Search

Premium Membership ♕

Limited Time Offer: Save 15% on PRO Plan with discount code: LRN15 and study specialized LV/MV/HV technical articles and studies.

Home / Technical Articles / Differences in size and weight of equipment using copper and aluminium conductors

Common misconception

It is a common misconception that electrical equipment built using aluminum conductors will always be larger than the same equipment using copper conductors. While the actual conductor within the equipment will be larger with aluminum, many times the enclosure for the equipment is the same size whether copper or aluminum conductors are used.

Differences in size and weight of equipment using copper and aluminium conductors
Differences in size and weight of equipment using copper and aluminium conductors (photo credit: Edvard Csanyi)

This is true for switchboards, panelboards and most dry type transformers. Oil filled transformers will generally range from 2-5% larger when constructed with aluminum instead of copper windings.

The biggest size impact for electrical equipment when copper and aluminum conductors are considered is for busway. Since the actual conductor is the primary component within the busway, the size difference will be more apparent.

Busbar system inside low-voltage switchgear
Busbar system inside low-voltage switchgear (photo credit: Edvard Csanyi)

For example, GE busway is 4.5” thick, but the width will vary. For 1000A busway, the aluminum bus will be approximately 22% larger than copper bus and for 4000A busway, the size difference increases to almost 27% larger for the aluminum.

Even though the size for the aluminum bus is larger than for the copper bus, the weight difference is more dramatic and favors the aluminum bus.

Using the same examples used for size and assuming 3 phase, 4 wire busway, the 1000A copper is 50% heavier than the aluminum and for the 4000A busway, this value increases where copper is 73% heavier than the aluminum. This weight differential can be a huge factor for both the designer and the installer.

For example a 4000A, 10 foot section of copper bus is approximately 520 pounds, while the same busway with aluminum conductors is only 300 pounds. Installation by the contractor and mechanical support design by the engineer are considerations when the difference between the two products is considered.

The weight difference between equipment items with aluminum or copper conductors is present with all of the equipment types. For switchboards, the actual percentage will vary significantly with the amount of breakers installed in a section; and with a higher count of breakers, the percentage of weight contributed by the busbars diminishes.

However, if you just consider the weight of the steel enclosure and the busbars, copper bussed switchboard sections will be heavier than aluminum bussed switchboard sections, varying between 20% for 1000A sections to 29% for 4000A sections.

Low-voltage switchgear with copper busbars
Low-voltage switchgear with copper busbars

Dry type transformers like switchboards do not typically have a physical size difference between copper and aluminum units, but they like switchboards, have significant weight differences. These differences will vary from 18% for a 45kVA unit to 22% for a 75kVA unit.

This translates to a copper wound 75kVA transformer weighing 130 pounds more than the corresponding aluminum wound transformer.

When considering the differences between copper and aluminum conductors in electrical equipment, size must be acknowledged, but for most equipment types the size is not a delineating feature. The weight of the equipment is generally not apparent, but can be big difference in terms of labor and material for the installation and support of the equipment.


More about Al/Cu comparison…

Reference // A comarison of aluminium vs. copper as used in electrical equipment – GE, Larry Pryor, Rick Schlobohm and Bill Brownell

Premium Membership

Get access to premium HV/MV/LV technical articles, electrical engineering guides, research studies and much more! It helps you to shape up your technical skills in your everyday life as an electrical engineer.
More Information
author-pic

Edvard Csanyi

Electrical engineer, programmer and founder of EEP. Highly specialized for design of LV/MV switchgears and LV high power busbar trunking (<6300A) in power substations, commercial buildings and industry facilities. Professional in AutoCAD programming.

4 Comments


  1. Titus Keter
    Aug 29, 2023

    I got a supply of my plant from 120mtrs away over had line 50mm aluminum cable the load is 300kva My problem is the voltage drop what can I do to correct this


  2. Vince Cimino
    Aug 26, 2021

    Great Web Site


  3. Lawrence Riles
    Aug 29, 2019

    Hi Edward: I’m a practicing EE with Dept. of Defense [Missile Systems]. I enjoy your power related articles and visit your site often. Thanks.


  4. Viral
    Nov 12, 2015

    Hi Edvard , i need your help to learn Autocad macro program

Leave a Comment

Tell us what you're thinking. We care about your opinion! Please keep in mind that comments are moderated and rel="nofollow" is in use. So, please do not use a spammy keyword or a domain as your name, or it will be deleted. Let's have a professional and meaningful conversation instead. Thanks for dropping by!

  ⁄  one  =  7

Learn How to Design Power Systems

Learn to design LV/MV/HV power systems through professional video courses. Lifetime access. Enjoy learning!

Subscribe to Weekly Newsletter

Subscribe to our Weekly Digest newsletter and receive free updates on new technical articles, video courses and guides (PDF).
EEP Academy Courses - A hand crafted cutting-edge electrical engineering knowledge