Cables for Fire Safety, High Temperature and Low Smoke Applications
Cables in this group are specified by what they must keep doing during and after a fire, or by the temperature they must survive in normal service. Those are two different requirements. Fire resistant cable is tested for circuit integrity while burning, so that alarms, emergency lighting and critical circuits keep working. High temperature cable is chosen because the ambient is above what ordinary insulation tolerates.
The insulation technology follows from the standard. Mica tape over a copper conductor keeps a circuit intact through a fire test; mineral insulation, with its inorganic dielectric, does the same without any organic material to burn. Low smoke zero halogen construction answers a third need — not circuit integrity, but reducing smoke opacity and corrosive halogen release in occupied spaces.
What decides the cable in this application
Four factors do most of the work. Getting these right narrows the choice to a small number of constructions, and each one appears in the specification table of the cable type you select.
Circuit integrity standards define the fire performance
Fire resistant cable is tested to a standard that specifies the temperature and duration for which the circuit must remain intact. The applicable standard has to be confirmed for the project rather than assumed.
High temperature service is a different requirement entirely
A cable in a steelworks or a glass plant has to run continuously at elevated ambient. Silicone and other high temperature insulations are specified for that, and they are not the same products as fire resistant cable.
Smoke and halogen release matter in occupied spaces
In tunnels, stations and public buildings, the hazard in a fire is often smoke and corrosive gas rather than flame. LSZH and halogen-free construction addresses that directly.
Terminations and glands must match the cable construction
Mineral insulated cable in particular has specific termination requirements. The cable specification and the termination method have to be settled together, or the fire rating is lost at the gland.
Cable types for fire safety & high temperature
12 constructions from the catalogue that suit this duty. Each links to its own page with the full specification table.
What we need to quote accurately
Send these six items and we can confirm a construction and price without a follow-up round. Both the contact page and every product page carry a form that accepts them, and you can attach a drawing or specification sheet directly.
- 1 Required standard Circuit integrity standard, or the temperature class for high temperature duty
- 2 Required duration How long the circuit must remain intact under test conditions
- 3 Voltage and core count System voltage plus the number of power, control or alarm conductors
- 4 Installation location Tunnel, shaft, public building, industrial plant, or outdoor
- 5 Mechanical requirement Whether armouring or a specific sheath is needed for the route
- 6 Termination method Gland and termination type, particularly for mineral insulated cable
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between fire resistant and high temperature cable?
Fire resistant cable is required to keep the circuit intact while it is burning, to a defined standard and duration. High temperature cable is required to operate continuously in an elevated ambient, for example in a steelworks. They answer different problems and are not interchangeable.
How does mica tape keep a circuit working in a fire?
The mica layer is inorganic and remains an electrical barrier at temperatures that destroy polymer insulation. The copper conductor is held apart by the mica so the circuit continues to conduct during the fire test period.
When is mineral insulated cable the right choice?
Where an entirely inorganic construction is required — no organic material to burn and no smoke contribution. It is used for critical circuits where the highest circuit integrity is needed, and it requires termination methods matched to the construction.
What does LSZH mean and where is it required?
Low smoke zero halogen: the jacket releases little smoke and no corrosive halogen acids when it burns. It is specified in tunnels, stations, and occupied public buildings where the risk in a fire is smoke and corrosive gas rather than flame spread alone.
Need the cable confirmed against your machine?
Send the duty, the environment and the electrical data. Our engineering team will confirm the construction, the standards it meets, and the price — including custom builds where a catalogue type does not fit.