The Right Cord Gauge, Every Run.

Pick your IMER tool and how far it sits from the outlet. Get the minimum extension-cord gauge to keep the motor fed with clean voltage — full power, no overheating.

Cord Gauge Calculator

◧ At the outlet
200 ft away ▸

Voltage drop

Thin wire over distance bleeds off volts as heat. A motor starved of voltage can't make rated torque, so it bogs down and pulls even more current.

Motor life

Low voltage means high amperage, and high amperage means heat. Sustained undervoltage cooks windings — the fastest way to burn up a good mixer or saw.

Heat & safety

An undersized cord heats along its whole length — a fire and trip hazard. The right gauge keeps the cord cool, the breaker happy, and the tool performing.

The Sizing Chart

Read down to your cord length, across to your tool's amp draw — the colored block is your minimum gauge. A 120V single-phase quick reference behind the calculator above.

Standard 5% The common jobsite target. A little voltage drop is acceptable for shorter runs and lighter-duty work. Motor-safe 3% Tighter target that protects the motor on long runs and continuous loads — what the calculator uses by default.
How this is figured: the minimum copper gauge comes from the NEC voltage-drop method (Vd = 2 × K × I × L ÷ circular mils, K = 12.9), solved at each tool's rated voltage and phase for a 3% (motor-safe) or 5% (standard) drop; three-phase uses the 1.732 factor. Always confirm against the tool's manual and nameplate, use a GFCI, fully uncoil cords in use, and when in doubt size up.