Wire Gauge
Definition
The diameter of a wire strand, typically expressed in millimetres or as a standard wire gauge number. Gauge is a class characteristic that narrows the type and likely source of snare wire.
- Measured as
- Wire diameter
- Units
- Millimetres or standard wire gauge number
- Evidentiary role
- Class characteristic narrowing wire type and source
Common questions
Can wire gauge alone individualise a snare to a specific spool of wire?+
No, gauge is a class characteristic shared by every length of wire made to that specification, so it can only narrow the pool of possible sources. Individualisation, when possible, relies on additional features such as tool marks, twist pattern, or a physical fracture match to a specific cut end.
How is wire gauge measured in casework without damaging the evidence?+
A micrometre or calliper is used to take a non-destructive diameter measurement at several points along the strand, since wire can vary slightly along its length due to manufacturing tolerance or wear.
Related terms
- Anchor Peg
- The stake, branch, or root to which a snare is fixed at the ground end, allowing the loop to stay open at...
- Circumferential Groove
- The band of compressed skin and tissue left around a limb or neck by a taut wire snare. Groove depth and width...
- Spring-Set Snare
- A snare in which a bent sapling or tensioned wire provides a spring that lifts the caught animal off the ground when...
- Tool Marks
- Impressions or striations left on an object (here, a wire cut end) by a tool (here, wire cutters). Class characteristics reflect tool...
- Trace Transfer
- Material moved from the handler to the snare (fingerprints, DNA, fibres) or from the environment to the snare (soil, plant material) during...