Laying and handling guide

Flexible cords: laying and handling

Rubber and PVC cords to EN 50525, such as H07RN-F and H05VV-F.

Every line names every source that states it and how it was seen; where sources disagree, each value is shown with its source. IEC, EN and HD documents and makers come first, national rules after them with their country.

Laying temperature and pre-warming

No minimum laying temperature from a standard was found for EN 50525 rubber cords such as H07RN-F, nor for LSZH building wire: only the general statement below.

  • Anixter: PVC and thermoplastic LSF turn brittle near 0 °C; elastomers stay flexible to -20 °C, but do not bend them to the minimum radius below -15 °C.Sources: Anixter Sec. 20 p. 20-43 (maker's document)

Laying in winter? Pro checks your town and month against this limit. See Pro

Bending radius

  • EN 50565-1: Rubber cords (H05RR-F, H07RN-F, H05SS-F) and H1Z2Z2-K: fixed 3 D up to 12 mm diameter, 4 D above; free movement 4 D up to 12 mm, 5 D up to 20 mm, 6 D above.Sources: EN 50565-1 (Nexans France); Miguelez (secondary source)
  • EN 50565-1: PVC and LSZH cords (H05VV-F, H05Z1Z1-F): fixed 3 D up to 12 mm diameter, 4 D above; free movement 5 D up to 12 mm, 6 D above.Sources: Miguelez (maker's document)

Pulling force and method

  • 15 N/mm² of copper section, at most 1000 N, in service and for flexible cables in fixed installation; Lapp allows 50 N/mm², at most 1000 N, while installing cables for fixed installation.Sources: EN 50565-1 (Nexans France); Lapp p. 1005 (secondary source)

Work out the pull for your route: the verdict is free, the numbers and the PDF come with Pro. Pull calculation in the cable designer · See Pro

Depth, cover and laying

Not found in the research for this family.

Drum handling

  • Keep the drum upright, its axis horizontal, in storage and in transport; never lay it flat on a flange.Sources: HD 620 Part 1 A.3.2.5, A.3.3.2; IS 1255 7.7, p. 25; Prysmian 2024; Reka (read in the standard text)
  • Never drop a drum. Without lifting gear, use a ramp of about 1:4 (IS 1255: 1:3 to 1:4) with ropes or a winch and a sand bed at the foot.Sources: HD 620 Part 1 A.3.3.3; HD 603 3-I 3.3; IS 1255 7.3, p. 24; Prysmian 2024 p. 6; Reka p. 6; Nexans 2021 p. 4 (read in the standard text)
  • Roll it only short distances on firm ground, in the direction of the arrow on the flange.Sources: HD 620 Part 1 A.3.3.4; HD 603 3-I, 3-L; IS 1255 7.4, p. 24; Prysmian 2024 p. 7; Nexans 2021 p. 3 (read in the standard text)
  • Store it on level, firm, well-drained ground and turn it 90° every 3 months.Sources: IS 1255 7.5, 7.6, pp. 24 to 25; Prysmian 2024 p. 8, 9; Nexans 2021 p. 8, 9; Prysmian Türkiye 3.3 (read in the standard text)
  • Leave the battens on until the cable is about to be laid: they keep off sun and knocks.Sources: HD 620 Part 1 A.3.2.5; BS 6622 D.5.2; IS 1255 7.8, p. 25; Nexans 2021 p. 11 (read in the standard text)
  • Cable ends sealed with caps in transport, storage and laying. A cap missing for over a month, or a wet end: cut back 300 mm, check for moisture and cap again.Sources: HD 620 Part 1 A.3.2.3, A.4.7; HD 603 3-I 3.2; BS 6622 C.3; BS 5467 B.4; BS 7846 A.7.4; IS 1255 7.2, p. 24; Nexans 2021 p. 7; Draka (read in the standard text)
  • Pay out tangentially, never over the flange, with the drum on an axle and jacks and braked. Top or bottom: IS 1255 says off the top; Southwire chooses by where the cable goes (the bottom into a floor conduit, the top into a tray); Nexans Belgium says the bottom, for safety.Sources: HD 620 Part 1 A.4.5; IS 1255 8.2, 8.3, 10.2; Southwire 2005 p. 2 to 3; Nexans Belgium FAQ; Prysmian 2024 p. 10; Draka p. 5, 9 (read in the standard text)

Sheath test after laying

No sheath test after laying was found for this family.

In the cable designer

Cable codes of this family

Terms on this page

Sources

Values as the sources print them. For a given job the cable's own standard, the maker's datasheet and the country's rules decide.

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