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Knowing the basic electric wire types is essential to almost any electrical project around the house. When you’re installing new wiring, for example, choosing the right wire or power cable is half the battle. And when you’re examining existing wiring in your home, identifying the wire type can tell you a lot about the circuit the wiring belongs to—for example, when you open a junction box and need to determine which wires go where. Wiring for modern homes is quite standard, and most homes built after the mid-1960s have similar types of wiring. Any new electrical installation requires new wiring that conforms to local building codes.

Here are some common types of home electrical wire.

Wiring Terminology

It helps to understand a few basic terms used to describe wiring. An electrical wire is a type of ­conductor, which is a material that conducts electricity. In the case of household wiring, the conductor itself is usually copper or aluminum (or copper-sheathed aluminum) and is either a solid metal conductor or stranded wire. Most wires in a home are insulated, meaning they are wrapped in a nonconductive plastic coating. One notable exception is ground wires, which are typically solid copper and are either insulated with green sheathing or uninsulated (bare).

The most common type of wiring in modern homes is in the form of nonmetallic (NM) cable, which consists of two or more individual wires wrapped inside a protective plastic sheathing. NM cable usually contains one or more “hot” (current-carrying) wires, a neutral wire, and a ground wire.

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