From copper rod to finished drum.
National Cables operates a fully integrated manufacturing facility in Greater Noida — handling wire drawing, annealing, stranding, insulation, sheathing, and testing under one roof. No outsourced processes. No third-party compounds. One point of manufacturing accountability.
Eight stages. Zero outsourcing.
IEC 60228
IS 694:2010
IS 694:2010
IEC 60228
Every stage mapped to its governing standard.
Our manufacturing process is aligned to current active standards — not historical editions. Where Indian standards reference IEC equivalents, we verify compliance to both.
| Standard | Scope | Stage Applied |
|---|---|---|
| IS 8130:2013 | Conductors for insulated electric cables — copper and aluminium, Classes 1, 2, 5, 6 | Drawing, Annealing, Stranding |
| IEC 60228:2004 | Conductors of insulated cables — international equivalent to IS 8130:2013 | Drawing, Stranding |
| IS 5831:1984 | PVC insulation and sheath of electric cables — compound types A, B, C, D, ST1, ST2 (reaffirmed 2022) | Insulation, Sheathing |
| IS 694:2010 + Amdt 1–4 | PVC insulated cables for rated voltages up to 1100V — construction, testing, marking | Insulation, Laying, Sheathing, Testing, Marking |
| IS 17048:2018 | Halogen-free flame-retardant (HFFR) cables up to 1100V — thermoplastic Type LSH1 (Table 1); 90°C conductor limit Clause 10.3 | Insulation compound, Testing |
| IEC 60332-1-2:2004 | Tests for vertical flame propagation — single cable | Finished cable fire testing |
| IEC 60332-3-24:2018 | Tests for vertical flame spread — bunched cables (Category C) | FR-LSH and LSZH testing |
| IEC 60754-1 | Halogen acid gas emission test — HCl <0.5% | FR-LSH and HFFR compound testing |
| IEC 61034-2 | Smoke density measurement — light transmittance ≥70% | FR-LSH and HFFR testing |
| IS 10810 (Part 58):1998 | Oxygen Index test — minimum OI per product category | Insulation and sheath compound |
| IS 10810 (Part 64):2003 | Temperature Index test — minimum TI per product category | Insulation and sheath compound |
National Cables controls every manufacturing stage in-house: copper drawing, annealing, stranding, insulation, sheathing and testing.
All conductor resistance, insulation thickness, and fire-performance results reflect a single controlled process from raw material intake to finished drum.
Test certificates and compliance documentation are issued for every institutional and export order.
Control at every stage — not just at the end.
Test certificates, BIS licence reference, and manufacturing process documentation are available on request.
Manufacturing — common technical questions.
What MEP consultants, EPC procurement teams, and BIS auditors typically want to verify about National Cables' production capability.
What is the maximum conductor cross-section National Cables manufactures?
The facility operates a rigid strander handling up to 400 mm² conductor cross-section, covering the full stocked IS 694:2010 range from 0.5 mm² to 240 mm² in standard production. Class 2 (rigid, fixed installation) conductors are built on tubular stranders with a longer lay for compactness; Class 5 (flexible) conductors are produced on high-speed double-twist bunching lines required for the softer lay and bundle geometry that flexibility demands.
Stranding pitch is controlled per standard for each conductor class, with automated tension control on pay-off and take-up to maintain uniform lay across the full drum length.
What copper grade is used, and how is conductivity verified?
All production starts with 99.97% electrolytic-grade copper rod, with conductivity ≥ 101% IACS. Purity and conductivity are verified on every raw material intake, then re-verified by conductor resistance testing on every production lot against the limits in IS 8130:2013 and IEC 60228.
Conductor diameter tolerance is held to ±0.5% through inline measurement during drawing, reducing the electrical inconsistency between stranded conductor sizes that can otherwise cause hotspots at termination points.
What insulation compounds are used for FR, FR-LSH, and HFFR cables?
General PVC cables use Type D compound per IS 694:2010 Table 2 (70°C general purpose). Fire-retardant grade uses FR-grade PVC for the flame-retardant classification. Low-smoke-and-halogen variants use FR-LSH compound formulated for reduced smoke density and limited halogen acid gas emission.
Halogen-free wiring cables use thermoplastic HFFR (Type LSH1) per IS 17048:2018 Table 1 — not a cross-linked XLPE system. Inline spark testing runs continuously during insulation extrusion (not as a final check) to detect insulation pinholes at the point of formation.
How is each production lot tested, and what documentation is supplied?
Every production lot undergoes 100% lot-level testing — not statistical sampling — before coiling and dispatch. Routine tests include conductor resistance (IS 8130:2013 / IEC 60228 limits), insulation resistance per IS 694:2010, AC high-voltage withstand, dimensional verification, and the inline spark test record from extrusion.
Cable marking per IS 694:2010 Clause 17.1 — brand, standard reference, conductor size, voltage grade, ISI mark, and BIS licence number — is applied continuously during sheathing by inkjet or embossed (indented) marking, never stick-on labels. Test certificates and BIS licence references are issued for all institutional and export orders.
Request a facility audit or technical documentation.
Test certificates, BIS licence reference, and manufacturing process documentation are issued for all institutional and export orders.