A cable order is a list of lengths, not a number of metres. Decoding VDE, harmonised, British, American and marine cable codes, CPR Euroclasses, the copper clause with a worked 5 km example, the drum schedule, routine tests per drum, and the cable package RFQ that returns a firm, comparable price.
The cable schedule is the engineer's list: from, to, route length, cable type, cross-section, cores. Add the installation allowance (tails at both ends, sag and route uncertainty, commonly 5 to 15% depending on the route's maturity) to each run, not to the total, and the schedule becomes a run list: a set of lengths in descending order, each of which must come off a drum in one piece because most project specifications, all marine specifications and every sensible installer forbid joints that were not designed.
The run list is then packed onto drums. Makers supply standard drum lengths (commonly 500 m and 1,000 m for low-voltage power sizes, shorter as the cross-section grows, and factory lengths for medium voltage) and cut lengths on request. A 1,000 m drum serves one 900 m run and leaves 100 m of offcut, or serves four 240 m runs and leaves 40 m; a run of 1,150 m needs a special drum ordered early. Allocating runs to drums so that offcuts are minimised and no run is split is the drum schedule, and it is where a cable package is won or lost: too few drums and runs get joined; too many and the project pays for metal it will scrap.
Three consequences for purchasing. The RFQ must carry the run list, not the total. The quote must come back as drums with lengths, not as a price per metre alone. And the delivery plan must put the drums in the order the installation needs them, because a 1,000 m drum of four-core 240 mm² weighs several tonnes and cannot be moved around a site twice.
Read left to right: standard, conductor material, insulation, screens and concentric conductors, armour, sheath; then cores and cross-section with conductor shape; then voltage.
| Element | Code | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | N / (N) | Built to the DIN VDE standard / similar to it |
| Conductor material | (none) / A | Copper / aluminium |
| Insulation | Y / 2X / 2Y / HX | PVC / cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) / polyethylene / cross-linked halogen-free compound |
| Conductive layers | H (medium voltage) | Field-limiting semi-conducting layers over conductor and insulation |
| Concentric conductor | C / CW | Concentric copper conductor / waveform concentric conductor |
| Screen | S / SE | Copper wire screen over the laid-up cores / over each core |
| Water blocking | (F) | Longitudinally watertight screen |
| Armour | R / F / B | Round steel wire / flat steel wire / steel tape |
| Sheath | Y / 2Y / H | PVC / polyethylene / halogen-free compound |
| Protective conductor | -J / -O | With green-yellow conductor / without |
| Conductor shape | RE / RM / SE / SM | Round solid / round stranded / sector solid / sector stranded |
| Voltage | U0/U in kV | 0.6/1 for low voltage; 3.6/6, 6/10, 8.7/15, 12/20, 18/30 for medium voltage |
Worked examples:
H for harmonised; a voltage code (03 = 300/300 V, 05 = 300/500 V, 07 = 450/750 V, 1 = 1,000/1,000 V AC); an insulation letter (V = PVC, R = rubber, Z = cross-linked halogen-free compound); a sheath letter (V = PVC, N = polychloroprene, Z = cross-linked halogen-free); then a conductor code (-U solid, -R stranded, -K flexible for fixed installation, -F flexible for flexible use, -H extra-flexible). Cores and cross-section follow, with G for a green-yellow core and X for none.
BS 5467 (XLPE-insulated, PVC-sheathed, steel wire armoured, "SWA"), BS 6724 (the same construction with a low-smoke halogen-free sheath), BS 7846 (fire-resistant armoured), BS 7889 (single-core unarmoured), BS 6004 (PVC wiring, such as 6491X singles) and BS 6883 (offshore, with elastomeric insulation). A line reads "BS 5467 4x95 SWA XLPE/PVC 600/1000 V"; aluminium wire armour (AWA) replaces steel on single-core cables to avoid induced losses.
The NEC conductor and cable types: THHN and THWN-2 (PVC-insulated nylon-jacketed building wire), XHHW-2 (XLPE-insulated), Type MC (metal-clad), Type TC and TC-ER (tray cable), USE-2 and PV wire (UL 4703) for solar, and Type P to IEEE 1580 for offshore and marine installations under US rules. Sizes run in AWG and kcmil, voltages at 600 V and 2,000 V, and listings (UL) replace Euroclasses. A European-built package for a North American site carries these types, not VDE ones.
