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Product

British Standard Fire-Resistant Power Cables600/1000 VBS 7846 F2 / F120SWA / AWA Armoured

BS 7846 Armoured Fire-Resistant Power Cable600/1000 V SWA/AWA armoured fire-resistant LSZH power cable to BS 7846 (F2 & F120)

BS 7846 is a 600/1000 V armoured fire-resistant power cable insulated with mica-glass tape and GP8 XLPE, protected by galvanized steel wire armour (SWA) or aluminium wire armour (AWA on single-core), and verified to BS 6387 CWZ (Category F2) and BS 8491 120-mi

F2 CWZ / F120
BS 7846 / BS 8491
SWA Armoured
Order designation
BS 7846 F2 4×2.5 SWA
Outer Ø ≈
15.2 mm
Copper weight
96 kg/km
Total weight ≈
465 kg/km
Min. bend R
122 mm
All sizes (14)
Request a quoteDatasheetWhatsApp
Engineering reply in 2 business hoursCut-to-length export drumsEN 10204 3.1 certificate per drum
Rated voltage
600/1000 V
UK & international life-safety LV
Fire categories
Cat. F2 & F120
BS 6387 CWZ & BS 8491 (120 min)
Armouring
GSWA / AWA
Galvanized steel wire (multi-core)
Insulation
Mica + GP8 XLPE
Phlogopite mica tape + 90 °C XLPE
Operating temp
-25 to +90 °C
Conductor +90 °C (+250 °C short-circuit)
Min. bend radius
8 × cable OD
Fixed armoured routing

Typical values for this cable type, based on BS 7846 / BS 8491 — confirmed in the datasheet and quotation for your order.

Application fit

Is BS 7846 right for your machine?

Engineered for UK and international life-safety power supplies under BS 9999, BS 8519 and BS 7671, feeding sprinkler booster pumps, smoke-ventilation fans, firefighting lifts and hospital standby generators.

Fixed installation

Suitable

Direct cleat fixing to walls, steel ladder racks, risers and service tunnels without extra conduit.

Switchgear & control cabinet wiring

Suitable

Terminates directly into fire-rated CW/E1W brass glands on ATS panels and fire pump starters.

TBM gantry & advancing tunnel reel

Suitable

Galvanized steel wire armour withstands severe mechanical impact and fire-hose water jets.

Motorised monospiral reel

Not suitable

Steel wire armoured Class 2 copper power cable is designed strictly for fixed installation.

S07HXHX flexible LSZH
Typical machinesFire sprinkler & pump roomsHigh-rise firefighting coresHospitals & critical careUnderground rail & metroData centres & airports

Construction

Layer by layer

Class 2 stranded Cu conductor + mica-glass fire barrier + GP8 XLPE insulation + LSZH extruded bedding + GSWA (or AWA on 1-core) + LTS1 LSZH outer sheath.

123456
Schematic, not to scale — generated from the layer data
#LayerMaterial & reference
1Plain annealed copperStranded circular or shaped copper conductor, Class 2 per BS EN 60228BS EN 60228
2Mica-glass fire barrierHelically applied phlogopite mica-glass tape maintaining 950 °C dielectric separationBS 7846
3XLPE thermosetting insulationCross-linked polyethylene compound type GP8 per BS 7655-1.3BS 7655-1.3
4LSZH extruded beddingZero-halogen low-smoke extruded inner bedding over laid-up coresBS 7846
5Metallic wire armourSingle layer of galvanized steel wires (SWA on multi-core) or aluminium wires (AWA on single-core)BS EN 10257-1
6Outer LSZH sheathThermoplastic zero-halogen low-smoke compound type LTS1 per BS 7655-6.1 (black or orange)BS 7655-6.1

BS 7846 Category F2

Assessed to BS 6387 Category C (950 °C for 3 h), Category W (650 °C with water spray) and Category Z (950 °C with mechanical shock).

BS 7846 Category F30 / F60 / F120

Assessed for cables ≥20 mm OD to BS 8491 combining 850 °C direct flame, mechanical impact and high-pressure water jet for 30, 60 or 120 minutes.

Technical data

Ratings & operating limits

Typical values: Typical values for this cable type, based on BS 7846 / BS 8491. Values for your order are confirmed in the datasheet and quotation.

Electrical

Rated voltage U0/U
600/1000 V
Routine AC test voltage
3.5 kV rms for 5 minutes
Conductor resistance
BS EN 60228 Class 2 plain copper

Thermal

Max. conductor operating temp.
+90 °C
Max. short-circuit temp.
+250 °C (up to 5 s)
Fixed operating temp.
-25 °C to +90 °C
Min. installation temp.
0 °C

Mechanical

Min. internal bend radius
8 × overall cable diameter
Armour coverage & tensile strength
Galvanized steel wire per BS EN 10257-1

Resistance

Cat. F2 fire survival
BS 6387 Cat. C (950 °C, 180 min), Cat. W (water), Cat. Z (shock)
Cat. F30 / F60 / F120 survival
BS 8491 direct flame (850 °C) + mechanical impact + water jet
Acid gas & smoke emission
BS EN 60754-1 (<0.5 % HCl) & BS EN 61034-2

Reference standards

Product specification
BS 7846
Code of practice for life safety
BS 8519 (Category 1, 2 & 3 life-safety and firefighting systems)

Identification

Core colours
2-core: Brown, Blue · 3-core: Brown, Black, Grey · 4-core: Blue, Brown, Black, Grey
Outer sheath colour
Black or Orange

Sizes

14 standard configurations (BS 7846)

Nominal dimensions, masses and electrical ratings for BS 7846 according to BS 7846 / BS 8491.

