Cable Fire – IEC 60332

What Is Cable Fire — IEC 60332?

The IEC 60332 series examines the behaviour of electrical and fibre-optic cables under flame conditions. The series covers flame tests on a single vertical cable (60332-1 and -2) and flame spread on cables arranged vertically in a bunch (60332-3).

Purpose of Cable Fire — IEC 60332

The purpose is to determine whether a cable propagates flame once ignited and whether it spreads fire along the installation. Since cable ducts pass through floors and compartments in a building, this behaviour is decisive for fire safety.

Which Products Is Cable Fire — IEC 60332 Applied To?

Power and control cables
In-building installation cables
Data and communication cables
Fibre-optic cables
Marine and rail-system cables

In Which Sectors Is Cable Fire — IEC 60332 Used?

ElectricalConstructionDemiryoluMaritimeTelecommunications

Standards Related to Cable Fire — IEC 60332

IEC 60332flame resistance of cables test

Cable Fire — IEC 60332 Conditions

Test type: Single cable or bunch — according to the cable's place of use
Flame application time: Defined in the standard according to cable cross-section
Category (60332-3): Categories A, B, C, D according to the volume of combustible material
Conditioning: Under the ambient conditions defined in the standard

Equipment for Cable Fire — IEC 60332

Vertical cable burn chamber
Ladder rig and ribbon burner for the bunch test
Gas and air flow-rate control system
Ventilation and smoke-extraction unit
Damage measurement equipment

Sample Requirements for Cable Fire — IEC 60332

The cable must be supplied in its as-sold construction and of sufficient length
In the bunch test, the amount of specimen increases markedly according to the category
The cable's cross-section, construction and insulation material must be stated
The test is destructive

Duration of Cable Fire — IEC 60332

Single-cable tests can be completed within the same day. Bunch tests take several working days owing to preparation and the amount of specimen required.

Cable Fire — IEC 60332 Procedure

1Cable specimens are prepared and conditioned.
2In the single-cable test the specimen is mounted vertically.
3Flame is applied for the defined duration.
4After the flame self-extinguishes, the damaged zone is measured.
5In the bunch test the cables are mounted on the ladder in the defined arrangement.
6Flame is applied with the ribbon burner and propagation is monitored.
7The height reached by the damage is measured and evaluated.

Cable Fire — IEC 60332 Acceptance Criteria

The acceptance criterion is that the undamaged zone stays within the limits defined in the standard; the criteria are given in the relevant part of IEC 60332.

Evaluation of Results

IEC 60332 evaluates flame propagation; halogen gas, smoke density and circuit integrity are the subject of separate standards. For a cable to be considered 'fire-resistant', these tests must be evaluated together.

Cable Fire — IEC 60332 Report

Sample description, serial number and configuration
Applied standard and year of printing
Selected intensity level and basis for the level
Experimental setup and measurement points
Functional checks performed during the experiment
Observations, measurement results and photographs
A statement that the result applies only to the specimen submitted for testing

Accreditation

EUROLAB holds internationally recognised accreditation obtained from accreditation bodies party to the IAF and ILAC multilateral recognition arrangements, under ISO/IEC 17025 for laboratory testing, ISO/IEC 17020 for inspection and surveillance, and ISO/IEC 17021-1 and ISO/IEC 17065 for system and product certification. This chain ensures the reports and certificates issued are accepted worldwide.

Whether this test can be offered within accredited scope depends on your product and the standard applied; since accreditation is method-based, the scope is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.

Scope and authorisations

Related Regulations

Cable reaction-to-fire classification under EU 305/2011 CPR
EN 50575 (power, control and communication cables)
Regulation on Fire Protection of Buildings

Standard-Based Tests — What Does This Group of Pages Cover?

The section below describes the field that the Cable Fire test belongs to; the conditions and acceptance criteria of this particular test are given in the sections above. The scope specific to your product is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.

Standard-based tests are test pages whose address comes from a standard number. What the user is looking for is often not the name of the test but the code written in their specification: not "salt spray test" but "ASTM B117", not "drop test" but "IEC 60068-2-31", not "vibration" but "MIL-STD-810 Method 514".

This preference reflects the reality in the field. An engineer sees a code in the specification received from a customer and searches for that code; they do not need to know the name of the test. The code is the identity of the test and distinguishes the different adoptions of the same test by different bodies.

This group addresses the different adoptions of the SAME TEST separately. The same physical phenomenon may be published under different numbers by ISO, ASTM, EN, IEC, DIN and JIS. Even where the numbers are the same (as with ISO 6892-1 and EN ISO 6892-1), specimen preparation, conditions, calculation details and reporting may differ; adoptions may carry national annexes. The code written in the specification therefore governs, and "similar" is not accepted.

Searching at code level meets a different need from searching at scope level. A user searching for "corrosion testing" wants to learn about the field; a user searching for "ASTM B117" has a specification in hand and wants to know the feasibility, duration and price of that test. Two different intents require two different page structures.

The page for a code describes the scope of that code, the test field it belongs to, the product groups in which it is required and how it differs from neighbouring codes. Test conditions, durations and acceptance criteria are NOT CARRIED: these are defined in the copyrighted text of the standard and in the product specification. This boundary is a deliberate choice; a wrong duration or acceptance criterion means directly incorrect work.

Different parts of the same code and different adoptions of the same number are linked between pages. A user searching for IEC 60335 also sees 60335-2-40; a user searching for ISO 6892-1 also sees the EN ISO 6892-1 and DIN EN ISO 6892-1 adoptions. These links are derived from the number of the code rather than written by hand.

The edition year is NOT CARRIED in the library. It is held as "ASTM D638" rather than "ASTM D638-22", because the edition in force changes over time and the address of the page should not age with the edition. If a year is stated in your specification, that edition governs; if not, the most current edition is applied.

Method groups in this field

Searching by code
Direct search for the code written in the specification; it is found in the library with its code, scope title and issuing body.
Searching by scope title
A test whose code is not known is searched by its subject; a search for "salt spray" brings up the related codes.
Series and part relationships
The other parts of the same series are shown, derived from the number of the code.
Adoption relationships
Different bodies' adoptions of the same number are matched; the claim is kept limited to "the same number".
Superseded codes
Withdrawn codes are not held in the library but, when searched for, the user is directed to the counterpart in force.

Commonly confused in this field

Different adoptions of the same number are not identical texts; they may carry national annexes.
The code written in the specification governs; a technically similar code cannot be substituted.
If an edition year is stated, that edition is applied; the most current edition is not automatically accepted.
A code page carries no test conditions or acceptance criteria; these are in the copyrighted text of the standard and in the product specification.
A part code (for example -2-40) may not be sufficient on its own; the general part of the series is applied as well.

Which decisions these results support

Matching the code written in the specification to the correct laboratory scope
Distinguishing between equivalent adoptions
Clarifying the scope and edition at the quotation stage
Finding the current counterpart of withdrawn codes

Related Tests

Frequently Asked Questions About Cable Fire — IEC 60332

Is a cable that does not propagate flame fire-resistant?

No. Flame non-propagation shows that the cable does not carry the fire. The circuit continuing to operate during a fire (circuit integrity) is proven by a separate test.

Which test is required for the CPR class?

The primary test for CPR classification is EN 50399; IEC 60332-1-2 and the smoke/halogen tests are required as supplementary tests.