Convention for describing larger or smaller wire awg
I see the point of confusion but have never given it much thought. Lower/higher is a LOT more confusing than larger/smaller.
If someone said &quot;larger/smaller than 12AWG&quot;, to me that would mean more/less copper, so a numerically lower/higher AWG. I probably think this way since &quot;larger&quot; and &quot;smaller&quot; have physicality to them; A wire can be physically larger or smaller. In short, &quot;AWG&quot; is synonymous with &quot;size&quot; or &quot;diameter&quot;.
If they said a &quot;higher/lower AWG&quot;, that would give me pause unless the context was clear. &quot;The current is too high, you need a  wire gauge.&quot;  it really doesn't matter what the relative adjective is. You know what it is trying to say. But I don't think I've had anyone communicate AWG to me using this method.
But you probably should just say wire/conductor diameter.