding & mtw wire have this coating which is similiar to the coating that is used in electric motor winding.

Avg #1 copper wire includes:

Stripped or Jacket Removed Romex / Houswire, with the jacket removed some call this spaghetti wire which is considered a single pencil lead wire that bends and stays bent "Stiff"
THHN 250 - 700 MCM
THHN 1 - 3 "O"
Some THWN in thick gauges
etc etc.

Whats THHN, THWN, MTW?
THHN is a hard plastic insulated wire, THWN is a soft rubber type insulatiom, MTW "Machine & Tooling Wire"
MCM has a hard plastic insulation MCM is what you see on powerlines.