CPR cable classes explained: Aca to Fca, s1, d0, a1
Under the EU Construction Products Regulation (CPR), cables for buildings and other construction works carry a reaction-to-fire class: how much a cable adds to a fire, how much smoke it makes, whether it drips burning material and how acidic its fire gases are. The product standard is EN 50575; the classes are set out in EN 13501-6. The maker declares the class and prints it on the sheath. This page explains the classes; it does not give a class to any cable.
How to read a class
A class is written as the main class, then three additional classes: smoke (s), burning droplets (d) and acidity (a). The additional classes exist only for B1ca, B2ca, Cca and Dca; Aca, Eca and Fca stand alone.
Cca-s1b,d1,a1
CcaModerate contribution to fire: flame spread up to 2 m on the cable ladder.s1bs1, and 60 % to under 80 % light transmittance in the 3 m cube.d1No flaming droplets or particles burning longer than 10 s, within 1200 s.a1Low acidity of the combustion gases: conductivity under 2.5 µS/mm and pH over 4.3.
The main classes
| Class | Meaning | Tests | Limits | AVCP system |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Aca | Practically no contribution to fire: the gross heat of combustion of the non-metallic material is at most 2.0 MJ/kg. | EN ISO 1716 | gross heat of combustion ≤ 2 MJ/kg | 1+ |
B1ca | Very limited contribution to fire, tested with the larger 30 kW burner (and a non-combustible backing board). | EN 50399, EN 60332-1-2, EN 61034-2, EN 60754-2 | flame spread on the ladder ≤ 1.75 m; total heat release in 1200 s ≤ 10 MJ; peak heat release rate ≤ 20 kW; fire growth rate (FIGRA) ≤ 120 W/s; flame spread, EN 60332-1-2 ≤ 425 mm (30 kW) | 1+ |
B2ca | Limited contribution to fire: short flame spread and low heat release on the cable ladder. | EN 50399, EN 60332-1-2, EN 61034-2, EN 60754-2 | flame spread on the ladder ≤ 1.5 m; total heat release in 1200 s ≤ 15 MJ; peak heat release rate ≤ 30 kW; fire growth rate (FIGRA) ≤ 150 W/s; flame spread, EN 60332-1-2 ≤ 425 mm (20.5 kW) | 1+ |
Cca | Moderate contribution to fire: flame spread up to 2 m on the cable ladder. | EN 50399, EN 60332-1-2, EN 61034-2, EN 60754-2 | flame spread on the ladder ≤ 2 m; total heat release in 1200 s ≤ 30 MJ; peak heat release rate ≤ 60 kW; fire growth rate (FIGRA) ≤ 300 W/s; flame spread, EN 60332-1-2 ≤ 425 mm (20.5 kW) | 1+ |
Dca | Contribution to fire with limits on heat release only; no flame-spread limit on the ladder. | EN 50399, EN 60332-1-2, EN 61034-2, EN 60754-2 | total heat release in 1200 s ≤ 70 MJ; peak heat release rate ≤ 400 kW; fire growth rate (FIGRA) ≤ 1300 W/s; flame spread, EN 60332-1-2 ≤ 425 mm (20.5 kW) | 3 |
Eca | Passes the single-cable flame test only: the flame stops within 425 mm. | EN 60332-1-2 | flame spread, EN 60332-1-2 ≤ 425 mm | 3 |
Fca | No performance determined (also a cable that fails the Eca test). | - | - | 4 |
Source: EN 13501-6 draft (BSI FSH/21_11_0073, undated, before the published EN 13501-6:2014), Table 1, pp. 20-21 (draft).
Source: FprEN 50575:2014 (final draft, May 2014), Table 1, p. 6 (draft).
AVCP: the system of assessment and verification of constancy of performance that applies to the maker's declaration, by class.
Source: FprEN 50575:2014 (final draft, May 2014), Table ZA.2, p. 14 (checked on the page image) (draft).
