Main meter cable: sizing the copper run from meter to DB

PILONE CABLES TECHNICAL TEAM

Copper tails, two core, one size below the aluminium equivalent: 6 mm² at 5 kW, 10 mm² at 10 kW, 25 mm² at 20 kW.

A 10 kW single-phase connection draws 45.5 A. 10 mm² copper carries 63 A clipped direct at 30°C and 54.8 A after the 40°C ambient correction, so it holds this load where 10 mm² aluminium (48 A, 41.8 A corrected) does not. The service line stops at the meter — the run from there to your board is yours to supply.

What this run has to carry

The main meter cable is the feeder between the electricity meter and the main distribution board, and it carries the entire sanctioned load of the connection rather than one circuit. In copper, on a single-phase 220 V supply, with BS 7671 method C capacities corrected for a 40°C ambient, that means 6 mm² up to about 5 kW, 10 mm² to 10 kW, 16 mm² to 15 kW, 25 mm² to 20 kW and 35 mm² to 25 kW. Aluminium does the same job one size larger, and it is the default on this run because it costs less per amp.

Size against the sanctioned figure on your connection paperwork, not against the appliances in the house today: the board can be filled later, and the feeder cannot be changed without digging. The aluminium trade-name sizes, 7/.052 and 7/.064, are on the WAPDA cable page; circuits leaving the board are sized on the single-phase and three-phase pages.

Copper sizes by sanctioned load

Current is load divided by voltage, and the size is chosen so the capacity after correction clears it. The table figure is a 30°C number, and a run leaving the meter board on an outside wall is not at 30°C in a Pakistani summer.

Single-phase 220 V; current = load ÷ 220. Copper, two loaded conductors, current capacity per BS 7671 reference method C (clipped direct), PVC, 30°C ambient; the 40°C column applies the BS 7671 ambient correction for 70°C PVC, Ca = 0.87. Stranding per IEC 60228 class 2. This is a general engineering reference, not a stated DISCO standard — your distribution company may set its own minimum for the service connection. Verify with your DISCO and a licensed electrician before you order.
Sanctioned load	Current at 220 V	Copper 2 core	Capacity at 30°C	Capacity at 40°C	Class 2 strands
5 kW	22.7 A	6 mm²	46 A	40.0 A	7/1.04
10 kW	45.5 A	10 mm²	63 A	54.8 A	7/1.35
15 kW	68.2 A	16 mm²	85 A	74.0 A	7/1.70
20 kW	90.9 A	25 mm²	112 A	97.4 A	7/2.14
25 kW	113.6 A	35 mm²	138 A	120.1 A	19/1.53

0.87 is the 40°C figure for 70°C PVC; take the exact correction for your own ambient and installation method from BS 7671, and derate again if the run is ducted, buried or bundled. This cable feeds the whole house, so have a licensed electrician confirm the size and terminate both ends.

Where run length decides it instead

Heat settles the size on a short run; length settles it on a long one. Hold the whole installation to 3% of 220 V — 6.6 V — and this feeder should not spend much more than half of it, because every final circuit is fed off the far end.

Volts lost in the feeder at the current for each load. Figure = mV/A/m × current × run ÷ 1000, one-way run along the route the cable takes. Voltage drop per BS 7671, reference method C, 30°C, copper, PVC. Verify with a licensed electrician for your installation.
Load and size	Current	10 m	15 m	20 m
5 kW · 6 mm²	22.7 A	1.66 V	2.49 V	3.31 V
10 kW · 10 mm²	45.5 A	2.00 V	3.00 V	4.00 V
15 kW · 16 mm²	68.2 A	1.91 V	2.86 V	3.82 V
20 kW · 25 mm²	90.9 A	1.59 V	2.39 V	3.18 V
25 kW · 35 mm²	113.6 A	1.42 V	2.13 V	2.84 V

Read the 10 kW row across. At 10 m the feeder spends 2.00 V of the 6.6 V and the house has room; at 20 m it spends 4.00 V, over half the budget before the first light switch. Go one size up and 16 mm² at 2.8 mV/A/m drops 2.8 × 45.5 × 20 ÷ 1000 = 2.55 V on the same run. Length, not capacity, is what buys the bigger size here — check your own figure in the voltage drop calculator.

Copper or aluminium on this run

Aluminium is the market default here because it is cheaper per amp and lighter to pull. Copper's case is the termination: it takes a lug and holds it, while an aluminium conductor creeps under clamping pressure and wants the joint checked. It also carries more per mm² — 63 A against 48 A at 10 mm². Check what your board's terminals are made to take before choosing.

Copper feeders in stock: 16mm 2 core cable for meter tails · 25mm 2 core cable · copper vs aluminium compared

Frequently asked

Meter se DB tak kaunsa cable lagta hai?

Do core ka feeder, sanctioned load ke hisaab se. Copper mein 5 kW tak 6 mm², 10 kW tak 10 mm², 15 kW tak 16 mm², 20 kW tak 25 mm². Isi run ke liye aluminium bhi bikta hai — 7/.052 aur 7/.064 — jo copper se ek size bara hota hai. Three-phase connection ho to 4 core lein.

Can I use copper instead of aluminium for the meter connection?

Yes, and on capacity it is the better conductor: 10 mm² copper carries 63 A against 48 A for the same size in aluminium, and it terminates without the creep that loosens aluminium lugs over time. Aluminium is used here because it is cheaper per amp. Check that your board's terminals suit the conductor you buy.

Meter se DB tak kitne meter cable chahiye?

Measure the route the cable takes, not the straight line: down from the meter board, along the wall or trench, into the house and up to the DB, plus a metre of slack at each end. Most houses land between 8 and 15 metres. Cable is sold by the coil and coil lengths differ between makers, so ask for the coil length with the rate.

Is the main meter cable the same as house wiring?

No. A house circuit is sized to one load — 4 mm² for an AC point, 2.5 mm² for sockets. This run carries every circuit at once, so it follows the sanctioned load of the whole connection and is 6 mm² or heavier. It also spends part of its length outdoors, which is what forces the ambient correction.

Meter-to-DB cable, at the factory rate

We draw the copper in Lahore and sell it at the day's rate — no dealer margin. Send your sanctioned load, run length and city: Punjab in 1–2 days, rest of Pakistan in 2–4.

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