Read any cable code, layer by layer.

Type the designation as printed on the cable, its drum label or its datasheet. It is decoded across 71 coding systems and drawn in 3D, from the conductor out to the sheath.

15644 searches since 2016
76 countries
71 coding systems

Cable Search Trends: the most searched cable codes this month

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More than a decoder

Cable designer: build a cable layer by layer, each thickness with its source (IEC 60502, HD 603, HD 620, BS, NEC / UL, IS and more), drawn in 3D and to scale; then its current rating, voltage drop, the smallest section for a load, grouping, conduit fill and the tests after installation. With Pro, the numbers, step tables and PDF sheets behind every verdict.
NA2XSFL2Y: equivalents in other countries: the code page of a power cable the designer can build compares it, layer by layer, with the matching cable of the Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, German and British standards.
Specification builder: the project's requirements on top of the base standard, each with the constructions that meet it, then the specification and its required / offered schedule, in the designer.
Datasheet compliance check: enter a cable's construction from a maker's datasheet or a tender and check it against IEC 60502, HD 603, HD 620 and BS rule sets, clause by clause. With Pro, the reader takes the maker's PDF datasheet and fills the construction in for you.
Bid comparison: bidders' filled-in required / offered schedules side by side, the deviations they did not declare first; the files never leave your browser.
Cable drum calculator: which drum a length of cable needs and what is left on a part-used drum, then the handling and storage rules for that drum, the ISPM 15 export note and how many drums go on a truck or in a container; KTG, NEMA, IS 10418 and makers' drums.
Cable dimensions: outer diameter, layer thicknesses and weight of the most searched cables, size by size, each value with its source.
CPR cable classes: what a class such as Cca-s1b,d1,a1 means and the fire tests behind it, and the lowest class a country asks for in each kind of building, with the rule behind it.
Laying and handling guide: for each cable family the lowest laying temperature, bending radius, pulling, depth, drum handling and the test after laying, every rule with its sources.
Glossary: the terms of cable laying, drum handling and accessories, each with a short definition and its names in the languages of this site.
AWG to mm²: AWG and kcmil against mm² by area and by resistance: 4/0 AWG is not 95 mm².
Guides: how to read the designations of each coding system, symbol by symbol.
Comparisons: pairs of designations people search for, side by side, and what sets them apart.

Your AI agent can decode cables too.

The same deterministic decoder, as JSON. No language model decides an answer, and every symbol says where its meaning comes from. 5 free calls a day, then $0.10 per call in USDC.

REST API: GET /api/v1/decode?code=NYY-J. Every layer, its materials and the source of each symbol. OpenAPI 3.1 contract.
MCP server: claude mcp add --transport http thecablecode https://thecablecode.com/mcp. One line gives Claude or any MCP client the decode_cable_code tool.
Pay per call with x402: $0.10 USDC per decode · Base. No account and no API key: an agent pays per call, wallet to wallet.

Developer docs · OpenAPI · llms.txt

Coding systems covered

National letter codes

DIN VDE 0271/0276 power cables (Germany) (Germany)
Layer-list designation (CU/XLPE/SWA/PVC style, IEC and BS practice) (UK / International)
HAR: HD 361 harmonised designation (CENELEC) (Europe (CENELEC))
VDE telecom, signal and fibre cables (DIN VDE 0815, 0816, 0813, 0888) (Germany)
TS 621 / TSE (Turkey) (Turkey)
DIN VDE 0250 cords, control and special cables (Germany) (Germany)
UTE (France, NF C 30-202 traditional system) (France)
China (GB / JB/T / MT cable model codes) (China)
NEC Article 310 (US building wire, NFPA 70) (USA)
NEC Article 400 (US flexible cords, NFPA 70 / UL 62) (USA)
NEC Article 402 (US fixture wires, NFPA 70) (USA)
Romania (STAS 9436 national symbols) (Romania)
CEI-UNEL 35011 (Italy) (Italy)
Norwegian type designation (NEK 606 offshore and Norwegian land cables) (Norway)
BS 6883 / BS 7917 marine cables and BS 7655 compound types (UK)
NBN (Belgian national cable names, ...B types) (Belgium)
ZN-TF-500 (Poland, MV cables) (See notes)
Swiss cable codes (ASE/SEV wire codes and power cable codes) (Switzerland)
India (IS 1554 / IS 7098 cable code) (India)
IEEE 1580 (International (marine))
UNE (Spain: UNE 21123 / UNE 20434) (Spain)
Türk Telekom (copper network cable specification) (Turkey)
NEN 3207 / KEMA (Netherlands) (Netherlands)
VG 95218 (German Navy cables) (Germany (defence))
SS 424 17 01 (Sweden) (Sweden)

