Types Of Cables

Question 1

What are single core PVC insulated cables used for and what do they look like?

Answer 1

Made for drawing into trunking and conduit - solid or stranded copper surrounded with PVC insulation, coloured brown or blue.

Can be red, black green, yellow white & green/yellow striped for use as circuit protective conductor

Question 2

Single core PVC insulated and sheathed cable

Answer 2

Used for surface wiring where risk of mechanical damage is light, used for ‘meter tails’ between supply fuses and electric meters and between electric meters and consumer units

Sheath is grey on new cables, red or black on older, solid or stranded copper conductor with PVC insulation and sheathing

Question 3

PVC twin and earth

Answer 3

Used for domestic and general wiring where circuit protective conductor is need for all circuits.

PVC Insulated copper conductor laid parallel with plain copper circuit protective conductor and PVC sheathed over it.

Core colours brown and blue, sheath is white or grey

Question 4

Multi-core PVC Insulated and sheathed cables

Answer 4

Used for domestic, commercial and industrial wiring. Can be used for surface wiring when risk of mechanical damage is low, otherwise must be covered by trunking or conduit.

2 or 3 PVC Insulated conductors and a bare circuit protective conductor within a PVC sheath

Sheath is grey, in 2-core plus CPC (flat twin and earth) cores are brown and blue. 3-core plus CPC (flat triple and earth) cores are brown, grey and black

Question 5

Heat-resisting PVC Insulated and sheathed flexible cords

Answer 5

Used in ambient temperature up to 85 degrees centigrade. Not suitable for heating appliances.

Plain copper flexible conductors insulated with heat resisting PVC and heat resisting PVC sheath (white)

Single core = brown or blue
Twin core = brown and blue
Triple core = brown, blue and green/yellow
Four core = grey, brown, black and green/yellow