Fire-resistant and flame-retardant cables.

This group is often selected wrongly, and the consequences surface precisely at the fire safety acceptance inspection. The two concepts are completely different: a fire-resistant cable has a layer of mica tape wound around the conductor and maintains the circuit in a fire for a specified time, tested to IEC 60331. A flame-retardant cable has no mica and only limits the spread of flame along the cable route, tested to IEC 60332 — in a fire, power is lost.

Supply circuits for fire pumps, smoke extraction fans, firefighting lifts and emergency lighting must use fire-resistant cables with circuit integrity. Low-smoke zero-halogen (LSZH) versions add a further requirement: in a fire they release no halogen gases and little smoke, for enclosed, crowded spaces. Each manufacturer uses its own designations, so they must be checked against the manufacturer's own published data rather than inferred from abbreviations.

• IEC 60331 — circuit integrity under fire
• IEC 60332 — limits flame spread
• LSZH low-smoke zero-halogen versions
• Cadisun and Cadivi

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