MIL-W-16878 Wire Quick Reference

MIL-W-16878 Wire Quick ReferenceExplore construction, part numbers, dimensions and electrical data from the supplied catalog

Starway Technology builds high-reliability wire harnesses and cable assemblies for aerospace, defense and industrial applications, with custom manufacturing and quality verification.

MIL-W-16878 PTFE and FEP hookup wire illustration

At a glance

Two insulationsPTFE or FEP with thin, medium and heavy wall options.

Voltage classes250, 600 or 1,000 V, depending on the slant sheet.

Temperature and platingThe summary lists 200°C silver and 260°C nickel; the tin-plated commercial FEP equivalents are rated 150°C.

How to use

Choose the slant sheet, conductor material, AWG, stranding and color code from the diagram, then select Look Up. View the listed part number, dimensions, weight and resistance; unlisted dimensions are not estimated.

Data coverage

Thermax catalog pages 26–32: /4, /5 and /6 contain M16878 part-number rows; /11, /12 and /13 contain tin-plated FEP commercial “equivalent” tables. Other slant sheets appear in the summary only, without dimension tables.

Part number lookup

MIL-W-16878/5 B C B 903: material, AWG, stranding and color code

M16878 /Slant sheetConductor materialConductor size / AWGStrandingInsulation color codeFirst digit is the base color, followed by up to two stripe digits, e.g. 903.

Select the fields in part-number order. You may leave the color code blank for a partial lookup. Select Look Up after changing any field.

Construction overview

Slant sheet	Type	Insulation	Nominal wall	Voltage	Conductor plating	Max. temperature
/4	E	PTFE (extruded)	0.010 in	600 V	silver	200°C
/5	EE	PTFE (extruded)	0.015 in	1,000 V	silver	200°C
/6	ET	PTFE (extruded)	0.006 in	250 V	silver	200°C
/11	K	FEP (extruded)	0.010 in	600 V	silver	200°C
/12	KK	FEP (extruded)	0.015 in	1,000 V	silver	200°C
/13	KT	FEP (extruded)	0.006 in	250 V	silver	200°C
/20	—	PTFE (tape)	0.006 in	250 V	silver	200°C
/21	—	PTFE (tape)	0.010 in	600 V	silver	200°C
/22	—	PTFE (tape)	0.015 in	1,000 V	silver	200°C
/23	ET	PTFE (extruded)	0.006 in	250 V	nickel	260°C
/24	—	PTFE (tape)	0.006 in	250 V	nickel	260°C
/25	E	PTFE (extruded)	0.010 in	600 V	nickel	260°C
/26	—	PTFE (tape)	0.010 in	600 V	nickel	260°C
/27	EE	PTFE (extruded)	0.015 in	1,000 V	nickel	260°C
/28	—	PTFE (tape)	0.015 in	1,000 V	nickel	260°C

Frequently asked questions

1. What does each field in an M16878 part number mean?

After M16878/slant sheet come the conductor material, wire size, stranding and color codes. M16878/5 B C B 903 identifies /5, B coated copper, C for 28 AWG, B for seven strands, and color 903.

2. Why are dimensions and weight missing for some slant sheets?

The construction overview lists more slant sheets, but the supplied dimension tables cover /4, /5, /6 and commercial equivalents /11, /12, /13 only. No missing values are estimated.

3. Why is no complete M16878 number built for /11–/13?

The catalog calls these pages equivalent wire. Their dimensions and Thermax numbers refer to tin-plated commercial products. Confirm MIL-spec availability with the supplier.

4. What does (REF) mean?

The catalog uses (REF) for alternate constructions conforming to the specification but not explicitly listed in MIL-W-16878. Dimensions can be viewed without inventing a MIL part number.

5. How is the color code 903 read?

9 means a white base, 0 a black stripe and 3 an orange stripe. This lookup accepts one to three digits in the order shown in the diagram.

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Source: user-supplied Thermax MIL-W-16878 wire catalog, pp. 26–32. Confirm current specifications, ordering and compliance with the supplier.

At a glance

Part number lookup

Lookup result

Construction overview

Frequently asked questions