WIRE·FILL·CHARTNEC 2023 · CH. 9
FIG. 01 — SIZE-SPECIFIC FILL

3/4" RMC Conduit Fill Chart

How many wires fit in 3/4" RMC (Rigid Metal Conduit (galvanized steel)). Maximum conductor counts per AWG at the NEC 2023 40% fill cap for three or more conductors.

FIG. 02

MAXIMUM CONDUCTORS BY WIRE GAUGE

40% fill (3+ conductors per NEC 2023 Ch.9 Table 1). 3/4" RMC interior area = 0.5490 in².

AWGTHHN / THWN-2XHHW-2RHH / RHW-2
#14222210
#1216168
#1010106
#8663
#6443
#4222
#3221
#2111
#1111
#1/0110
FIG. 03

WORKED EXAMPLE & NEC REFERENCES

The NEC numbers behind 3/4" RMC

NEC 2023 Chapter 9, Table 4 lists the interior cross-sectional area of every standard trade size for each conduit family. For 3/4" RMC (Article 344), the total 100% area is 0.5490 in². The allowable conductor fill is then derived from Table 1: 53% for a single conductor (0.2910 in²), 31% for two (0.1702 in²), and 40% for three or more (0.2196 in²) — covering nearly all real-world raceway pulls.

Worked example — four #12 THHN conductors

Each #12 THHN conductor occupies 0.0133 in² (NEC Ch.9 Table 5). Four conductors fill 4 × 0.0133 = 0.0532 in², which is 0.0532 ÷ 0.5490 = 9.7% of total area. Because that is well below the 40% NEC limit for 0.2196 in², the pull is compliant — and you can keep adding conductors up to 16× #12 THHN before exceeding the cap.

If you exceed the fill cap

Step up one trade size. Increase a 3/4" RMC to 1" when the calculated fill crosses 40%. Reducing one trade size is rarely worth the labor: pull tension climbs fast, jam probability spikes (NEC Ch.9 Informational Note re: 2.8–3.2 conduit-ID to wire-OD ratio), and you lose room for de-rating or future moves.

Source citations

NFPA 70 (2023) — National Electrical Code. Chapter 9, Table 1: percent of cross section of conduit and tubing for conductors. Table 4: dimensions and percent area of conduit and tubing (Article 344). Table 5: dimensions of insulated conductors.

FIG. 04

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

0.5490 in² (100% area), per NEC 2023 Chapter 9, Table 4 — Article 344. The allowable conductor fill is 0.2196 in² at 40% (3+ conductors), 0.1702 in² at 31% (2 conductors), and 0.2910 in² at 53% (1 conductor).