Underground-conduit- depth

how deep to bury electrical conduit underground?

Electrical Conduit Pipe /

The National Electrical Code (NEC) provides guidelines for burying electrical cable and wiring, commonly referred to as direct burial installations. These depth requirements are outlined in table 300.5 of the NEC. The burial depth varies between 4 inches and 24 inches, depending on the specific wiring method employed.

Article 300 – General Requirements for Wiring Methods and Materials
Table 300.5 Minimum Cover Requirements, 0 to 1000 Volts, Nominal, Burial in Millimeters (Inches)
Type of Wiring Method or Circuit
Location of Wiring Method or Circuit Column 1
Direct Burial
Cables or
Conductors		 Column 2
Rigid Metal
Conduit or
Intermediate
Metal Conduit		 Column 3
Nonmetallic
Raceways Listed
for Direct Burial
Without Concrete
Encasement or
Other Approved
Raceways		 Column 4
Residential Branch
Circuits Rated
120 Volts or Less
with GCFI
Protection and
Maximum Overcurrent Protection of
20 Amperes		 Column 5
Circuits for Control
of Irrigation and
Landscape Lighting
Limited to Not More
Than 30 Volts and
Installed with Type
UF or in Other
Identified Cable or
Raceway
mm in. mm in. mm in. mm in. mm in.
All locations not specified below 600 24 150 6 450 18 300 12 150 a,b 6 a,b
In trench below 50 mm (2 in.) 450 18 150 6 300 12 150 6 150 6
Under a building 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
(in raceway or Type MC or Type MI cable indentified for direct burial) (in raceway or Type MC or Type MI cable indentified for direct burial) (in raceway or Type MC or Type MI cable indentified for direct burial)
Under minimum of 102 mm (4 in.) thick concrete exterior slab with no vehicular traffic and the slab extending not less than 152 mm (6 in.) beyond the underground installation 450 18 100 4 100 4 150 6 150 6
(direct burial) (direct burial)
100 4 100 4
(in raceway) (in raceway)

The Underground Conduit Options:

PVC conduit – One of the most widely used types of conduit for underground installation.

Made of rigid polyvinyl chloride (PVC) piping. Durable, corrosion resistant, and relatively affordable. Available in various sizes.

HDPE conduit – Made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), it is flexible and easier to install than rigid PVC conduit. Often used for direct burial applications. Resistant to corrosion and very durable.

Steel conduit – Galvanized rigid steel conduit provides maximum durability underground but is heavier and more expensive to install than PVC or HDPE. Highly resistant to corrosion.

Fiberglass conduit – Non-metallic and corrosion resistant. Good alternative where non-conductive and non-magnetic properties are required. More expensive than PVC.

ENT (electrical nonmetallic tubing) – Flexible PVC tubing used as a low-cost alternative to rigid conduit, typically for short underground runs. Easier to install than rigid conduit but provides less physical protection.

Pre-bent conduit – Available for PVC and HDPE. The pre-bent design facilitates installation along curved alignments without having to form bends in the field.

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