In our previous post, we covered EN 13501-1, the European classification standard for the reaction-to-fire performance of construction products. But EN 13501 is actually a family of standards, each covering a different aspect of fire safety:
- EN 13501-1 – Reaction to fire (products & materials)
- EN 13501-2 / -3 – Fire resistance of building elements & service installations
- EN 13501-4 – Smoke control systems
- EN 13501-5 – External fire performance of roofs
- EN 13501-6 – Fire performance of electric cables
Today, let’s focus on Part 6 — the one that matters most to cable manufacturers.
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Why EN 13501-6?
Under the EU Construction Products Regulation (CPR, EN 50575), power, control and communication cables installed permanently in buildings must be classified under EN 13501-6 before they can carry the CE mark. Each cable receives a class from Aca (highest) down to B1ca, B2ca, Cca, Dca, Eca, Fca (no performance determined), plus additional classifications for:
- Smoke production — s1a, s1b, s2, s3
- Flaming droplets — d0, d1, d2
- Acidity of combustion gases — a1, a2, a3
A full classification looks like this: Cca-s1a-d0-a1.
Which tests are required?
| Classification | Test Method |
|---|---|
| Aca | EN ISO 1182 + EN ISO 1716 |
| B1ca – Dca | EN 50399 (FIPEC vertical flame spread) |
| Eca | EN 60332-1-2 |
| s1a/s1b/s2/s3 | EN 61034-2 (smoke density, 3 m³ cube) |
| d0/d1/d2 | EN 50399 (droplet observation) |
| a1/a2/a3 | EN 60754-2 (acidity & corrosivity) |
ZONSKY Equipment for a Complete EN 13501-6 Testing Line
To establish the full class of a cable, a laboratory needs several test systems working together. ZONSKY supplies them all:
- EN 50399 Flame Spread Test System — ZY6260 vertical ladder, 20.5/40 kW premixed propane burner, heat release rate by oxygen consumption
- EN 60332-1-2 Apparatus — ZY6014B single vertical cable ignition test for Eca
- EN 61034-2 Smoke Density Cube — ZY6166-PC 3 m³ chamber with laser photometric system for s-classification
- EN 60754-1/-2 Corrosivity Analyzer — ZY6192-ZN pH & conductivity of combustion gases for a-classification
- EN ISO 1182 Furnace & EN ISO 1716 Calorimeter — ZY6017D-PC + ZY6234 for Aca and PCS determination
One supplier, one consistent test chain — from flame spread to smoke and acidity.
Planning a CPR cable testing lab or upgrading for EN 50575 compliance? Contact ZONSKY for a full equipment configuration sheet.
