A Brief Discussion on the Differences between National Standard Cables and Non Standard Cables

2023-05-25 10:05:16

There are three main types of cables and wires commonly used in engineering users and construction projects:

1. National standard cables: Cables produced according to the relevant cable standards issued by the country are referred to as international cables.

2. Standard cable: According to industry standards, there are fewer instances of cutting corners, but it does not affect the overall performance.

3. Non standard cable: a product designed to meet the needs of the market and to accommodate pregnancy. Nowadays, the application of wires and cables is becoming increasingly widespread, and as a result, there are more and more types of wires and cables sold in the market.

So, how to distinguish between "national standard" and "non-standard" for wires and cables?

I suggest you take a look, try it out, weigh it three times, compare the price four times, check the copper quality five times, conduct quality testing six times, and find out six tricks.

Firstly, it is necessary to check whether the wire and cable products have a quality system certification, whether the certificate of conformity is standardized, whether there is a factory name, address, inspection seal, production date, and whether there are trademarks, specifications, voltage, etc. printed on the wires. It also depends on the cross-section of the copper core of the wire. High quality purple copper has a bright and soft color, otherwise it is a defective product.

Second trial: Take a wire head and bend it repeatedly by hand. Any wire that feels soft, has good fatigue resistance, has a strong plastic or rubber feel, and has no cracks on the insulation of the wire is considered a superior product.

Three weight measurements: High quality wires and cables generally weigh within the specified range every 100 meters. For commonly used plastic insulated single stranded copper core wires with a cross-sectional area of 1.5mm2, the weight per 100m is 1.8-1.9kg; for 2.5mm2 plastic insulated single stranded copper core wires, the weight per 100m is 3-3.1kg; for 4.0mm2 plastic insulated single stranded copper core wires, the weight per 100m is 4.4-4.6kg, etc. Poor quality wires have insufficient weight, either insufficient length, or excessive impurities in the copper core of the wire. If it is a cable, especially a large-sized cable, the weighing method is a simple way to reflect whether the copper content of the cable meets the standard and whether the conductor cross-section is sufficient. Generally, there are cables with small cross-sections made of stolen copper. If the copper content of the cable does not reach the weight range allowed by national regulations after weighing, it can be basically considered non-standard.

Four Price Comparisons: Due to the low production cost of counterfeit and inferior wires, vendors often sell them at low prices under the guise of being cheap and high-quality, which can deceive people. Therefore, when making a purchase, be careful not to be fooled by the merchant's claim of "good quality and low price". Look at the copper material. A qualified copper core wire should have a purple red color, luster, and a soft touch.

Five looks at copper material: Fake and inferior copper core wire. The copper core is purple black, yellowish or white, with many impurities, poor mechanical strength, and poor toughness. It can break with a little force, and there are often broken wires inside the wire. When checking, you just need to peel off one end of the wire and rub a piece of white paper slightly on the copper core. If there is black substance on the white paper, it indicates that there are more impurities in the copper core, and it can be identified as a "non-standard" wire and cable.

Six quality inspections: In case of differences in cable quality, it can be sent to a third-party inspection agency for testing. Based on whether the authoritative testing report is qualified.