Two ungrounded branch circuit conductors are installed to serve a load. These are installed in PVC. The 8 AWG copper ungrounded conductors are permitted to be ___.

• A. stranded
• B. solid
• C. bare
• D. any of these

Answer: (A)

When wiring a branch circuit through a PVC raceway, the conductors feeding the load must be insulated and sized for the circuit. For 8 AWG copper, using a stranded form is the standard practice because stranded conductors are much easier to pull through the conduit, especially with bends and typical raceway fill. Solid conductors are harder to install in conduit and can be damaged during pulling. Bare conductors are reserved for equipment grounding and aren’t used as ungrounded conductors. So the 8 AWG copper ungrounded conductors are permitted to be stranded.