What do you guys use, solid or stranded for #12 or 14 and why. (except romex, isn't that all solid). I use solid 14 and stranded 12. Why, I don't know. Thats what I've always used. I think the stranded 12 is easier to work with. What do you guys think.

We usually use solid #14 and solid #12. Basically because solid is cheaper. Stranded is easier to pull and easier to use in control applications.

Solid for both.

Solid wire is easier to push into a pipe. Stranded wire is a little easier to work with.
Unless it's XHHW and the insulation is melted into the wire. We have ran into this problem with all the wire we are using on our current job.
Someone told me Stranded is a better choice because it has more surface area to carry the "juice" on.

It's solid for #12 in building wiring.
Stranded #14 or #12 in machinery or control applications.
(We don't use #14 building wire)

I use #14 solid & #12 stranded for residential. We used to use #12 solid for the same reason eswets uses stranded, because we always did. Then after working with others on commercial work I really began to appriciate stranded.

Stranded is better for pulling and stuffing the device into the box, but worse for terminals on devices (unless they are expensive back wired).
#14 solid is so easy to work with, the advantage of flexiblity never seemed to outweigh the ease of terminating.

I do keep a stock of #14 stranded that I use for wiremold in modular sunrooms.

Use of either depends on the application. Flexibility is normaly an issue. The more strands you have the more flexible the wire. Generaly in my experience solid is only used in 12awg or smaller and is specificaly stated in specs to use stranded for anything bigger than 14awg. Stranded will always pull easier in raceway. Solid will obviously push easier in many cases, but not all. Imagine trying to pull or push a solid 500kcmil. Never happen.
In industrial environements I have worked in, solid wire isn't even allowed to be used.
Agood book (tool) which every sparky should have is theAmerican Electrician's Handbook. It goes into specific detail on almost any question like this you would have.
Division 2 Properties and Splicing of Conductors.

The only solid I ever use is in a cable such as NM or MC. I almost always work by myself & I found that I can pull most conduit runs without help. When I used to use solid, I usually damaged the insulation or couldn't make the pull on my own.

The only place I use solid is NM cable. I use stranded MC. It's only about $7.00 more per 250' roll than solid and is a lot more flexible. I hate the feel of pulling solid conductors through pipe. If you have trouble side wiring stranded on devices, left-hand twist the strands before you bend the hook around the terminal screw. As you tighten the binding screw the strands won't spread.

Fred: Do you mean twist them CCW? I've got to try that.

Try stripping the wire end, but dont remove the insulation. Strip enought that you can wrap the wire around the screw, tighten and than snip off the insulation

Fred's right. I had some kid I'd hired for an entry-level positon show me that trick. Just goes to show you can learn from anyone and everyone (as long as your ego doesn't get in the way)

It's the only way to secure a stranded wire under a screw.

I use stranded for current carring conductors and a solid ground. Makes the push easy and if you nic insulation on the pull, well its the ground.
I use fork terminals for termination on the devices. I have used all the aformentioned tricks but like the fork term.

Ob

I use stranded for current carring conductors and a solid ground. Makes the push easy and if you nic insulation on the pull, well its the ground.
I use fork terminals for termination on the devices. I have used all the aformentioned tricks but like the fork term.

Ob

I use solid for most wiring up to size 10. I use stranded for motors or any thing with vibration problems. I like the easier terminations and some suppliers have solid a little cheaper then stranded.

Use both Stranded and Solid.
Smallest size for typical stuff is #12 cu.
No #14 (unless control circuitry or Fire Alarm circuitry, then it's stranded).

Used Stranded and Solid for sizes #16, #18, #20 and #22 when work requiring these sizes comes along (Fixtures, lighting control COMBUS, etc.).

Will use Solid #10 cu only when available in stock (not wait 8 weeks!).
Will use Solid #8 cu only with a gun to my head!

Scott35

Romex-style cable here in the U.K. comes as solid up to 2.5mm (a little larger than #14) and stranded above that.

Individual cables for pulling into conduit are available in solid and stranded in the 2.5 size, only in stranded above that and only solid below.

Before the introduction of metric sizes, cables were stranded in all but the smallest size. I still like working with those old cables, as they're much easier to manipulate in the confined spaces of British devices.

at this time i cant find anything in the code which bans it but, using stranded wire without a fork term. is a bad practice. you really shouldn't need tricks to make a connection to a device. i have yet to see a #12 stranded wire under a device screw that totally held the wire in place. and the very nature of stranded, being flexible, makes the connection easy to loosen from the terminal. if it were me i would either pigtail the stranded wire with solid or use a fork term.
as far as the original question if you look at table 8 in the nec it suggests the opposite of what i thought: dc current resistance is higher for stranded wire vs. solid. solid wire is easier to push short distances (like drops from trunk line runs), and stranded is used for controls.

UL lists all device terminals for use with solid or stranded wires.

I do not consider using stranded on a screw terminal bad practice nor do I think being skilled in how to do it a "trick".

But this is definitely a no right or wrong answer kind of subject.

We each get to do it how we feel comfortable with.

Scott around here all FA work must be done in solid, I do not know if it is a code or just always the job spec.

I really enjoy putting in horn strobe units in place with eight solid 14s or sometimes eight solid 12s.

Bob

i apologize. at times my mouth(or key pad) is faster than my brain.

When building control panels and reversing starters I like to use solid because you can make it look so much neater as the wire holds it's shape to the route you lay it. I build a few lift station control panels for septic dosing systems. They are a lot of fun but I wouldn't want to build them all day every day. As far as terminating under a binding screw on a device goes, the reverse twist works fine and captures all the strands. Personally, I haven't used side wired devices for quite a while. I use back wired with pressure plates such as the BR15 or 5252 duplex devices.

in Germany - only solid in building wiring. No stranded allowed.

Stranded is used in panels, controll & industrial appliances...

Solid all the way !! Allows you to push short runs, & makes device installation much faster.