In Episode 5 of No Dumb Questions, we explain the construction and applications of Litz wire, a specialized conductor designed for high-frequency electrical performance.
Litz wire comes from the German term litzendraht, meaning braided or woven wire. To understand Litz wire, first consider magnet wire: a single copper or aluminum conductor coated with a thin insulating enamel layer. Litz wire is constructed by bundling and weaving together two or more individually insulated magnet wire strands.
The primary purpose of Litz wire is to reduce high-frequency AC losses—specifically skin effect and proximity effect losses—making it essential for transformers, inductors, wireless charging, and other high-frequency electromagnetic devices.
When designing a custom Litz wire solution, critical engineering factors include:
- Operating frequency
- Temperature requirements
- Voltage requirements
- Insulation needs (such as textile serving, tape wrapping, or extruded insulation)
- Final application and winding requirements (such as transformer bobbins or cylindrical windings)
We encourage you to discuss your application requirements with our engineering team so the appropriate Litz wire construction can be designed for your system.
Key Technical Takeaways
- Definition: Litz wire consists of multiple individually insulated magnet wire strands bundled and woven together.
- Etymology: Derived from the German word litzendraht, meaning braided or woven wire.
- Primary Function: Minimizes high-frequency AC resistance (skin effect and proximity effect losses) to improve electrical efficiency.
- Insulation Options: Can be configured with textile serving, high-temperature tapes, or extruded outer jackets.
- Design Parameters: Custom constructions depend on operating frequency, voltage, temperature class, outer diameter (OD), and bobbin/winding constraints.
If this video sparked your interest, jump over to our website litzwire.com for even more information.
Ready to learn more? Watch Episode 6: What is VOP?
Episode 5 Transcript – What is Litz Wire?
Welcome to No Dumb Questions
Ah, here’s another question. What is Litz wire? We get that an awful lot. I bet that would be a great question for our No Dumb Questions series.
Oh! Hello there! Welcome to another episode of No Dumb Questions, where the only dumb question is the question you don’t ask.
Magnet Wire vs. Litz Wire
Litz wire comes from the German word litzendraht, which means braided or woven wire. But to first understand that, we need to take a look at magnet wire.
So magnet wire would be one single strand of a wire, generally copper or aluminum, that has an enamel coating on it. So this one individual strand would be magnet wire. When you take two or more of them together and group them, it becomes Litz wire.
Applications and Design Parameters
So the applications for Litz wire: if you have an application where you need to reduce your AC loss at frequency, Litz wire should be a consideration.
Some key factors when we would be looking to design a Litz construction would be: we’d need to know operating frequency you’re working in, if you have temperature requirements, voltage requirements, and whether or not those have to be insulated—and we have various insulation options like textile, tapes, or extruded insulation—and we’d want to understand what your final OD is, especially if you’re going to be winding this for a bobbin used for a transformer or solenoid.
Contact New England Wire
So if you have an application that’s going to require Litz wire, give us a call. We’ll work with you for the details of your construction and design the best Litz wire for your application.
So if you have a question that you’d like us to answer during our No Dumb Questions series, feel free to contact us.