How to Determine the Size of a Wire Harness Bundle

Quck answer

To calculate the wire harness bundle size, follow these steps:

1. Determine the total number of wires in the harness. This includes all the individual wires and any branches or splits.

2. Measure the diameter of each wire in the harness. Use a caliper or ruler to get an accurate measurement.

3. Calculate the total cross-sectional area of all the wires. Multiply the diameter of each wire by itself (diameter squared) and then multiply by π (pi) to get the area of each wire. Add up the areas of all the wires in the harness.

4. Calculate the bundle size by taking the square root of the total cross-sectional area. This will give you the diameter of the wire harness bundle.

By following these steps, you can accurately calculate the wire harness bundle size.


When determining the size of a bundle of wires, the main goal is to calculate the diameter of the bundle. This calculation helps determine where the cable can fit or what kind of hole needs to be drilled to accommodate the wires. If the wires are already assembled, calculating the diameter is as simple as measuring it. However, if an estimated diameter is needed before assembly, a more complex technique must be used.

Step 1

Measure or find the diameter of one wire. This measurement is typically in millimeters.

Step 2

Use the formula for the area of a circle to calculate the cross-sectional area of one wire. The formula is: area equals the square of the diameter multiplied by 3.14 (pi) divided by four. For example, a 2 mm wire would have an area of 3.14 square mm because 2 x 2 x 3.14 divided by 4 equals 3.14.

Step 3

Count the number of wires in the bundle.

Step 4

Multiply the number of wires by the cross-sectional area of one wire. This will give you the total area of the bundle. Using the previous example, if there are 30 wires of the same size, the total area would be 94.2 square mm. Note that this method assumes all wires are the same size. If they are not, you would calculate the area for each size of wire, multiply it by the number of wires of that size, and then add all the areas together to get the total area.

Step 5

To calculate the diameter of the bundle, use the modified area formula to solve for diameter: Diameter = square root (4 × area / 3.14). Using the previous example, the diameter would be square root (4 × 94.2 / 3.14), which equals square root (120), and finally equals 10.95 mm.

Leave a Comment