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Can I run a 100 amp subpanel from a 100 amp panel?

You can run a 100 amp subpanel from a 100 amp main panel. A subpanel's rating is a maximum, not a demand, so a 100 amp box on a 60 or 100 amp feeder is fine.

What the code actually polices is the load calculation: everything on both panels together must fit the 100 amp service, per Article 220. The subpanel moves circuits around; it creates no new capacity.

Feeding it through a 60 amp breaker is common and often smarter, since the feeder wire gets cheaper and the main panel keeps headroom.

A 100 amp feeder from a 100 amp main is legal but tight; one big load in the sub can nuisance-trip the main.

The panel wire size calculator sizes the feeder for whatever breaker you land on.

WireGaugeCalc runs every NEC calculation in one free app, with the code article cited on each result.

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