IEC 60092-350 for construction and testing, 60092-353 for power cables to 3 kV, 60092-354 for medium voltage, 60092-376 for 150/250 V control and instrumentation; NEK TS 606 for Norwegian offshore installations, with its RFOU (flame retardant), BFOU (fire resistant) and mud-resistant types; BS 6883 and IEEE 1580 Type P in other regimes. A line reads "RFOU 0.6/1 kV 3x50 mm² NEK 606 P5/P12, DNV type approved": halogen-free, flame retardant to IEC 60332-3-22, low smoke to IEC 61034, with class type approval for the vessel's society.
What the designation does not fix: the maker, the sheath colour within the standard, the drum length, the print legend, and the exact dimensions and weights, which vary by maker within the standard's limits and matter for glands and trays (section 11).
Since 1 July 2017 power, control and communication cables for permanent installation in construction works in the EU are construction products under Regulation (EU) 305/2011 and EN 50575. The maker issues a Declaration of Performance and CE marks the cable with a reaction-to-fire Euroclass:
| Euroclass | Meaning in practice | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Aca | Non-combustible (mineral-insulated) | System 1+, notified body with surveillance |
| B1ca | Very limited contribution to fire | System 1+ |
| B2ca | Limited contribution; the usual class for escape routes and high-occupancy buildings | System 1+ |
| Cca | Limited contribution; common for general building wiring in many national rules | System 1+ |
| Dca | Medium contribution | System 3, type testing by a notified laboratory |
| Eca | Low requirement: passes the single-cable flame test only | System 3 |
| Fca | No performance determined | System 4 |
Classes B1ca to Dca carry sub-classes for smoke (s1a, s1b, s2, s3), flaming droplets (d0, d1, d2) and acidity (a1, a2, a3), tested under EN 50399, EN 60332-1-2, EN 61034-2 and EN 60754-2. Which class a building needs is set by national rules and the project specification; what the buyer does is put the full class on the RFQ line ("N2XH-J 5x25 RM, B2ca-s1a,d1,a1") and require the Declaration of Performance per line. Marine and offshore cable, cable for machinery and cable not permanently installed in construction works are outside the CPR and carry their own fire standards.
The electrical engineer sizes the cable: current-carrying capacity under IEC 60364-5-52 or the national equivalent, with installation method, ambient and grouping factors; voltage drop over the run; short-circuit withstand; earth-fault loop impedance. The buyer's job is to preserve that sizing through the purchase. What must match the schedule exactly: cross-section and number of cores; conductor material and class; insulation type; sheath type and fire class; screen and armour; voltage; the Euroclass or the marine standard; and the run lengths. What is open: the maker, provided the designation and the standard are the same; the drum lengths within the drum schedule; the print and colour within the standard.
The common substitutions that look harmless and are not: aluminium for copper at the same cross-section (a different current rating and different terminations); PVC for XLPE at the same cross-section (a lower rating); a lower Euroclass; an unarmoured cable on a buried route; a 0.6/1 kV cable where the schedule says 1.8/3 kV for a drive output; class 2 conductors where the schedule says class 5 for a moving duty. An equivalent is a cable with the same designation and standard from another maker, and nothing else.
A cable quote is a base price plus a metal surcharge. The surcharge is the cable's metal content, which the datasheet states as a copper number in kilograms per kilometre, multiplied by the difference between a published metal notation and the base the quote was built on. European notations are derived from London Metal Exchange settlements plus cathode premiums and published daily and as monthly averages; the monthly notations in the second half of 2026 have run around EUR 1,200 per 100 kg, against bases of EUR 150 per 100 kg that many quotes still use.
A worked example. N2XH-J 4x95 RM 0.6/1 kV, copper number about 3,400 kg/km (four 95 mm² conductors at roughly 0.85 kg/m each). At a notation of EUR 1,200 per 100 kg and a base of EUR 150, the surcharge is (1,200 minus 150) divided by 100, which is EUR 10.50 per kilogram of copper, times 3.4 kg/m, which is EUR 35.70 per metre. On 5,000 m that is EUR 178,500 of copper surcharge before the base price, the drums and the freight. The base price for the same cable is a fraction of that. Which is why the three terms that must be fixed before quotes can be compared are: the copper base every bidder must use; the date or period that sets the notation (order date, delivery month, or a stated monthly average); and whether the price is firm within a validity or floats to delivery.
