Quick Answer: Romex cable (NM B, nonmetallic sheathed cable) commonly runs $0.30 to $2.50 per linear foot as of 2026, set mostly by gauge and conductor count. The price rides the copper market, so the number you quote on bid day is the only number that matters. Treat the ranges below as a planning guide and pull live distributor quotes for the actual bid.
What Drives the Price
Romex is the trade name most electricians use for NM B cable, the flat sheathed cable with two or three insulated copper conductors plus a bare ground, used in residential and light commercial wiring inside walls, floors, and ceilings. It is sold by the foot off the coil or in 250 ft, 500 ft, and 1,000 ft cartons. Four variables drive the cost:
- Gauge and conductor count: A 14/2 cable has two 14 AWG conductors plus ground. A 12/2 has two 12 AWG conductors. Bigger wire means more copper means more money. 14/2 is the cheapest common size; 6/3 with ground for a range or subpanel is the most expensive run most residential jobs use.
- Metal: NM B is almost always copper. CCA (copper clad aluminum) NM B exists but is restricted or banned in many jurisdictions and is not accepted on most specs. Stick to copper unless you have a written RFI response allowing substitution.
- Length of put up: A 1,000 ft carton is cheaper per foot than a 250 ft carton of the same gauge. Cut length pricing off the coil carries the biggest premium, often 20 to 35 percent over full carton pricing.
- Copper commodity index: NM B is priced off the COMEX copper close. When copper moves, the distributor moves the carton price within days. Long projects need a copper escalation clause or a quote lock.
Region also matters. Freight from the distributor to the job is a real cost on full pallet quantities, and local demand during a busy build season can push the price up even when the copper index is flat.
Typical Price Ranges by Type
These are commonly quoted ranges as of 2026, per linear foot, full carton pricing. Cut length and small order pricing runs higher.
- 14/2 with ground: $0.30 to $0.50 per LF
- 14/3 with ground: $0.40 to $0.65 per LF
- 12/2 with ground: $0.40 to $0.70 per LF
- 12/3 with ground: $0.55 to $0.85 per LF
- 10/2 with ground: $0.60 to $0.95 per LF
- 10/3 with ground: $0.75 to $1.20 per LF
- 8/2 with ground: $0.90 to $1.40 per LF
- 8/3 with ground: $1.10 to $1.70 per LF
- 6/3 with ground (range cable): $1.80 to $2.80 per LF
- 4/3 with ground (subpanel feed): $2.50 to $3.80 per LF
For larger service feeders most jobs switch to SER cable or individual THHN in conduit, because NM B in 2 AWG and above is uncommon and expensive. Romex is really a 14 AWG through 6 AWG product.
How to Calculate the Quantity You Need
Take cable lengths off the electrical plans, by cable type (14/2, 12/2, 14/3, and so on). For each circuit, measure from the panel to the first device, between devices, and back if it is a switch leg or three way circuit. Add the vertical rises: panel to ceiling, ceiling to device box, and the slack required at each box, typically 6 to 8 inches at device boxes and 6 to 8 feet at the panel for terminations.
Apply a 5 to 10 percent waste factor on top of the measured length. Romex is cut at each box, and the leftover stub is usually too short to reuse. Long runs that pull hard can also snag and ruin a length. A tighter waste factor is realistic on tract housing with repeating layouts; a looser one is better on custom work with one of a kind runs.
Round up to the carton. If a circuit calls for 180 ft of 14/2 and the carton is 250 ft, you buy one carton. If three circuits together need 320 ft of 12/2, you buy one 500 ft carton. Track each cable type on its own takeoff line so you can price each with the correct unit cost and waste factor.
Tie every quantity to the sheet and circuit number it came from. When the GC or the inspector asks where a number came from, you should be able to point at the panel schedule and the home run sheet in seconds.
How to Buy Smarter
- Pull three quotes on bid day. Distributors price copper off the COMEX close, and they do not all move on the same day. A 15 to 25 percent spread between suppliers on the same gauge is common when copper is volatile.
- Buy full cartons, not cut lengths. Cut length pricing carries a premium and you still eat the stub waste. Full cartons put the waste in your own bucket, and leftover cartons usually go to the next job.
- Lock quotes on long projects. Most distributors will hold NM B pricing for 30 days on a fixed quantity. On a six month build, lock the feeder cable and large gauge runs, and price the branch circuit cable as you go, or add a copper escalation clause to the contract.
- Bundle the package. Buying NM B, conduit, boxes, devices, and breakers from one supplier in a negotiated package usually beats line item shopping, and it gives you one delivery and one backorder to manage.
- Match the cable to the spec, not the price. If the spec calls for NM B, do not substitute UF B or MC cable to save money without a written RFI response. The wrong cable fails inspection and costs more than the savings.
Where Estimators Get It Wrong
The most common mistake is reusing the carton price from the last job. Copper moves week to week, and a stale number turns a profitable bid into a loss. Reprice every cable type on bid day.
The second is missing the vertical rises. Estimators measure along the floor plan and forget the panel to ceiling rise, the ceiling to box drop, and the slack at each box. On a two story house these rises can add 10 to 20 percent to the cable quantity, and they are pure cost if you miss them.
The third is mixing up 14/2 and 12/3 home runs. A three way switch leg uses 14/3 or 12/3, not 14/2. If you count the home run as 14/2 and the three way legs as 14/2, you are short the cable and short the price. Read the switching notes before you count.
The fourth is ignoring the spec for special locations. Kitchen islands, wet walls, and unfinished basements sometimes require MC or AC instead of NM B. If you price Romex and the spec calls for metal clad, you eat the difference. Read the general notes on the electrical sheets.
Putting It Together
Price NM B by the linear foot, by cable type, off a measured takeoff that includes vertical rises and a 5 to 10 percent waste factor. Reprice copper on bid day from three suppliers, buy full cartons, and lock pricing on long projects. Read the spec for cable type and special location requirements before you commit, and bundle the wire with the rest of the electrical package where you can. Romex is one of the most volatile lines on the residential bid, so treat the unit cost as a moving number, not a constant.