Designation: B 2 – 00

Standard Specification for

Medium-Hard-Drawn Copper Wire1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation B 2; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of original
adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A superscript
epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.

This standard has been approved for use by agencies of the Department of Defense.

1. Scope 3.1.5 Special package marking, if required, and

1.1 This specification covers medium-hard-drawn round 3.1.6 Place of inspection (Section 10).
copper wire for electrical purposes (see Explanatory Note 1). 4. Materials and Manufacture
1.2 The SI values of density and resistivity are to be
regarded as standard. For all other properties the inch-pound 4.1 The material shall be copper of such quality and purity
values are to be regarded as standard, and the SI units may be that the finished product shall have the properties and charac-
approximate. teristics prescribed in this specification.
NOTE 1—Specifications B 5, B 49, and B 170 define the materials
2. Referenced Documents suitable for use.
2.1 The following documents of the issue in effect on date 4.2 Copper bars of special qualities, forms, or types, as may
of material purchase form a part of this specification to the be agreed upon between the manufacturer and the purchaser,
extent referenced herein: and which will conform to the requirements prescribed in this
2.2 ASTM Standards: specification, may also be used.
B 5 Specification for Electrolytic Tough-Pitch Copper Re-
finery Shapes2 5. Dimensions and Permissible Variations
B 49 Specification for Copper Redraw Rod for Electrical 5.1 The wire sizes shall be expressed as the diameter of the
Purposes2 wire in decimal fractions of an inch to the nearest 0.0001 in.
B 170 Specification for Oxygen-Free Electrolytic Copper— (0.1 mil) or in millimetres to the nearest 0.001 mm (Explana-
Refinery Shapes2 tory Note 2).
B 193 Test Method for Resistivity of Electrical Conductor 5.2 Within the range of diameters included in Table 1 the
Materials3 wire shall not vary from the specified diameter by more than 6
B 258 Specification for Standard Nominal Diameters and 1 %, expressed to the nearest 0.0001 in. (0.1 mil) 0.001 mm.
Cross-Sectional Areas of AWG Sizes of Solid Round Wires 5.3 Ten percent, but not less than five coils or spools (or all
Used as Electrical Conductors3 if the lot is less than five) from any lot of wire shall be gaged
2.3 Other Document: at three places. If accessible, one gaging shall be taken near
NBS Handbook 100—Copper Wire Tables of the National each end and one near the middle. If any of the selected coils
Bureau of Standards4 or spools fails to conform to the requirements prescribed in 5.2,
3. Ordering Information all coils or spools shall be gaged in the manner specified.
3.1 Orders for material under this specification should 6. Workmanship, Finish, and Appearance
include the following information: 6.1 The wire shall be free from all imperfections not
3.1.1 Quantity of each size, consistent with the best commercial practice.
3.1.2 Wire size: diameter in inches (see 5.1 and Table 1),
3.1.3 Type of copper, if special (see Section 4), 7. Tensile Properties
3.1.4 Package size (see 10.1), 7.1 The wire shall conform to the requirements as to tensile
properties prescribed in Table 1 (Explanatory Note 2 and Note
1
This specification is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee B-1 on
3).
Electrical Conductors and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee B01.04 on 7.2 Tests on a specimen containing a joint shall show at
Conductors of Copper and Copper Alloys. least 95 % of the minimum tensile strength given in Table 1.
Current edition approved April 10, 2000. Published June 2000. Originally Elongation tests shall not be made on a specimen containing a
published as B 2 – 12. Last previous edition B 2 – 94.
2
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 02.01. joint.
3
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 02.03. 7.3 For wire the nominal diameter of which is more than
4
Available from the National Technical Information Service, 5285 Port Royal 0.001 in. (1 mil) (0.025 mm) greater than a size listed in Table
Rd., Springfield, VA 22161.

Copyright © ASTM, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.

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 B2
TABLE 1 Tensile Requirements
Diameter Area at 20°C Tensile Strength Elongation, min,
2 2 %in 10-in.
in. mm cmil in. mm psi MPa
(250 mm)
Min Max Min Max
0.4600 11.684 211 600 0.1662 107.0 42 000 49 000 290 340 3.8
0.4096 10.404 167 800 0.1318 85.0 43 000 50 000 295 345 3.6
0.3648 9.266 133 100 0.1045 67.4 44 000 51 000 305 350 3.2
0.3249 8.252 105 600 0.08291 53.5 45 000 52 000 310 360 3.0
0.2893 7.348 83 690 0.06573 42.4 46 000 53 000 315 365 2.8
0.2576 6.543 66 360 0.05212 33.6 47 000 54 000 325 370 2.5
0.2294 5.827 52 620 0.04133 26.7 48 000 55 000 330 380 2.2
0.2043 5.189 41 740 0.03278 21.2 48 330 55 330 335 380 1.9
0.1819 4.620 33 090 0.02599 16.8 48 660 55 660 335 385 1.7
0.1620 4.115 26 240 0.02061 13.3 49 000 56 000 340 385 1.5
0.1443 3.665 20 820 0.01635 10.5 49 330 56 330 340 390 1.4
0.1285 3.264 16 510 0.01297 8.37 49 660 56 660 340 390 1.3
0.1144 2.906 13 090 0.01028 6.63 50 000 57 000 345 395 1.3
0.1019 2.588 10 380 0.008155 5.26 50 330 57 330 345 395 1.2
0.0907 2.304 8 230 0.00646 4.17 50 660 57 600 350 400 1.2
0.0808 2.052 6 530 0.00513 3.31 51 000 58 000 350 400 1.1
0.0720 1.829 5 180 0.00407 2.63 51 330 58 330 355 400 1.1
0.0641 1.628 4 110 0.00323 2.08 51 660 58 660 355 405 1.0
0.0571 1.450 3 260 0.00256 1.65 52 000 59 000 360 405 1.0
0.0508 1.290 2 580 0.00203 1.31 52 330 59 330 360 410 1.0
0.0453 1.151 2 050 0.00161 1.04 52 660 59 660 365 410 1.0
0.0403 1.024 1 620 0.00128 0.823 53 000 60 000 365 415 1.0