Aluminium follows the same mechanism on the aluminium notation, at a far lower price per kilogram and a lower mass per conductor, which is why distribution cable and long feeders go aluminium wherever the terminations and the installer allow it. The schedule decides; the buyer does not switch metals to improve a quote.
Under IEC 60502-1 (1 to 3 kV) and 60502-2 (6 to 30 kV), and under the equivalent VDE, BS and IEC 60092 standards, cable is tested at three levels. Type tests qualify the design once: electrical, mechanical, ageing and fire performance. Sample tests are taken from production lots. Routine tests are performed on every manufactured length: conductor resistance and a voltage test for low voltage, with partial discharge measurement added for medium voltage. The routine test record for each drum, with the drum number and length, is the certificate that ties the drum to the standard.
The document pack per cable package: the drum list (drum number, designation, length, weight, runs allocated); routine test certificates per drum; the Declaration of Performance and CE marking under the CPR for cables in its scope, or the type test report and class type-approval certificate for marine cable; a certificate of conformity referencing the purchase order; the datasheet with dimensions, weight, copper number and bending radius; RoHS and REACH declarations; and the metal notation and base used, stated on the invoice. Delivered with the drums and as data to the project's document control, in the schedule's line order.
Standard low-voltage sizes of the common European types are stocked in distribution and at makers' central warehouses and move in days as cut lengths or full drums. Large cross-sections, long special lengths, medium-voltage cable, armoured and halogen-free constructions in less common sizes, marine cable with class approval and anything in North American or British types from a continental maker are made or allocated to order and run from weeks to months. A cable package therefore has two halves, and the long-lead half is ordered from the detailed schedule, not the final one, with a cancellation window per line.
Capacity is the other variable. Copper price and the demand from grid, renewables and data-centre construction set makers' order books, and a 5 km order placed when the schedule is final rather than when it is detailed is an order that waits.
| Project type | Typical cable families | Who buys |
|---|---|---|
| Data centres | Halogen-free XLPE feeders and sub-mains in large cross-sections (B2ca and Cca), single-core busbar alternatives, control and fibre | Electrical contractors, EPCs, operators under frameworks |
| Utility-scale solar | H1Z2Z2-K DC strings, aluminium DC trunk cable, 0.6/1 kV AC collection, 12/20 and 18/30 kV NA2XS(F)2Y to the substation | EPCs and installers; owners' frameworks |
| Onshore wind | Tower and nacelle cables, 18/30 kV array cable, earthing | Turbine makers' and EPCs' procurement |
| Industrial plants and process lines | NYY, N2XY, N2XH feeders, motor cables including 1.8/3 kV drive cable, instrumentation and control cable | Plant owners, EPCs, electrical contractors |
| Ports and shore power | Medium-voltage feeders, flexible shore-connection cable, cable management | Port authorities, terminal operators |
| Land-based aquaculture (RAS) and fish farms | Halogen-free feeders in wet rooms, pump and blower motor cable, instrumentation | Operators and their contractors |
| Tunnels and infrastructure | Fire-resistant and halogen-free cable, lighting and ventilation feeders | Public authorities, contractors |
| Shipyards and offshore units | IEC 60092 and NEK 606 power, control and instrumentation cable with class approval | Yards, EPCs, owners |
| District heating and water utilities | Pump-station feeders, MV supplies, instrumentation | Public utilities under frameworks |
| EV charging hubs and street lighting | NAYY and NYY distribution cable, feeders to charging clusters | Municipalities, charge-point operators |
| Buildings and campuses | N2XH feeders in Euroclass, H07V-K wiring, data | Electrical contractors |
The public-sector lines in that table follow procurement law: EU thresholds of EUR 140,000 and 216,000 for supplies in 2026 and 2027 (EUR 432,000 in the utilities sectors), framework agreements with call-offs per project, "or equivalent" wording under Directive 2014/24 Article 42, and e-invoicing. A 5 km cable order from a utility is routinely above those lines, which is why cable is bought under frameworks with metal clauses rather than per project.
Cable arrives useless without what terminates and supports it, and the same package should carry it: cable glands to IEC 62444 (and Ex glands under IEC 60079 in zoned areas), sized to the cable's actual outer diameter and armour from the maker's datasheet; cable lugs and connectors to DIN 46235 or the national equivalent, with bimetallic lugs for aluminium conductors; medium-voltage terminations and joints to IEC 60502-4, matched to the cable's screen and insulation diameter; trays, ladders and supports to IEC 61537; cleats for single-core cables; cable markers and ferrules; earthing material; and cable-pulling consumables. Glands and terminations depend on the cable maker's dimensions, so they are ordered after the cable is, from the same datasheet, which is one more reason to buy the package from one desk.
