When planning machinery and industrial plant, the insulation and sheath material is an early decision: standard PVC, flame-retardant PVC-FR or halogen-free. All three have their place. The wrong choice can prove costly in the event of a fire or a regulatory inspection. T.K. Kabel carries all three variants across its product range.
PVC: the economical standard
Polyvinyl chloride has been the most widely used insulation material in cable technology for decades. PVC cables are robust, versatile and cost-effective, and they have proven themselves from machine engineering to outdoor installation. For standard applications without elevated fire protection requirements, PVC is the most economical choice.
PVC-FR: flame retardant where standard falls short
PVC-FR cables (FR = flame retardant) are intended for applications with elevated fire protection requirements where halogen-free cables are not yet mandatory. Check the cable datasheet for the fire tests it has passed. A bundle flame test according to IEC 60332-3-24 / DIN EN 60332-3-24 describes performance under specified test conditions; it does not guarantee self-extinguishing behaviour in every real fire.
T.K. Kabel offers PVC-FR in its installation cable range in several variants: with solid conductor (JE-Y(St)Y-FR), with stranded conductor (JE-LIYCY-FR) and armoured with steel braid (JE-LIYCYSY-FR). PVC-FR still contains halogens. Corrosive gases can still be produced in a fire. The FR designation does not establish halogen-free or low-smoke performance.
Halogen-free: protection for people and plant
Halogen-free cable materials limit the release of halogen acid gases under the stated test requirements. This does not mean that a fire produces no toxic gases. Flame retardance and low smoke emission require separate evidence:
- IEC 60754-1: halogen acid gas content
- IEC 60754-2: acidity and conductivity of combustion gases
- IEC 61034-2: smoke density under specified test conditions
- IEC 60332-1-2: vertical flame propagation on a single cable
- IEC 60332-3-24: vertical flame propagation on bunched cables, category C
Check the requirements against the datasheet for the specific cable. Halogen-free materials alone do not establish suitability for direct burial. Cable construction and the stated installation conditions determine where a cable can be installed; a protective conduit does not replace this check.
Which variant when
The choice between standard PVC, PVC-FR and a halogen-free version depends on the environment, the applicable standards and the protection objective. T.K. Kabel carries all three variants in its main product categories and advises on the selection. Our quality management has been certified to ISO 9001 since 1996.