New European Cable Testing and Classification


Cables will be tested using 5 test methods, and classified by extending the provisions in the existing CPD classification standard EN 13501 “Fire classification of construction products and building elements” to include “Part 6: Classification using data from reaction to fire tests on electric cables”.The establishment of these standards has been mandated to CEN and CENELEC by the EU and CENELEC have drafted the modifications to EN 13501 in line with the requirements of the European commission decision and this is currently being progressed within CEN.


The fire performance of electric cables is now to be uniformly regulated within the European Union.Traditionally these products have not been addressed in national building regulations and classifications had been voluntary or required by larger purchasing agencies.The inclusion of Electric cables within the European Union’s Construction Products Directive (CPD) changes this situation. Once implemented all electric cables used in European Union countries will be tested using the same test methods and classified using the same classification system.


Of these standard tests the new standard EN 50399 is the major test procedure for reaction to fire of cables, this test specification derives from work done in an EU funded project called FIPEC, Fire Performance of Electric Cables.This work was performed by a research group consisting of SP, Interscience, ISSEP and CESI. The FIPEC project included a study of cable installations and relevant reference scenarios as well as a comprehensive test program of different kinds of cables.This, together with subsequent Industry test data, was used in the development of the proposal for the European testing and classification system.


Two round robin exercises have been carried out on EN50399.The first was performed by the developers of the system, the FIPEC laboratories.The second round robin was performed through CENELEC and included many test sites.The results were good and comparable to the results of the SBI test used for linings in Europe.Thus the test procedure used is quite robust and well developed.The test results are validated for real fires by using reference scenarios in the FIPEC project and through further analysis and comparisons to other building products under the CPD.


The reaction-to-fire classification system used in the CPD was developed in co-operation with European regulators and the cable industry in Europe and presented in 2003. The European Commission decided on a testing and classification system on cables during 2006. The system is built in the same way as that used for linings and pipe insulation. However, it also included the possibility to declare optional acidity of the smoke gases, the sub-classes a1, a2 and a3.


EN50399 Burning behaviour of bunched cable


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