Flame Resistant vs Flame Retardant Cables: What is the Difference?
23rd April 2025 | Written By: Vinod Pottayil | Read Time: 3min | Last Updated: 23rd April 2025
According to the data from the Central Electrical Authority (CEA), nearly 40% of workplace deaths occur due to electrical issues. While there are several reasons for electrical fires, a major one can be attributed to the installation of inappropriate types of cables. Electric cables fall under two categories: flame resistant and fire retardant. These terms are often mistaken for being similar, but they are quite different from each other. Let’s delve into understanding flame resistant vs flame retardant cables on different parameters.
-
Structural Integrity:
A flame resistant cable cannot catch fire. It can withstand high temperatures without melting. It has more heat endurance. It can prevent itself from burning and continue to function for a certain period during the fire.
A flame or fire retardant cable can catch a fire. However, it burns itself slowly during a fire breakout. Fire retardant meaning is that it slows down the flames from spreading. -
Fire Resistance Duration:
A flame resistant cable can usually survive up to 300 degrees Celsius temperature. However, the endurance lasts for only a few hours.
A fire retardant cable decelerates the spread of fire and the release of heat from it. Hence, it is more effective in curbing the combustion process. -
Power Supply:
A flame resistant cable helps uphold circuit integrity. It continues to supply power even during high-temperature environments.
A flame retardant cable prevents the transfer of power through them. -
Material Composition:
Another distinguishing feature of Flame resistant vs flame retardant cables is their material composition. A flame resistant cable has fireproof insulation and jacketing made from copper, mica, magnesium oxide and other fire-resistant materials. These materials reduce smoke, corrosive fumes and toxic gas emissions during the fire mishap.
A flame retardant cable is made from special flame-retardant coatings. The coatings have halogenated compounds, zinc oxide, intumescent materials and other ingredients. The coatings serve as a shield against to spread of fire and ignition. The slow-down of fire enables people, rescuers and firefighters to get more time to escape from the fire area without suffocation. -
Sheath:
A flame resistant cable is usually identifiable by its red colour on the outer sheath.
A fire retardant cable has a grey or black outer sheath. -
Applications:
A flame resistant cable has its use cases in critical infrastructure and public utility services where it is essential to maintain power supply even during emergencies. It is ideal for power plants, chemical plants, oil rigs, hospitals and airports. It can power up fire alarms, sprinkler pumps, emergency lighting and other life support circuits. It is very useful for evacuation purposes.
A fire retardant cable is suitable for non-critical and non-emergency circuits. It has widespread applications in residential, commercial and industrial facilities. -
Regulatory Criteria:
Flame resistant cables fall under IEC 60331 and UL 2196 for compliance.
Fire retardant cables need to adhere to IEC 60332 and UL 1685.
However, the manufacturers may need to meet the regulatory guidelines corresponding to their local regions or countries.
Conclusion
The selection of flame resistant vs flame retardant cables should be a well-thought process as it deals with fire safety. It is necessary to understand its purpose and applications to arrive at the right decision.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) :
- Q1. Are flame resistant same as flame retardant cables? No. While both cables may appear similar, they serve different purposes.
A flame resistant cable can endure extreme temperatures up to a certain degree without melting for a short duration. A flame retardant cable can slow down fire coverage. - Q2. Which cable is good for evacuation during a fire accident? A fire retardant cable is an ideal choice for evacuation. It restricts the heat release from fire, reduces combustion and curtails fire from spreading to nearby zones.
- Q3. Which cable should be installed in critical facilities? A flame resistant cable can tolerate temperature up to 300 degree Celsius. It is designed to preserve its structural integrity. It also ensures power continuity for emergency systems such as fire alarms, lighting and sprinklers to manage the fire mishap effectively.
- Q4. How to identify flame resistant and flame retardant cables based on their physical attributes? A flame resistant cable has red colour while a fire retardant cable has a grey or black colour on their respective outer sheaths. However, it is advisable to verify from the manufacturer, seller, cable technician or installation electrician.
- Q5. How to check whether the cables have necessary regulatory compliance? Usually, the packaging or manufacturer’s manual should mention these details. Look for IEC 60331 and UL 2196 compliance for flame resistant cables and IEC 60332 and UL 1685 for flame retardant cables. You may also need to check for country-specific regulatory norms.
