PVC Insulated Cables Manufacturers | Electric House Wire Manufacturers

Cable / Wire Terminology

According to type of Insulation Material around the conductor, we can classify Cables / Wire in Three main Categories PVC, Zero Halogen and Fire Retardant.
According to application we can mainly classified in to Two categories

A. Non-Fire Rated Cable

PVC = Polyvinyl Chloride
LS / LSF = Low Smoke / Low Smoke Fume
LSHF / LSZH / LSNH = Low Smoke Halogen Free / Low Smoke Zero (No) Halogen
LH / HF = Low Halogen / Halogen Free

B. Fire Rated Cable

FR =Fire Retardant
FR =Fire Resistance
FRLS = Fire Resistant, Low Smoke
FRLSH= Fire Resistant, Low smoke, Low Halogen
FRLSZH / NHFR / ZHFR / HFFR = Fire Retardant Low Smoke Zero Halogen / Non (Zero) Halogen Free, Fire retardant
HRFR=Heat Resistance Fire Retardant

PVC, FRLS and FP cables, have conductors and insulation to manage the electrical current and voltage. Some also have extra physical protection, like steel wire armour.
PVC and FRLSH cables are different insulating materials around conductors for different application and performance.

The properties that distinguish one electrical insulation from the other are

Dielectric strength or break down voltage
Maximum permissible temperature
Dielectric loss
Permittivity; and some special properties to suit the application.
FRLS / FRLF is the quality of insulating material. It may be PVC or XLPE.

(A) Non-Fire Rated Cable

(1) PVC Cable:

PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) cables is usually made up of a PVC compound as an insulating Material.
PVC insulation has a temperature limit of about 70^oC. From the point of view of maximum permissible temperature, it belongs to the lowest class of insulation, yet it serves the purpose as the voltages and power ratings involved are relatively low.
While burring of PVC in case of Fire produces dense of black smoke and produce large amount of toxic gas and cocktail of harmful chemicals.While burring of PVC in case of Fire produces dense of black smoke and produce large amount of toxic gas and cocktail of harmful chemicals.

Smoke:

Burning PVC has been reduced visibility in the surrounding area by 50% within 10 minutes. After 30 minutes, visibility can be reduced by as 90%
This reduced visibility could make it very difficult to escape a burning Area / Building.
The smoke and fumes produced during a fire can be more dangerous to people than the fire itself.

Toxic Chemicals:

In natural state HCL is a pungent, almost colorless gas, which forms into white vapor clouds on contact with air.
Furthermore, when mixed with water it changes state yet again to form Hydrochloric Acid, whether it's in gaseous, vaporized or liquid state it's a highly toxic and corrosive substance.
There are numerous harmful effects that HCl can have on a person. If inhaled the lining of the throat can be irritated to such an extent that it swells, making breathing extremely difficult.
Contact with the eyes can be responsible for anything from severe irritation to permanent damage to the corneas. Similarly, lips and mucous membranes may be burned or even ulcerated, the severity dependent on the concentration of HCl and length of exposure.
Taking into account the combined effects on someone of the smoke and HCl produced during the burning process, it's difficult to see and the victims have been rendered unconscious long before the flames have reached them.

Some extent Fire Retardant property:

PVC is resistant to Fire ignition.
PVC (polyvinyl chloride) is naturally Fire Retardant due to chlorine base. It contains a large number of chlorine ions in the molecular structure and these are particularly difficult to break off when exposed to heat.
If it does catch fire, PVC has a particularly slow spread of flame. PVC has one of the lowest flames spread ratings, meaning that it won't typically contribute to the spread of a fire
The temperature required to ignite rigid PVC is more than 150 deg C higher than that required to ignite wood. The ignition resistance of common flexible PVC formulations is lower, but with specialized formulations it may be significantly increased.
The fire in the gets extinguished immediately on removal of the fire source.
In the Plant or Building, PVC cables are bunched in the cable shaft or on cable trays. In case of fire in these cables the fire becomes self-sustaining.
Moreover, due to the burning of PVC a dense corrosive smoke is emitted which makes firefighting very difficult, due to poor visibility and toxic nature of the smoke. HCL content of the smoke, not only damages other costly equipment lying nearby, but also penetrates the RCC and corrodes the steel reinforcement.
PVC have some Fire retardant Property due to halogen even though it may create an extensive damage to the property and harmful for human.

