An introduction to Harmonised Cables
17th March 2008
Talking in code is only ever effective when the person with whom you are communicating knows how to read it. In the field of cable, this means using a common coding system that clearly indicates wherever you are in Europe to what specification and standard a cable has been manufactured. Sounds simple, but before the 1980s when cable testing and manufacturing equipment was developed in relative isolation across the world it was anything but.
Thanks to the harmonised approach of CENELEC (the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation), however, a single system of code designation for power cables enables companies to make informed decisions about their cable purchases. The system, published in harmonisation document HD 361 and DIN VDE 0292, has helped cut compliance costs and guarantee safety and consistent quality for companies fulfilling contracts across the continent. In much the same way as the standardised colour coding system introduced back in 2004, these harmonised codes have worked to eliminate trade barriers and drive the single European market. Buying the right cable for the right European contract has never been easier one specification, one code.
Cracking the cable code
The code used to identify specific cables in the harmonised system can be broken down into three parts. The first part indicates whether or not the cable in question fully complies with the common rules laid down by CENELEC and the nominal voltage. The second part looks in more detail at the cable design insulating and sheathing materials, design features and type of conductor. And the third and final part identifies the number of cores and the nominal cross section(s) of conductors. Here are a few examples of the code in practice:
H07RN-F Voltage Rating: 450/750V; Insulation: EPR (Ethylene Propylene Rubber); Sheath: PCP (Polychloroprene); Conductor form: flexible (CLASS 5) conductor
H07BN4-F Voltage Rating: 450/750V; Insulation: Ethylene-propylene rubber; Sheath: HOFR CSP (Heat & Oil Resistant & Flame Retardant Chlorosulphonated Polyethylene); Conductor form: flexible (CLASS 5) conductor
H01N2-D Voltage Rating: 100V; Insulation: Special polychloroprene compound, HOFR Conductor form: flexible conductor for use in arc welding cables
H05Z-K Voltage Rating: 300/500V; Insulation: Polyolefin-based cross-linked compound LSZH (Low Smoke Zero Halogen); Conductor form: flexible conductor for fixed installations
H07V-R Voltage Rating: 450/750; Insulation: PVC Conductor form: rigid, round conductor, stranded
Part 1 of the Designation
| Symbol | Relationship of Cable to Standards |
| H | Cable conforming with harmonised standards |
| A | Recognised National Type of cable listed in the relevant Supplement to harmonised standards |
| Symbol | Value, Uo/U |
| 01 | =100/100V; (<300/300V) |
| 03 | 300/300V |
| 05 | 300/500V |
| 07 | 450/750V |
Part 2 of the Designation
| Symbol | Material |
| B | Ethylene-propylene rubber |
| G | Ethylene-vinyl-acetate |
| J | Glass-fibre braid |
| M | Mineral |
| N | Polychloroprene (or equivalent material) |
| N2 | Special polychloroprene compound for covering of welding cables according to HD 22.6 |
| N4 | Chlorosulfonated polyethylene or chlorinated polyethylene |
| N8 | Special water resistant polychloroprene compound |
| Q | Polyurethane |
| Q4 | Polyamide |
| R | Ordinary ethylene propylene rubber or equivalent synthetic elastomer for a continuous operating temperature of 60ΊC |
| S | Silicone rubber |
| T | Textile braid, impregnated or not, on assembled cores |
| T6 | Textile braid, impregnated or not, on individual cores of a multi-core cable |
| V | Ordinary PVC |
| V2 | PVC compound for a continuous operating temperature of 90ΊC |
| V3 | PVC compound for cables installed at low temperature |
| V4 | Cross-linked PVC |
| V5 | Special oil resistant PVC compound |
| Z | Polyolefin-based cross-linked compound having low level of emission of corrosive gases and which is suitable for use in cables which, when burned, have low emission of smoke |
| Z1 | Polyolefin-based thermoplastic compound having low level of emission of corrosive gases and which is suitable for use in cables which, when burned, have low emission of smoke |
| Symbol | Sheath, concentric conductors and screens |
| C | Concentric copper conductor |
| C4 | Copper screen as braid over the assembled cores |
| Symbol | Sheath, concentric conductors and screens |
| D | Strain-bearing element consisting of one or more textile components, placed at the centre of a round cable or tributed inside a flat cable |
| D5 | Central heart (non strain-bearing for lift cables only) |
| D9 | Strain-bearing element consisting of one or more metallic components, placed at the centre of a round cable or distributed inside a flat cable |
| Symbol | Special construction |
| No Symbol | Circular construction of cable |
| H | Flat construction of “divisible” cables and cores, either sheathed or non-sheathed |
| H2 | Flat construction of “non-divisible” cables and cores |
| H6 | Flat cable having three or more cores, according to DH 359 or EN 50214 |
| H7 | Cable having a double layer insulation applied by extrusion |
| H8 | Extensible lead |
| Symbol | Conductor material |
| No Symbol | Copper |
| -A | Aluminium |
| Symbol | Conductor form |
| -D | Flexible conductor for use in arc welding cables to HD 22Part 6 (flexibilty different from Class 5 of HD 383) |
| -E | Highly flexible conductor for use in arc welding cables to HD22 Part 6 (flexibility different from Class 6 of HD 383) |
| -F | Flexible conductor of a flexible cable or cord (flexibility according to Class 5 of HD 383) |
| -H | Highly flexible conductor of a flexible cable or cord (flexibility according to Class 6 of HD 383) |
| -K | Flexible conductor of a cable for fixed installations (unless otherwise specified, flexibility according to Class 5 of HD 383) |
| -R | Rigid, round conductor, stranded |
| -U | Rigid round conductor, solid |
| -Y | Tinsel conductor |
Part 3 of the Designation
| Symbol | Number and size of conductors |
| (number) | Number, n of cores |
| X | Times, where a green/yellow core is not included |
| G | Times, when a green/yellow core is included |
| (number) | Nominal cross-section, s, of conductor in mm² |
| Y | For a tinsel conductor where the cross-section is not specified |