Smoke: s1, s1a, s1b, s2, s3
| Class | Meaning | Tests | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
s1 | Low smoke production on the ladder. | EN 50399 | total smoke production in 1200 s ≤ 50 m²; peak smoke production rate ≤ 0.25 m²/s |
s1a | s1, and at least 80 % light transmittance in the 3 m cube. | EN 50399 + EN 61034-2 | total smoke production in 1200 s ≤ 50 m²; peak smoke production rate ≤ 0.25 m²/s; light transmittance, EN 61034-2 ≥ 80 % |
s1b | s1, and 60 % to under 80 % light transmittance in the 3 m cube. | EN 50399 + EN 61034-2 | total smoke production in 1200 s ≤ 50 m²; peak smoke production rate ≤ 0.25 m²/s; light transmittance, EN 61034-2 ≥ 60 %; light transmittance, EN 61034-2 < 80 % |
s2 | Medium smoke production. | EN 50399 | total smoke production in 1200 s ≤ 400 m²; peak smoke production rate ≤ 1.5 m²/s |
s3 | Neither s1 nor s2: no smoke limit met. | EN 50399 |
The B1ca smoke class comes from the 30 kW test, the others from the 20.5 kW test.
Burning droplets: d0, d1, d2
| Class | Meaning | Tests | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
d0 | No flaming droplets or particles within 1200 s. | EN 50399 | |
d1 | No flaming droplets or particles burning longer than 10 s, within 1200 s. | EN 50399 | |
d2 | Neither d0 nor d1. | EN 50399 |
Acidity: a1, a2, a3
| Class | Meaning | Tests | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
a1 | Low acidity of the combustion gases: conductivity under 2.5 µS/mm and pH over 4.3. | EN 60754-2 | conductivity < 2.5 µS/mm; pH > 4.3 |
a2 | Medium acidity: conductivity under 10 µS/mm and pH over 4.3. | EN 60754-2 | conductivity < 10 µS/mm; pH > 4.3 |
a3 | Neither a1 nor a2, or no performance declared. | EN 60754-2 |
The EN 13501-6 draft names EN 50267-2-3 for these limits; the EN 50575 final draft names EN 60754-2 as the test for this additional class.
Source: EN 13501-6 draft (BSI FSH/21_11_0073, undated, before the published EN 13501-6:2014), Table 1 notes (2) to (7), p. 21 (draft).
The tests
- EN ISO 1716: gross heat of combustion (bomb calorimeter)
- EN 50399: vertical cable ladder in a room with heat and smoke measurement: heat release, flame spread, smoke production, flaming droplets
- EN 60332-1-2: single vertical cable, 1 kW premixed flame: flame propagation
- EN 61034-2: smoke density in a 3 m cube: light transmittance
- EN 60754-2: acidity of the combustion gases: pH and conductivity
IEC 60332-3-24 category C: the bundle test
Bunched cables on a vertical ladder, 1.5 litres of non-metallic material per metre, 20 minutes of flame; the recommended limit is a char height of at most 2.5 m above the burner. The product standard's own requirement comes first.
Conductors above 35 mm²: one layer, spaced. 35 mm² or smaller: one or more layers, touching. On the front of the ladder only.
- Non-metallic volume: 1.5 l/m
- Flame time: 20 min
- Char height (recommended): ≤ 2.5 m
- Conditioning: ≥ 16 h, 20 +/- 10 °C
- Test pieces, at least: 2
Source: IEC 60332-3-24:2000+A1:2008 (edition 1.1, 2009-02), Table A.1 p. 12; cl 5.1 p. 7; cl 5.3 pp. 8-9; Annex A p. 12; Annex B p. 13 (informative); cl 7 (standard text).
IEC 60332-3-24 is not among the tests EN 50575 names for a CPR class; the CPR ladder test is EN 50399.
Source: FprEN 50575:2014 (final draft, May 2014), Table 1, p. 6 (draft).
Fire resistance is a different thing: P and PH classes, FE 180
Circuit integrity (the cable keeps working in a fire) is a separate classification from reaction to fire: P classes for cables and their fire-protective systems, PH classes for small-diameter cables under a constant attack.
Classes: P 15, 30, 60, 90, 120 (tests EN 50577, EN 50582, EN 50289-4-16) and PH 15, 30, 60, 90, 120 (tests EN 50200, EN 50582, EN 50289-4-16; constant attack 842 °C). A marking such as FE 180 on a designation describes this circuit integrity, not the reaction-to-fire class.