Dimensions & masses
DesignationCores × mm²Cross-sectionOuter Ø ≈
mm		Copper
kg/km		Total weight ≈
kg/km		Min. bend R
fixed mm		Enquiry
BS 7846 standard series
BS 7846 F2 2×2.5 SWA2×2.52.5 mm²13.648360109
BS 7846 F2 3×2.5 SWA3×2.52.5 mm²14.372405114
BS 7846 F2 4×2.5 SWA4×2.52.5 mm²15.296465122
BS 7846 F2 4×4 SWA4×44.0 mm²16.6154560133
BS 7846 F2 4×6 SWA4×66.0 mm²18.0230685144
BS 7846 F120 4×10 SWA4×1010 mm²20.6384920165
BS 7846 F120 4×16 SWA4×1616 mm²23.06141,210184
BS 7846 F120 4×25 SWA4×2525 mm²26.89601,810214
BS 7846 F120 4×35 SWA4×3535 mm²29.51,3442,260236
BS 7846 F120 4×50 SWA4×5050 mm²32.81,9202,890262
BS 7846 F120 4×70 SWA4×7070 mm²37.02,6883,920296
BS 7846 F120 4×95 SWA4×9595 mm²41.53,6485,050332
BS 7846 F120 4×120 SWA4×120120 mm²45.84,6086,320366
BS 7846 F120 1×185 AWA1×185185 mm²27.61,7762,240221
  • Typical values for this cable type; dimensions and weights for your order are confirmed in the quotation.
  • Nominal outer diameters and weights are subject to manufacturing tolerances per BS 7846 / BS 8491.

Quality & approvals

Testing & inspection

Routine tests on every production length, sample and type tests per batch — documented on an EN 10204 3.1 inspection certificate.

  1. ConductorClass 5 stranding
  2. Spark test100 % in-line
  3. Lay-upCores, earth, fillers
  4. SheathingInner, braid / screen, outer
  5. Electrical testsAC voltage, resistance
  6. DimensionsOD, wall thickness
  7. Inspection documents & dispatchDrum & dispatch
Testing & inspectionTest value / referenceFrequency
Routine tests
3.5 kV AC dielectric test & spark test5 minutes at 3.5 kV rms without breakdown100 % of drums
Sample tests
BS 6387 CWZ fire, water and mechanical shock950 °C for 3 h (C), 650 °C + water spray (W), 950 °C + shock (Z)Cat. F2 qualification
BS 8491 large-diameter fire + impact + water jet850 °C flame + impact every 5 min + high-pressure water jet for 30/60/120 minCat. F30/F60/F120 qualification

Inspection certificate

Issued with every drum, listing the routine test results for that length.

Product approvals

BS 7846BS 8491 F30 / F60 / F120BS 6387 CWZ (Cat. F2)BS 8519 Cat. 1–3BS EN 60754-1 & BS EN 61034-2

Company certificates

ISO 9001ISO 14001ISO 45001VDE marks approvalUL / cULCE · LVD / EMC

Marking & supply

Ordering & delivery

Sheath marking

ELECTRIC CABLE 600/1000V BS 7846 F120 TEBAOFLEX 4x35mm2 [year] [meter mark]
Delivery form
Fumigated export wooden drums or shrink-wrapped coils
Standard drum lengths
500 m · 1000 m standard drums (cut lengths on request)
MOQ
100 m (stock sizes) · 300–500 m (production)
Lead time
2–4 weeks ex-works
Incoterms
EXW, FOB, CIF, DAP

Technical documents

Downloads

PDFBS 7846 Armoured Fire-Resistant Power Cable – technical datasheet14 sizes · construction, technical data, approvalsXLSXBS 7846 spec data (Excel)All 14 sizes with dimensions and data, for your BOM or quotation
Revision
2026-10-20
Updated
2026-10-20

FAQ

Questions engineers ask first

Not covered here? Send your drawing — an engineer replies within 2 business hours.

What is the difference between BS 7846 Category F2 and Category F120?
Category F2 applies the BS 6387 CWZ test sequence (originally developed for small-diameter cables) on separate test samples. Category F120 (tested to BS 8491 on cables ≥20 mm overall diameter) subjects a single energized cable specimen to 850 °C flame, direct mechanical blows and a firefighting water jet for 120 minutes.
How does BS 8519 map life-safety systems to BS 7846 fire categories?
Under BS 8519, Category 1 life-safety circuits require 30-minute survival (F30), Category 2 circuits require 60-minute survival (F60), and Category 3 critical firefighting plant—such as wet-riser booster pumps, smoke-extract fans and firefighting shafts—require 120-minute survival using BS 7846 F120 cables.
Why do single-core BS 7846 cables use AWA instead of SWA?
Single-core AC power cables carry alternating magnetic flux that would induce severe eddy-current and hysteresis heating inside magnetic steel wire armour. Non-magnetic aluminium wire armour (AWA) prevents inductive overheating while maintaining mechanical protection.
Can the steel wire armour of BS 7846 serve as the circuit protective conductor (CPC)?
The galvanized steel wire armour can act as the CPC where its conductance meets BS 7671 adiabatic fault-current calculations, or a dedicated supplementary copper core / parallel earth conductor can be specified for high fault-level risers.

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BS 7846 Armoured Fire-Resistant Power Cable

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