Litz Wire

Description

A selection of Litz Wire designed for use in high frequency power circuits such as Induction Heaters and Tesla Coils. Litz wire helps to reduce conduction losses caused by the skin effect which forces high frequency currents to the outer surface of a conductor.

How litz wire reduces high frequency losses

When high frequency currents flow in ordinary wire, a phenomenon known as the skin effect causes the majority of current flow to occur in just the surface of the wire. This means that there is effectively much less conducting copper which leads to heating due to resistance losses. Litz wire reduces this problem by using multiple strands of copper wire which are individually insulated from each other. Each strand of wire will carry some of the current and therefore increases the effective amount of conducting copper for a high frequency current.

This wire is ideal for winding high frequency transformers, RADAR applications, motors, or for use in induction heater applications.

Construction and insulation

This Litz wire is made from multiple strands of solderable enamel coated copper wire (magnet wire). Soldering temperature is approximately 400°C. Most of our Litz cable also has an outer coating of USTC polyester silk and some use polyimide film. The rated current for the cables is for reference only as the actual current it can safely pass will depend on many factors such as the frequency of the current and length of cable.

We also have one cable with a rectangular cross section which is ideal for winding extra high density coils. This square litz wire is rated for 20A and is coated with a polyimide film.

Choose your wire and length

The options show a reference current rating, the diameter of each copper strand and the number of strands. For example, 12A (0.05mm × 1000) has 1,000 individually insulated 0.05 mm strands; the complete cable is approximately 2.55 mm in diameter.

Wire is priced per metre. Select the wire option, then enter the number of metres in the quantity box: quantity 3 means one continuous 3 metre length. Continuous lengths are available up to 100 m. If you need a longer length or a different winding configuration, please contact us for a quote.

Available Sizes

Litz wire datasheet

Soldering and termination

Litz wire can be very difficult to solder by hand. Save time with our Litz Wire Soldering and Termination service. Choose soldered ends or ring terminals. The service is ordered separately from the wire and covers both ends of one cable.

We also offer a custom coil winding and sample testing service.

Related Articles:
Litz Wire: What It Does and How to Choose It
DIY Induction Heater