Type-name tables

NEC / UL (USA) (USA)
CSA (Canada) (Canada)
NOM / NMX (Mexico) (Mexico)
IRAM / Mercosur (Argentina) (Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay)
ABNT NBR (Brazil) (Brazil)
NTP (Peru) (Peru)
NTC / RETIE (Colombia) (Colombia, Ecuador, Central America)
NCh / SEC (Chile) (Chile)
PN (Poland) (Poland)
CSN (Czech Republic, Slovakia) (Czech Republic, Slovakia)
GOST (Russia) (Russia and EAEU)
Danish type names (Denmark) (Denmark)
Norsk typebetegnelse (Norway) (Norway)
SFS 5636 (Finland) (Finland)
HD 620 S3 section codes (CENELEC) (Europe (CENELEC HD 620 S3:2023, sections 10-A and 10-G))
CEI-UNEL type names (Italy) (Italy)
Romanian type names (SR) (Romania)
BS 5308 / PAS 5308 (UK instrumentation) (UK)
RG coaxial (MIL-DTL-17) (USA (RF coaxial))
Thermocouple cables (GB/T 4989, China) (China)
Thermocouple cables (IEC 60584-3) (International)
Fieldbus cables (International)
BS 6004 / BS 6500 / BS 7211 / BS 7870 type numbers (UK) (UK)
AS/NZS (Australia, New Zealand) (Australia, New Zealand)
SANS (South Africa) (South Africa)
BIS type names (India) (India)
Turkish type names (Turkey) (Turkey)
NEN / KEMA type names (Netherlands) (Netherlands)
NBN type names (Belgium) (Belgium)
Road vehicle wires (ISO 6722, LV 112, SAE J1128, JASO D611) (Road vehicles (German letter names worldwide, SAE names in North America, JASO names in Japan))
TIS 11 type names (Thailand) (Thailand)
TCVN type names (Vietnam) (Vietnam)
JIS type names (Japan) (Japan)
TÜV 2 PfG 1169 (solar PV cables) (Photovoltaic string cables (TÜV type name, Europe and China))
DIN VDE type names (Germany) (Germany, Austria (trade names printed in front of a VDE code))
KS / KEPCO type names (Korea) (Korea)
IEC 60227 / IEC 60245 type numbers (International (IEC); printed by makers in China, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand and Israel)
JIS C 3410 shipboard cables (Ships (Japanese, Korean and Chinese shipyards))
IEC 60092 shipboard cables (Ships (IEC))
MIL-SPEC wire and cable (US military) (Military and aerospace (US, NATO))
JUS / SRPS / HRN N.C0.006 type names (former Yugoslavia) (Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Slovenia (the former Yugoslav names, still printed beside the HD / VDE name))
NP 665 (Portugal) (Portugal (E-REDES distribution cables and the Portuguese makers))
ELOT type names (Greece) (Greece (ELOT and IEC names printed beside NYY and NYM))
MSZ trade names (Hungary) (Hungary (the everyday shop names printed beside the HAR / VDE name))
EN 50182 / FprEN 50540 (overhead conductors) (Europe (bare overhead line conductors))
Mineral insulated cables (MICC, IEC 60702-1 grades) (International (mineral insulated cables))