1, but which is less than that of the next larger size, the order, the manufacturer shall be responsible for the perfor-
requirements of the next larger size shall apply. mance of all inspection and test requirements specified (Ex-
7.4 Determine the elongation of the wire as the permanent planatory Note 8).
increase in length due to the breaking of the wire in tension, 10.2 All inspections and tests shall be made at the place of
measured between gage marks placed originally 10 in. (254 manufacture unless otherwise especially agreed to between the
mm) apart upon the test specimen (Explanatory Note 4). manufacturer and the purchaser at the time of the purchase.
7.5 If any part of the fracture takes place outside the gage 10.3 The manufacturer shall afford the inspector represent-
marks or in the jaws of the testing machine, or if an examina- ing the purchaser all reasonable manufacturer’s facilities to
tion of the specimen indicates a flaw, the value obtained may satisfy that the material is being furnished in accordance with
not be representative of the material. In such cases the test may this specification.
be discarded and a new test made. 10.4 Unless otherwise agreed upon between the purchaser
7.6 Retests—If, upon testing a sample from any coil or and the manufacturer, conformance of the wire to the various
spool of wire, the results do not conform to the requirements requirements listed in this specification shall be determined on
prescribed in Table 1, two additional samples shall be tested samples taken from each lot of wire presented for acceptance.
and the average of the three tests shall determine the accep- 10.5 The manufacturer shall, if requested prior to inspec-
tance or rejection of the coil or spool. tion, certify that all wire in the lot was made under such
8. Resistivity conditions that the product as a whole conforms to the
8.1 Electrical resistivity shall be determined on representa- requirements of this specification as determined by regularly
tive samples by resistance measurements (Explanatory Note 5 made and recorded tests.
and Note 6). At a temperature of 20°C the resistivity shall not 10.6 Inspection and Testing Terms:
exceed the following values: 10.6.1 Lot—A lot is any amount of wire of one type and size
Nominal Diameter, in. Resistivity at 20°C,
presented for acceptance at one time; such amount, however,
V·lb/mile2 V·g/m2 not to exceed 100 000 lb or 45 000 kg (Explanatory Note 9).
0.460 to 0.325 (11.684 to 8.255 mm), incl 896.15 0.15695 10.6.2 Sample—A sample is a quantity of production units
Under 0.325 to 0.0403 (8.255 to 1.024 mm), incl 905.44 0.15858
(coils, reels, etc.) selected at random from the lot for the
8.2 Tests to determine conformance to the electrical resis- purpose of determining conformance of the lot to the require-
tance requirements shall be made in accordance with Test ments of this specification.
Method B 193. 10.6.3 Specimen—A specimen is a length of wire removed
9. Joints for test purposes from any individual production unit of the
sample.
9.1 No joints shall be made in the completed wire (Explana-
tory Note 7). Joints in wire and rods, prior to final drawing, 10.7 Sample Size— The number of production units in a
shall be made in accordance with the best commercial practice sample (Explanatory Note 8) shall be as follows:
and shall conform to the requirements prescribed in 7.2. 10.7.1 For tension, elongation, and resistivity determina-
tions, the sample shall consist of four production units. From
10. Inspection each unit, one test specimen of sufficient length shall be
10.1 Unless otherwise specified in the contract or purchase removed for the performance of the required tests.

