BS 5308 Part 2 Type 2
PVC/PVC instrumentation cable, overall (collective) screen, SWA armoured
BS 5308 Part 2 Type 2 is the British instrumentation cable with PVC insulation, a collective screen and galvanised steel wire armour (SWA) under a PVC sheath. Part 2 = PVC insulation (300/500 V), Type 2 = steel wire armoured: the choice for burial and heavy-duty routes. Also available with individually screened pairs (PiMF); see the datasheets per version.
BS 5308 Part 2 Type 2 with an overall screen (the standard is withdrawn, but BS 5308 is still the usual order designation; near-equivalent to EN 50288-7) is a galvanised-steel-wire-armoured, PVC-insulated instrumentation and process-control cable for measuring, control, signal and alarm circuits with high mechanical requirements. The copper conductors are insulated with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and stranded into pairs (or triads), laid up and enclosed by a single overall (collective) screen of aluminium/polyester foil with a tinned copper drain wire; there are no individual pair screens. A PVC bedding, a layer of galvanised round steel wires and a PVC outer sheath provide mechanical protection for direct burial and heavy-duty routes. In BS 5308 the Part denotes the core insulation (Part 1 = polyethylene, Part 2 = PVC) and the Type denotes the armour (Type 1 = unarmoured, Type 2 = galvanised steel-wire-armoured); the screening, either an overall (collective) screen only or individual pair screens plus an overall screen, is specified separately. Because Type 2 denotes the armour, this armoured overall-screened construction is Part 2 Type 2. The cable is for fixed installation and is not intended for power distribution.
Also known as: instrumentation cable
Applications
- Measuring, control, signal and alarm circuits on routes with a risk of mechanical damage.
- Direct burial between field and control room.
- Projects specified to BS 5308.
What to look out for
- Type 2 = steel wire armoured; earth the armour through a gland with earth contact.
- Collective screen as standard; where crosstalk between pairs is critical, ask for the PiMF version.
- PVC insulation: max. 70 °C conductor temperature, bending radius 12× the outer diameter. Blue sheath for intrinsically safe circuits.
- CPR class Eca. Where the cable is installed permanently in a building and exposed to indoor air, the Bbl requires at least Dca. The wiring inside a control panel or machine is not covered by that requirement, but the cables running to it are.
- Conductor
- Plain (bare) annealed copper, stranded class 5 (0.5 and 0.75 mm²) or stranded class 2 (1.5 mm²) acc. to IEC 60228 / BS 6360.
- Insulation
- Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), type TI1 to BS 6746 (EN 50290-2-22 equivalent).
- Screen
- Collective (overall) screen of aluminium/polyester foil in contact with a tinned copper drain wire (0.5 mm²).
- Armour
- Galvanised round steel wires over a PVC inner sheath (bedding).
- Sheath
- Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), type TM1 or type 6 to BS 6746; black or blue (for intrinsically safe circuits).
- Core identification
- Collective screen: pairs colour-coded to the BS 5308 Part 2 table (pair 1 white/blue, pair 2 white/orange, pair 3 white/green and so on); two pairs as a star quad in black, blue, green and brown. Individually screened pairs: each pair white/blue and numbered, black/blue by agreement. Triads: colour code on request.
- Rated voltage Uo/U
- 300/500 V.
- Test voltage
- 1.0 kV (core/core and core/screen).
- Standard
- BS 5308 Part 2 Type 2 (withdrawn; EN 50288-7 is the current standard); conductor acc. to IEC 60228.
- Flame-retardant
- Acc. to IEC 60332-1-2 (and IEC 60332-3-24).
- Max. conductor temperature
- +70 °C.
- Permitted outer cable temperature, fixed
- −40 °C to +70 °C.
- Min. bending radius, fixed
- 12 × outer diameter.
- Reaction to fire (CPR)
- Eca acc. to EN 50575; Cca on request.
BS 5308 Part 2: Type 2 or Type 1?
BS 5308 Part 2 Type 2
- round steel wire armour (SWA)
- thicker and heavier
Type 1
- unarmoured
- lighter
The SWA armour of Type 2, a layer of galvanised round steel wires over a PVC inner sheath, protects the cable in direct burial and on routes with a risk of knocks. That protection does make Type 2 thicker and heavier. Indoors, on trays and in trunking, the unarmoured Type 1 is lighter and easier to lay.
View BS 5308 Part 2 Type 1 →BS 5308 Type 2: Part 2 or Part 1?
BS 5308 Part 2 Type 2
- PVC insulation
- higher capacitance
Part 1
- PE insulation
- lower capacitance
Both are armoured with galvanised round steel wires (SWA) and have a collective screen. Part 2 has PVC insulation, Part 1 polyethylene (PE) with a lower capacitance. Part 1 Type 2 is also available with halogen-free LSZH sheaths. Choose Part 1 when capacitance matters or LSZH is required; otherwise Part 2 is the general-purpose choice.
View BS 5308 Part 1 Type 2 →
RE-2X(St)YSWBY
EN 50288-7 instrumentation cable, XLPE/PVC, collective, PiMF or TiMF screen, braid armoured
Lead time: 1–2 working days from stock
In stock: 4×2×1.3
RE-2X(St)H
EN 50288-7 instrumentation cable, XLPE/LSZH, collective screen
Lead time: On request; the lead time is stated in the quote.
RE-2X(St)Y
EN 50288-7 instrumentation cable, XLPE/PVC, collective screen
Lead time: On request; the lead time is stated in the quote.
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