Difference Between Flame Retardant And Fire Resistant Cables

Iec 60332 1 bs 4066 1 flame test on single vertical insulated wires cables.

Difference between flame retardant and fire resistant cables.

In term of cable construction it is essential to distinguish the outer sheath colour between flameretardant cable and fire resistant cable. Flame retardant cables can resist the spread of fire but fire rated cables maintain circuit integrity and continue to work in the presence of fire. Flame retardant cables are designed to resist the spread of fire into a new area. This article below will describe the differences between flame retardant and fire rated cables.

Oxygen barrier cable also known as highly flame retardant cable. A fire resistant cable will continue to function in the event of a fire and is also identified as a circuit integrity cable a flame retardant cable on the other hand will not propagate or convey a fire. Difference between flame retardant cable and fire resistant release time 2016 05 27 14 43 hit. Without a special chemical application a fabric will not qualify as flame retardant.

Due to relative low cost fire retardant cables are widely used as fire survival cables. Typically flame retardant cables resist the spread of fire into a new area whereas fire resistive cables maintain circuit integrity and continue to work for a specific time under defined conditions. Fire and disaster planning is painstaking so it is of the utmost importance that specifiers and contractors understand when to use flame retardant and when to use fire resistant cable what the differences are and how the right choices should be arrived at. The title of iec 60331 is test for electric cables under fire conditions circuit integrity.

Iec 60322 fire resistant. Commonly fire resistant cable has red outer sheath jacket while flame retardant may have grey or black outer sheath jacket. Fire resistant cables are often used to maintain circuit integrity of those vital life safety systems such as fire alarm and suppression services. The main code as follow.

Similarly without being made of certain nonflammable fibers a fabric will not quality as fire resistant. Fireproof wire and cable is a general name for the fire resistance wire and cable usually divided into flame retardant wire and cable zr bv and fire resistant wire and cable nh bv. There are enormous differences between flame retardant cables and fire resistive cables. A flame resistant cable in this manner would let the circuit stay in operation allowing power to be transferred through it while this would not be the case with a flame retardant cable.

The biggest difference between flame resistant and flame retardant fabrics lies in how each is made. For iec 60322 is test on electric cable under fire conditions.