Do I need a 12 or 14 gauge extension cord?

A 12 gauge extension cord is the safer default for tools and anything over 50 feet. It carries 15 amps at 100 feet without meaningful voltage drop, which is why contractors standardize on it.

A 14 gauge cord is fine for 10 to 13 amp loads on short runs: sanders, string trimmers, most shop vacs at 25 to 50 feet.

Sixteen gauge belongs on lamps and phone chargers, not tools. An undersized cord starves a motor, and a saw that bogs down under load is telling you the cord is the problem.

The rule is simple: the longer the run and the hungrier the tool, the lower the gauge number.

Match cord gauge to load and length exactly with the wire length and amperage calculator.