This article provides an overview of the maximum allowable length for thermocouple wire, also explains what is the difference between Thermocouple grade and Extension grade wires.
- What is a Thermocouple wire?
- What is the difference between the Thermocouple grade and Extension grade wire?
The information provided in this article is derived from the OMEGA technical reference page.
Other vendors may have different specifications for maximum lengths.
What is Thermocouple wire?
The Thermocouple wire connects the sensing probe to the cold junction compensation (CJC) point, where the signal is measured by the receiving instrument (RI hardware).
Various types of thermocouples, such as J, K, T, and E, are composed of distinct metal combinations in their wires.
The maximum length of the Thermocouple wire
Many factors can impact the usable length of a thermocouple.
As a guideline, under 100 feet (~ 30 meters) with 20 AWG (American Wire Gauge) or thicker wire in an area free of electromagnetic interference usually is fine.
What is the difference between Thermocouple grade and Extension grade wire?
The Thermocouple grade wire is used to make the sensing point (or probe part) of the thermocouple.
The Extension grade wire is only used to extend a thermocouple signal from the probe back to the instrument reading the signal.
Congratulations! You learned the maximum allowable length for thermocouple wire, also what is the difference between Thermocouple grade and Extension grade wires.
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