3" PVC Sch 80 conduit fill
3" Rigid PVC conduit, Schedule 80 has an inside area of 6.442 sq in (2.864 in across). Three or more wires may take 40 % of it: 2.5768 sq in.
- One wire, 53 %
- 3.4143 sq in
- Two wires, 31 %
- 1.9970 sq in
- Three or more, 40 %
- 2.5768 sq in
- Nipple, 60 %
- 3.8652 sq in
- Support
- Every 6 ft, 3 ft from boxes
- Sold in
- 10 ft sticks
How many wires fit in 3" PVC Sch 80
All wires the same size and type, by Annex C's method. For a mix of sizes, open the calculator.
| Wire size | THHN/THWN-2 | XHHW-2 | THW/THW-2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 AWG | 265 | 185 | 185 |
| 12 AWG | 193 | 142 | 142 |
| 10 AWG | 122 | 106 | 106 |
| 8 AWG | 70 | 59 | 59 |
| 6 AWG | 51 | 43 | 35 |
| 4 AWG | 31 | 31 | 26 |
| 3 AWG | 26 | 26 | 22 |
| 2 AWG | 22 | 22 | 19 |
| 1 AWG | 16 | 16 | 13 |
| 1/0 AWG | 14 | 14 | 11 |
| 2/0 AWG | 11 | 11 | 10 |
| 3/0 AWG | 9 | 9 | 8 |
| 4/0 AWG | 8 | 8 | 7 |
| 250 kcmil | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| 300 kcmil | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 350 kcmil | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| 400 kcmil | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 500 kcmil | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 600 kcmil | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 700 kcmil | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 750 kcmil | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 800 kcmil | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 900 kcmil | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1000 kcmil | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Other 3" conduit
| Conduit | Inside area | #14 | #12 | #10 | #8 | #6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rigid PVC conduit, Schedule 80 | 6.442 | 265 | 193 | 122 | 70 | 51 |
| Electrical metallic tubing | 8.846 | 364 | 266 | 167 | 96 | 69 |
| Intermediate metal conduit | 7.922 | 326 | 238 | 150 | 86 | 62 |
| Rigid metal conduit (RMC, GRC) | 7.499 | 309 | 225 | 142 | 82 | 59 |
| Rigid PVC conduit, Schedule 40 | 7.268 | 299 | 218 | 137 | 79 | 57 |
| Flexible metal conduit (FMC, Greenfield) | 7.069 | 291 | 212 | 134 | 77 | 55 |
| Liquidtight flexible metal conduit (LFMC) | 7.475 | 308 | 225 | 141 | 81 | 59 |
About PVC Sch 80
Schedule 80 has a thicker wall for where it can be hit, so it holds fewer wires than Schedule 40 of the same trade size. Support is the same as Schedule 40 (Table 352.30). See strap spacing and the fill rules.