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BS5308 Cable

Instrumentation cables manufactured in accordance with British Standard BS5308
Whilst this British Standard was superseded by the Harmonised Standard BS EN 50288-7 in 2005 it is still widely referred to because the Harmonised Standard does not account for the higher voltage ratings and cable dimensions. A publicly available version of the Standard was published as PAS5308 in 2009.
British Standard BS5308 covers specifications for a range of instrumentation cables which we supply. These are available in a multitude of variants including Polyethylene (PE), Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Cross-Linked Polyethylene (XLPE), and Low Smoke Zero Halogen (LSZH) insulation materials, and armoured instrumentation cables.
BS5308 Part 1 - PE insulated instrumentation cables - British Standard BS5308 Part 1 specifies both the requirements and the dimensions of PE insulated cables in pairs with or without screen(s). It provides the option to incorporate a single wire armour or single wire armour with a lead sheath. Part 1 is further categorised as Types 1, 2 & 3.
BS5308 Part 1 Type 1 - Unarmoured - collectively screened (CAM) and individually & collectively screened (IAM/CAM or ICAT). PE insulated and PVC oversheathed.
BS5308 Part 1 Type 2 - Armoured - collectively screened and also individually & collectively screened. PE insulated, PE bedded, single wire armoured (SWA) and PVC oversheathed.
BS5308 Part 1 Type 3 - Armoured - collectively screened or individually & collectively screened. PE insulated, PVC bedded, lead alloy oversheath, single wire armoured and PVC oversheathed.
BS5308 Part 2 - PVC insulated instrumentation cables - British Standard BS5308 Part 2 specifies requirements for PVC insulated cables, in multicore and multi-pair construction, with or without screens. It provides the option to incorporate a single wire armour. Part 2 is further categorised as Types 1 & 2.
BS5308 Part 2 Type 1 - Unarmoured construction - PVC insulated and PVC oversheathed.
BS5308 Part 2 Type 2 - Armoured construction - PVC insulated, PVC bedded, single wire armoured and PVC oversheathed.

Construction comparison of BS5308, PAS5308 and BS EN 50288-7
BS5308-1 | BS5308-2 | PAS5308-1 | PAS5308-2 | BSEN 50288-7 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conductor | Plain annealed copper, solid or stranded (BS6360) | Plain annealed copper, stranded (BS6360) | Plain annealed copper, multi-stranded (BS EN 60228) | Plain annealed copper, multi-stranded (BS EN 60228) | Plain annealed or metal-coated, solid or stranded (IEC 60288) |
Conductor size | 0.5mm2 to 1.5mm2 | 0.5mm2 to 1.5mm2 | 0.5mm2 to 2.5mm2 | 0.5mm2 to 2.5mm2 | 0.5mm2 to 4.0mm2 |
Voltage range | 300/500V | 300/500V | 300/500V | 300/500V | 90V, 300V, 500V |
Insulation | Polyethylene (PE) Type 03 | Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Type TI1 | Thermoplastic PE or Cross-linked Polyethylene (XLPE) | PVC Type TI51 | PVC, PE, XLPE, Polypropylene or Halogen-free flame retardant compound |
Formation | Core pair twisted quad | Core pair twisted quad | Core pair twisted quad | Core pair twisted quad | Twisted core pair, triple or quad |
Individual and/or Screen | Aluminium foil laminate tape (PET) | Al/PET | Al/PET | Al/PET | Al/PET |
Drain Wire | Solid or stranded tinned annealed copper | Solid or stranded tinned annealed copper | Solid or stranded tinned annealed copper | Solid or stranded tinned annealed copper | Solid tinned copper |
Braid | Not defined | Not defined | Not defined | Not defined | Tinned copper wires |
Covering | Not defined | Not defined | Not defined | Not defined | Lead sheath to EN 50307 |
Inner Sheath | Extruded Polyethylene (PE) compound Type 2C or Extruded Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Type TM1 | Extruded PVC Type TM1 | Extruded PE compound Type 2 or Extruded PVC Type TM51 | Extruded PVC Type TM51 | PVC, PE or Low Smoke Zero Halogen (LSZH) compound |
Armour | Galvanised steel wire armour (GSWA) | GSWA | GSWA | GSWA | Steel wire armour (SWA) |
Moisture barrier | Not defined | Not defined | Not defined | Not defined | Water-swellable tape, water-swellable non-toxic powder, filling compound, laminated sheath of a longitudinally overlapped metallic foil, or a combination of all |
Outersheath | Extruded Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Type TM1 | Extruded PVC Type TM1 (type 1 & 2) | Extruded PVC Type TM51 | Extruded PVC Type TM51 | PVC, PE or Low Smoke Zero Halogen (LSZH) compound |
BS5308 cable colour coding
Range of Cables
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The Cable Lab®
UKAS-accredited specialist cable testing laboratory

The Cable Lab® our in-house cable testing facility, is UKAS-accredited to ISO 17025, which is the single most important standard for calibration and testing laboratories around the world. Accreditation to this international standard demonstrates our laboratory's technical competence and the accuracy of its results.
For our customers, it means peace of mind. They can have full confidence in the quality of our products and can demonstrate due diligence in selecting their cable supplier.
Our customers can also rely on the Cable Lab's services for an independent, objective and comprehensive quality assessment of cables procured from third parties.

About Eland Cables

Established in 1975, Eland Cables is a supplier of power, data, instrumentation and control cables and cable accessories to the world's most demanding industries and to some of its most prestigious projects. Our reputation is built on an unswerving focus on quality, technical expertise and customer service.

Our focus on quality has resulted in our in-house specialist cable testing facility securing the ISO 17025 accreditation. This certifies the competence, impartiality and performance capability of our laboratory and its evaluations. In turn, it means peace of mind for our customers with regard to the quality of the cables they source from us.

Our highly-qualified technical team is on hand to provide technical support with all aspects of cable selection, technical specification, regulatory requirements, and bespoke cable design and manufacture.

We are a key contributor to projects in over 100 countries every year, adding value through comprehensive technical support, reliable logistics, innovative solutions, and a customer-centric approach.