Busbar Ampacity Calculator (Current Density Method)
Estimate a copper or aluminum busbar's current-carrying capacity from its cross-sectional dimensions and a rated current density.
Materials & Quantities
Conductors, protection and the space they need.

Conductor ampacity and its derating for temperature and fill; grounding electrodes, conductors and grid resistance; short-circuit current; motor full-load amps; panel sizing, slot counts and phase balance; lighting circuits and illuminance; cable tray fill, weight and support; pulling tension; and the clearances and heat loads an electrical room has to allow for.
Which table governs. Almost nothing here is derived from first principles — it is a lookup with corrections, and the correction factors are the calculation. Each page names the code table it reads from, because an ampacity without its column and its derating is a number with no meaning.
The mechanical plant a circuit serves, the conduit's physical routing, and lightning protection beyond the rod count.
25 calculators
Estimate a copper or aluminum busbar's current-carrying capacity from its cross-sectional dimensions and a rated current density.
Check a cable tray's calculated center-span deflection under cable load against the standard L/100 deflection limit.
Calculate the percentage of a cable tray's cross-sectional area occupied by cables.
The load per unit length a cable tray puts on its supports: the cables, the tray, attached conduits, ice, and a worker's weight as a distributed load.
Count the hanger positions a containment run needs once bends, tees, crosses and expansion connectors have each been given support of their own.
Calculate a conductor's derated ampacity after applying ambient temperature and conductor-count correction factors.
Calculate the total conduit length needed for a run including 90-degree bends.
Estimate the heat dissipated into an electrical room by a dry-type transformer, for HVAC sizing purposes.
Calculate the required clear floor space in front of electrical equipment per NEC 110.26 working clearance rules.
Calculate a single driven ground rod's earth resistance using Dwight's formula.
Estimate a proportional equipment grounding conductor size from the circuit's overcurrent device rating.
Estimate a ground grid's earth resistance using a simplified hemisphere approximation.
Calculate the total self-regulating heat trace cable length needed for a pipe run, including valve/fitting allowances.
Calculate a lighting circuit's total connected load and check it against the standard 80% continuous-load derating limit.
Calculate the average illuminance a lighting layout provides across a room area.
Calculate the protected radius at ground level from a lightning air terminal, using the classical cone-of-protection method.
Estimate a three-phase motor's full-load current draw from its horsepower, voltage, and efficiency.
Check the load imbalance percentage across a three-phase panel's phases A, B, and C.
Calculate how many breaker slots are used and how many remain available in an electrical panel.
Calculate the sealing compound volume needed to fill an explosion-proof conduit seal-off fitting.
Estimate the minimum electrical service amperage needed for a dwelling, using a simplified NEC 220 general load calculation.
Estimate the maximum available short-circuit current at a transformer's secondary, limited by transformer impedance alone.
Calculate the total connected electrical load and required amperage for a construction site office trailer's temporary power.
Size the threaded hanger rod under a cable tray trapeze from the loaded tray and the trapeze spacing, and see how hard your chosen rod works in tension.
Estimate the pulling tension needed to install cable through a straight conduit run.