Source: EN 13501-3:2005+A1:2009 with draft A2 (cover September 2013), cl 4.3 p. 7; cl 6.3 p. 9; cl 7.2.4.4, 7.2.5.4 pp. 16-17; cl 7.2.6.2 p. 18 (draft).
Who declares the class, and where it is printed
The maker prints the reaction-to-fire class on the sheath, with its name or trademark and the product description or code designation, continuously, at most 1100 mm between repeats.
Source: FprEN 50575:2014 (final draft, May 2014), cl 7.1 to 7.3, p. 12 (draft).
Classes makers declared: examples
Real cables from the verified designation sets of this site, with the class the maker or seller printed. They show what is declared for a kind of construction; they are not the class of any other cable.
| Designation | Construction | Declared class | Maker or seller |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-CXKH-R-J | halogen-free | B2ca-s1,d0,a1 | Kablo Vrchlabí |
| FG16(O)M16 | halogen-free | Cca-s1b,d1,a1 | Nexans (La Triveneta Cavi) |
| FG18(O)M16 | halogen-free | B2ca-s1a,d1,a1 | Nexans (La Triveneta Cavi) |
| FXQJ | halogen-free | Dca | Nexans Norway |
| H07Z1-K | halogen-free | Cca-s1,d1,a1 | Nexans Spain |
| AXQJ-RMF | halogen-free | B2ca | Prysmian Sweden (12/20 kV) |
| RZ1FZ1-K (AS) | halogen-free | Cca-s1b,d1,a1 | Top Cable |
| RZ1-K (AS) | halogen-free | Cca-s1a,d1,a1 | Top Cable (B2ca-s1a,d1,a1 for some sizes) |
| N1XV-R | PVC sheath | Eca | Ahlsell (seller) |
| FG16OR16 | PVC sheath | Cca-s3,d1,a3 | Nexans (La Triveneta Cavi) |
| U1000 R2V | PVC sheath | Eca | Nexans (La Triveneta Cavi) |
| N2XSY | PVC sheath | Eca | Waskönig+Walter (10 kV datasheet) |
| YMeKrvaslqwd | PE sheath | Fca | TKF |
| NA2XS(F)2Y | PE sheath | Fca | Waskönig+Walter |
Makers are listed as sources, alphabetically within each kind. No maker pays to appear in this table.
Sources
Values only, read from the owner's copies. "Draft" means the value was read in a draft, final draft or committee draft and not in the published standard: check the published text before you quote a number.
- EN 13501-6 draft (BSI FSH/21_11_0073, undated, before the published EN 13501-6:2014): Table 1 pp. 20-21, notes (2) to (7) p. 21, cl 7.1 p. 11, cl 8.1 to 8.4 pp. 12-13 (draft)
- EN 13501-1:2007+A1:2009 proposed Amendment 2, CENELEC TC20/Sec1614/CD, 2010-01-27: cl 16.4 pp. 12-14 (class list), Table 4 pp. 14-15 (same numbers as the EN 13501-6 draft) (draft)
- FprEN 50575:2014 (final draft, May 2014): Table 1 p. 6 (tests per class), Table ZA.2 p. 14 (AVCP), cl 7.1 to 7.3 p. 12 (marking) (draft)
- CLC/FprTS 50576:2016 (final draft, June 2016): Table C.1 p. 26 (EN 60332-1-2 flame time), Table C.2 p. 27 (EN 61034-2 test pieces) (draft)
- EN 13501-3:2005+A1:2009 with draft A2 (cover September 2013): cl 6.3 p. 9, cl 7.2.4.4 and 7.2.5.4 pp. 16-17, cl 7.2.6 pp. 17-18 (draft)
- IEC 60332-3-24:2000+A1:2008 (edition 1.1, 2009-02): Table A.1 p. 12, cl 5.1 p. 7, cl 5.3 pp. 8-9, cl 5.4 p. 9, Annex A p. 12, Annex B p. 13, cl 7 (standard text)