Wire Pull Force Calculator

Formula

The formula to calculate the Wire Pull Force (WPF) is:

\[ \text{WPF} = \frac{u \cdot d^2 \cdot L}{M \cdot I} \]

Where:

\( \text{WPF} \) is the wire pull force (lbs)
\( \text{u} \) is the coefficient of friction
\( \text{d} \) is the conduit inner diameter (inches)
\( \text{L} \) is the length of the run (feet)
\( \text{M} \) is the material factor (0.008 for copper, 0.006 for aluminum)
\( \text{I} \) is the wire size (gauge)

What is Wire Pull Force?

A wire pull force is the amount of force it takes to pull a wire through a raceway. In other words, it’s the amount of force needed to pull a wire through a conduit, or through a hole in a wall filled with cable.

Example Calculation

Let's assume the following values:

Coefficient of Friction (u) = 0.5
Conduit Inner Diameter (d) = 2 inches
Length of the Run (L) = 100 feet
Material Factor (M) = 0.008 (Copper)
Wire Size (I) = 10 gauge

Using the formula to calculate the Wire Pull Force:

\[ \text{WPF} = \frac{0.5 \cdot 2^2 \cdot 100}{0.008 \cdot 10} = \frac{0.5 \cdot 4 \cdot 100}{0.08} = \frac{200}{0.08} = 2500 \text{ lbs} \]

The Wire Pull Force is 2500 lbs.