Advantage

PVC is Cheap.
PVC offers greater flexibility and robust
PVC have a relatively long working life

Dis Advantage

When PVC insulated cable burns it gives off a cocktail of chemicals and dense black smoke.

Application

PVC cables are used for non-essential services that do not need to operate in case of fire.
Mostly use for Domestic, Office for general lighting.
They are ideal for low-risk buildings, not generally for public or large commercial buildings.

(2) LS / LSF (Low Smoke & Fume) Cables:

LSF is also manufactured using PVC compounds.
LSF cables are usually made up of a modified PVC compound (varying degrees dependent on the manufacturer's) which produces somewhat less HCI gas and smoke on burning than PVC.
However, it still produces 15% to 22 % (depending on quality) of HCI gas and due to the presence of PVC can still emit dense black smoke and HCl emissions.
It does contain halogen, so it shouldn't be confused or similar with Low Smoke Halogen Free (LSHF) cables.
The amount of PVC present in these cables can differ from manufacturer to manufacturer which makes installing LSF cables in public places.

Advantage

These cables are often purchased to cut cost or in confusion with LSHF cables.
They should be considered to be a small improvement over PVC cables.

Dis Advantage

These cables are not recommended for public, large commercial buildings, near sensitive electronic equipment and where escape is limited in case of fire.

Application

Mostly use for Domestic, Office for general lighting.

(3) LSHF / LSZH / LS0H (Low Smoke Halogen Free) Cables

LSHF cables are made up of halogen free compounds that are good fire retardants but emit less than 0.5% hydrogen chloride gas and smoke when burnt.
In case of fire, LSHF cable produces only small amounts of light grey smoke and miniscule amounts of HCl, which as a result greatly increases a person's chances of escape from a burning building in which it's installed.
The reason LSHF products react so differently when exposed to fire in comparison to PVC & LSF cables is the complete absence of PVC.
The outer sheath / Jacketing and conductor insulation of these products are often made from polyethylene which contains little by way of chlorine, and low chlorine means low HCl and Low nontoxic gases emissions.
It emits 0.5 % of HCL gas thus providing a safer environment in the event of a fire.
There's no PVC in these cables, hence no harmful fumes or dense black smoke are given off in case of fire and generation ensures evacuation routes and signage remain visible during a fire.
In Some Manufacture's LSHF Cable use standard PVC cables over-sheathed with an LSHF jacket or cables with PVC insulation. When the jacket burns through, the PVC inner sheath or insulation will give off poisonous gases in just the same way as PVC Cable.

Advantage

LSHF cables use in applications where smoke emission and toxic fumes could a risk to human health and essential equipment in the event of a fire.

Dis Advantage

Costly compare to PVC and LSF
Not Flexible compared to PVC

Application

Because of their low smoke and toxicity benefits, LSHF cables are often chosen for various Public, non / Poor ventilated Place and Essential applications.
Public space, Building like Railway and subway stations and cars, buses and bus stations, airplanes and airports, Carrier Ships, other mass transit facilities.
Any public underground or poorly ventilated location like elevators, subways
Public entertainment and sports facilities
Apartment buildings and hotels
Hospitals
Computer/data centers

Difference between PVC vs LSF vs LSZH

LSF cables are flexible and low-cost alternative to PVC cables but made from a modified version of PVC and can still produce a dangerous amount of toxic gas and large amounts of black smoke and hydrogen chloride gas when burned.
Black smoke can obscure exit routes in the event of a fire and hydrogen chloride gas can be deadly to both people and sensitive equipment.
Whereas LSHF cables are less flexible and a higher cost but due to absent of PVC reduce significant of toxic gas, smoke and no more than 0.5% HCL when burned. So in a high risk populated area where escape is limited, LHSF cables are strongly recommended.
But in low-risk areas where the evacuation is easy and high flexibility is required, PVC could still be a good choice.
One common misunderstanding is that LSF or LSHF cable is also flame retardant. This is not necessarily true. The cables may spread the fire even though minimal fumes are being emitted.

Difference between PVC-LSF-LSHF-FR-FRLS-FRLSH Cables