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Cable Standards
What the major standards cover and how they differ.
Standards do two jobs: they fix the tests a cable must pass, and they fix the constructional rules a design must follow. The IEC 60502 series covers extruded-insulation power cables, with Part 1 for the 1 kV to 3 kV range and Part 2 for the 6 kV to 30 kV range. IEC 60228 defines conductor classes. Fire behaviour is covered separately, by the IEC 60332 series for flame propagation, IEC 60754 for halogen acid gas evolved during combustion, and IEC 61034 for smoke density.
National standards such as GB/T, BS and DIN, and association standards such as ICEA, frequently restate the IEC text with local deviations in conductor sizes, sheath compounds or test regimes. A project that names a national standard is therefore not automatically satisfied by an IEC equivalent, and the differences are worth checking before an offer is priced rather than after.
Articles
Standards referenced
- IEC 60502-1 — Power cables with extruded insulation and their accessories for rated voltages of 1 kV (Um = 1.2 kV) and 3 kV (Um = 3.6 kV) — Part 1
- IEC 60502-2 — Power cables with extruded insulation — rated voltages 6 kV to 30 kV
- IEC 60228 — Conductors of insulated cables
- IEC 60332 — Tests on electric and optical fibre cables under fire conditions
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