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 B2
TABLE 2 Sampling for Dimensional Measurements
First Sample Second Sample
Number of Units
in Lot Number of Units in Allowable Number of Number of Units in
n1 plus n2 Allowable Number of Defects in Both Samples, c2
Sample, n1 Defects in First Sample, c1 Sample, n2
1 to 14, incl all 0 ... ... ...
15 to 50, incl 14 0 ... ... ...
51 to 100, incl 19 0 23 42 1
101 to 200, incl 24 0 46 70 2
201 to 400, incl 29 0 76 105 3
401 to 800, incl 33 0 112 145 4
Over 800 34 0 116 150 4

TABLE 3 Sampling for Surface Finish and Packaging Inspection

10.7.2 For dimensional measurements, the sample shall Number of Units in Lot Number of Units in Allowable Number of
consist of a quantity of production units shown in Table 2 Sample, n Defective Units, c
under the heading “First Sample.” 1 to 30, incl all 0
10.7.3 For surface-finish inspection and for packaging in- 31 to 50, incl 30 0
51 to 100, incl 37 0
spection (when specified by the purchaser at the time of placing 101 to 200, incl 40 0
the order) the sample shall consist of a quantity of production 201 to 300, incl 70 1
units shown in Table 3. 301 to 500, incl 100 2
501 to 800, incl 130 3
Over 800 155 4
11. Packaging and Shipping
11.1 Package sizes shall be agreed upon between the manu-
facturer and the purchaser in the placing of individual orders. 12. Keywords
11.2 The wire shall be protected against damage in ordinary 12.1 copper wire; medium-hard copper wire; round copper
handling and shipping. electrical wire; round copper wire

EXPLANATORY NOTES

NOTE 1—Medium-hard drawn wire approaches hard-drawn wire in its resistivity of annealed copper equal to 100 % conductivity. This term
characteristics, but from the very nature of the product, exact uniformity means that a wire 1 m in length and weighing 1 g would have a resistance
in tensile strength cannot be obtained. Hence it has been necessary to of 0.15328 V. This is equivalent to a resistivity value of 875.20
establish a range of tensile strengths within which standard medium-hard- V·lb/mile2, which signifies the resistance of a wire 1 mile in length
drawn wire may be expected to be found. weighing 1 lb. It is also equivalent, for example, to 1.7241 µV/cm of
NOTE 2—The values of the wire diameters in Table 1 are given to the length of a bar 1 cm2 in cross section. A complete discussion of this
nearest 0.0001 in. (0.001 mm) and correspond to the standard sizes given subject is contained in NBS Handbook 100. Relationships that may be
in Specification B 258. The use of gage numbers to specify wire sizes is useful in connection with the values of resistivity prescribed in this
not recognized in this specification because of the possibility of confusion. specification are as in Table 4, each column containing equivalent
An excellent discussion of wire gages and related subjects is contained in expressions, at 20°C.
NBS Handbook 100. NOTE 6—The value of density of copper is in accordance with the
NOTE 3—Other tests than those provided in this specification have been International Annealed Copper Standard. The corresponding value at 0°C
considered at various times, such as twist tests, wrap tests, tests for elastic is 8.90 g/cm 3(0.32150 lb/in.3). As pointed out in the discussion of this
limit, etc. It is the opinion of the committee that twist and wrap tests on subject in NBS Handbook 100, there is no appreciable difference in values
medium-hard-drawn wire do not serve a useful purpose and should be of density of medium-hard-drawn and annealed copper wire.
regarded as undesirable, as well as inconclusive as to results and NOTE 7—Mechanical joints made during inspection at the request of the
significance. Tests for values of elastic limit are likewise indefinite as to purchaser are permissible if agreed upon at the time of placing the order.
results. Tests to determine elastic properties of medium-hard-drawn wire NOTE 8—Cumulative results secured on the product of a single manu-
from which wire stringing and sagging data may be compiled are facturer, indicating continued conformance to the criteria, are necessary to
considered to be outside the scope of the acceptance tests contemplated in ensure an over-all product meeting the requirements of this specification.
this specification. The sample sizes and conformance criteria given for the various charac-
NOTE 4—It is known that the rate of loading during tension testing of teristics are applicable only to lots produced under these conditions.
copper affects the performance of the sample to a greater or lesser extent,
depending upon many factors. In general, tested values of tensile strength
TABLE 4 Resistivity Relationships
are increased and tested values of elongation are reduced with increase of
speed of the moving head of the testing machine. These effects are Conductivity at
100.00 97.66 96.66
20°C, %
pronounced when the speed of the moving head is excessive in the testing
of medium-hard-drawn wires. It is suggested that tests be made at speeds V·lb/mile2 875.20 896.15 905.44
of moving head that, under no-load conditions, are not greater than 3 in. V·g/m2 0.15328 0.15694 0.15857
V·cmil/ft 10.371 10.619 10.729
(75 mm)/min, but in no case at a speed greater than that at which correct
V·mm2/m 0.017241 0.017654 0.017837
readings can be made. µV·in. 0.67879 0.69504 0.70224
NOTE 5—“Resistivity” is used in place of “percentage conductivity.” µV·cm 1.7241 1.7654 1.7837
The value of 0.15328V· g/m2 at 20°C is the international standard for the

3
 B2
NOTE 9—A lot should comprise material taken from a product regularly economically. For small lots of 5000 lb or less, or 2270 kg or less, the
meeting the requirements of this specification. Inspection of individual purchaser may agree to the manufacturer’s regular inspection of the
lots of less than 5000 lb or 2270 kg of wire cannot be justified product as a whole as evidence of acceptability of such small lots.

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