Copy it, fill it in and send it to sales@cballast.com with the cable schedule attached. It works with any supplier, and it is built so that one feeder or a whole project can be priced firm with a drum schedule and staged deliveries, without a clarification round.
1. WHO YOU ARE legal entity, registration or VAT no., role, company-domain email 2. PROJECT name, site or vessel, owner and contractor; public body or private; order value band 3. SCHEDULE attached, in its own format: run numbers, from/to, length with allowance, designation, cores x mm², voltage 4. STANDARD VDE, harmonised, BS, NEC or IEC 60092 / NEK 606; Euroclass per line where CPR applies; class society for marine 5. RUN LIST lengths that must be continuous (no joints) and any runs longer than standard drums 6. METAL copper base to be used, notation reference and date rule, validity required, firm or floating 7. DRUMS preferred standard lengths, returnable or one-way, site handling limits (max drum weight and diameter) 8. DOCUMENTS drum list, routine test certificates per drum, Declaration of Performance, type test reports, class certificates, CoC, datasheets 9. ACCESSORIES glands, lugs, terminations, joints, trays, markers to be quoted from the same datasheet 10. DELIVERY site address or port, staged by area or date, Incoterm, export packing requirements 11. COMMERCIAL unit rates with quantity bands, cancellation window per made-to-order line, payment terms proposed 12. TIMING quote due, order date, first and last delivery
What comes back from our desk: the schedule priced per line in your run order, each line with maker, exact designation and standard, Euroclass or marine approval, dimensions, weight and copper number; the metal surcharge shown separately with the notation and base used; a proposed drum schedule with offcut per drum and any runs that need special lengths flagged; lead time per line with the long-lead half identified; the accessories list matched to the cable dimensions; a staged delivery plan; and the document pack format we will deliver with the drums.
| Check | What good looks like | cballast.com |
|---|---|---|
| Quotes from the schedule | Run order preserved; drums and offcuts shown | Yes: priced per run, drum schedule proposed, offcuts stated |
| Standards covered | The project's regime, not only the supplier's home regime | VDE and harmonised types, British SWA types, IEC 60092 and NEK 606 marine cable with class approval; North American types on request |
| Metal transparency | Base, notation and date stated on quote and invoice | Yes |
| Documents | Drum list and routine test certificates per drum, DoP, class certificates | Yes, with the goods and as data |
| Sourcing | Makers and their authorised distribution | Yes; the maker is named on every line |
| Package | Glands, lugs, terminations and trays from the cable's own datasheet | Yes |
| Delivery | Staged drums to site or port, export packing, ISPM 15 | Yes; DAP site or port, FCA hub, by agreement |
| Scope limits | Stated | We do not supply high-voltage transmission cable above 36 kV, submarine cable or cable installation |
| Terms | A clear path to credit | Accounts vetted; new accounts pay a deposit on order with the balance against shipping documents or by letter of credit; established accounts on credit terms with repeat-account discounts; public bodies invoiced against PO on public-sector terms |
| Legal entity | Verifiable in a public register | Norway-based; organisation number on quotes and invoices, checkable at brreg.no |
Who we quote: owners, EPCs, electrical and mechanical contractors, shipyards, module builders, utilities and public authorities on named projects, from a single feeder to a full cable package, in Europe and for European-built projects elsewhere. We do not quote broadcast lists with no named project.
Standards and sources referenced: DIN VDE 0276 and 0271; CENELEC HD 361; EN 50575 (CPR) with EN 50399, EN 60332, EN 61034-2, EN 60754-2; EN 50618; BS 5467, 6724, 7846, 7889, 6004, 6883; NEC/UL types (THHN, XHHW-2, MC, TC, Type P to IEEE 1580); IEC 60092-350/-353/-354/-376; NEK TS 606; IEC 60228; IEC 60502-1/-2; IEC 60502-4; IEC 62444; DIN 46235; IEC 61537; Regulation (EU) 305/2011; Directive 2014/24/EU.
Questions on a designation, a Euroclass, a drum schedule or a copper clause are welcome at sales@cballast.com. We answer whether or not you send us the schedule. Schedules and cable package RFQs go to sales@cballast.com.