Detailed Description
UL3820 High Voltage Hookup Wire: What It Is and Where It Fits
UL3820 High Voltage Hookup Wire is a single-conductor UL AWM lead rated 1000 V and 125 °C, built on a tinned stranded copper conductor with a cross-linked XLPE insulation wall. It is specified for internal wiring in equipment that runs at a higher voltage and a higher temperature than general-purpose appliance leads are rated for — energy storage cabinets, PV inverters, switching power supplies and industrial machines. Its task is narrow and clear: carry power inside the enclosure at the rated voltage and temperature, and carry the UL AWM identity that a harness drawing or a safety review asks to see on the print.
Construction from Conductor to Insulation Surface
Conductor
The core is stranded oxygen-free copper with individual strand diameters in the 0.10–0.25 mm range, each strand tinned. Tinning does two jobs. It limits copper oxidation at elevated temperature, which is what slowly raises resistance at a termination over years of thermal cycling, and it keeps the strand bundle tidy when the lead is cut and stripped, so a terminal closes on the full conductor rather than on a few stray strands.
Insulation
The wall is cross-linked polyethylene. Cross-linking converts the polymer from a thermoplastic into a thermoset network — it does not melt or flow when heated, which is what puts the construction at a 125 °C rating instead of the lower ceiling that applies to a thermoplastic wall. The insulation is extruded with low eccentricity, so wall thickness stays even around the circumference of the conductor and there is no thin spot where voltage stress concentrates.
Flame behaviour and printing
The insulation compound is flame retardant. It does not continue to burn once the ignition source is taken away, extinguishes on its own, and does not give off a sharp odour while burning. That behaviour is what the VW-1 mark on the UL side of the print refers to. The print itself is applied at standard intervals and stays legible along the length, and coils are wound to the full 100 m.
Electrical and Environmental Ratings at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| UL style | UL AWM Style 3820 (single conductor, thermoset insulated) |
| Conductor | Tinned stranded copper, strand diameter 0.10–0.25 mm |
| Insulation | Cross-linked XLPE |
| AWG range | 30 AWG to 20 AWG |
| Voltage rating | 1000 V (1000 V AC) |
| Temperature rating | 125 °C |
| Dielectric withstand test | 3000 V |
| Flame rating | VW-1 (UL side); FT1 marked on the C-UL/CSA side |
| Ambient temperature | -40 °C to 105 °C |
| Storage temperature | -10 °C to +40 °C |
| Certification | UL AWM, UL file number E484530 |
| Environmental compliance | RoHS, REACH/SVHC, PAHS |
| Standard colors | Red, white, gray, dark gray, yellow |
| Supply | 100 m coil; cut lengths on request |
The 1000 V and 125 °C figures are the upper limits of the construction, not a continuous operating point. Current carrying capacity depends on the AWG selected, the ambient temperature at the routing point and how many conductors are bundled together, so it should be worked out from the size table for the actual installation rather than from the voltage rating alone.
Where UL3820 Wire Is Used
New energy hardware is the primary user. In an energy storage system the lead runs DC bus and high-voltage box connections inside battery racks and cabinets, where space is tight and the air around the conductor can sit well above the temperature outside the enclosure. In a PV inverter it links the DC input stage, the power board and the output terminals — the positions where a UL-recognised AWM lead is normally called out on the drawing. Inverter and converter modules in new energy equipment follow the same pattern.
Power supplies and industrial equipment come next. Switching power supplies and industrial power units use it for primary-side and secondary-side leads, and industrial machines use it for control and power wiring where the ambient temperature inside the cabinet is elevated. Power tools and high-power equipment rely on it where continuous current and heat build up together in a confined handle or housing.
What these applications share is a working voltage above the general-purpose 300 V class and heat that accumulates inside the enclosure rather than dissipating freely.
Selection, Stripping, and Installation Notes
- Size the conductor for current first. 30 AWG to 20 AWG is the available range; current capacity changes with AWG, ambient temperature and the number of loaded conductors in the bundle, so check the size table against the routing conditions rather than against the voltage rating.
- Keep the 1000 V and 125 °C figures as ceilings. Continuous working temperature and continuous current should be applied with margin, based on the size table and the real installation.
- Strip with a tool matched to the AWG. The tinned stranded bundle holds together during stripping, so the terminal can be crimped to its published dimensions. Do not nick the strands, and do not tin the whole stripped length unless the termination specification calls for it.
- Route it as a single conductor. There is no shield and no outer jacket, so keep power runs separated from signal and sensor wiring.
- Store within the stated range. Storage is -10 °C to +40 °C; keep coils dry and let them reach room temperature before handling if they have been in a cold store.
Certification, Compliance, and Cable Printing
UL3820 is a UL-recognised AWM lead under UL file number E484530, classified as a single-conductor thermoset-insulated wire in the UL AWM programme. The print on the insulation is the identification mark: E484530 UL AWM STYLE 3820 22AWG 125 °C 1000 V VW-1 on the UL side, and C-UL AWM I A 125 °C 300 V FT1 on the other. The UL side carries the 1000 V rating and the VW-1 flame mark; the C-UL/CSA side carries the AWM I A designation with FT1. These are separate certification identities, so the lead should be selected against the standard that applies in the market the equipment is shipped to.
On the environmental side, the materials meet RoHS and satisfy REACH/SVHC and PAHS requirements.
Available Configurations and Ordering
- AWG range: 30 AWG to 20 AWG
- Colors: red, white, gray, dark gray and yellow as standard; custom colors on request
- Packaging: 100 m coils as standard, with cut lengths on request
- Full AWG specification table: available on request — conductor construction, insulation thickness, overall diameter and conductor resistance for each size
Why UL3820 Fits a 1000 V Wiring Position
Most internal power wiring inside an inverter, a power supply or a storage cabinet is specified at a voltage class and a temperature class at the same time. A lead rated 300 V forces the designer into extra sleeving or a larger part; a lead rated 105 °C forces a derating calculation in a cabinet that already runs warm. UL3820 covers both conditions in one single-conductor part, and the UL AWM print means the harness can be documented without adding a separate qualification step. Because the strand bundle is tinned and the wall is even, the same part behaves consistently at the crimp station and in the field.
Send the AWG, color, cut length and the ambient temperature at the routing point, and the coil or cut-length offer will come back with the full AWG specification table for the sizes you are evaluating.