For the 12 gauge wire, it is rated at an ampacity of 20 amps.For the 14 gauge wire, it is rated at an ampacity of 15 amps.Despite the similarities in how the conductors are wrapped, there is a definite difference in the size of the copper. Now that we know what is going in within the wire, let’s refocus on the gauge of the different wires. This third conductor can be used for many different purposes - most commonly for communication between smoke detectors, three way switches, or as an out-of-phase conductor to provide 240V. Often a 14-3 wire will be used which means three conductors (black for hot, white for neutral, and red varies depending on application) will be in the sheathing along with the bare copper ground wire. However, in this case, we only consider the two insulated interior wires to be conductors, and the third wire is a ground wire - there only for safety purposes. This can be a point of confusion, however, as we can clearly see there are THREE wires in there, not two. These wires are called 14-2 and 12-2 gauge NM wire, the first portion of their name indicating the gauge of the wire and the second portion indicating how many separate conductors there are. You’ll also notice that in both of these, there are three wires - two of them are insulated with black and white insulation as well as a bare copper wire. The external plastic sheathing is helpful when pulling the wire so that it doesn’t catch and damage the insulation on the conductors. It is surrounded by paper and a plastic sheathing that protects the individually insulated conductors inside the wire. Romex is a brand name, it's actually an NM or non-metallic wire.
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