Hospital cable specification
NBC 2016 and IEC 60364-7-710 / IS 732 Part 7-710 map medical locations to cable and fire-performance expectations. Specification follows the hospital fire strategy and statutory sign-off path.
IEC 60364-7-710 location groups
IS 732 Part 7-710 adopts IEC 60364-7-710 groups by patient risk. Each group drives cable selection and the fire strategy sign-off.
Domestic supply
| Application | Cable | Specification |
|---|---|---|
| Operating theatres, ICU, cath labs (Group 2) | LSZH / HFFR WireIS 17048:2018 | HCl <0.5%, smoke ≥70%, LOI >30% |
| Emergency corridors & escape routes | FR-LSH Single Core WireIS 694:2010 | OI >29%, TI >250 °C, smoke density control |
| Nurse call & BMS circuits | Multicore Flexible CableIS 694:2010 | Class 5 fatigue resistance, 2–24 cores |
| Imaging rooms (MRI, X-ray) | Single Core Flexible WireIS 694:2010 | Coordinate with biomedical and OEM panel specs |
| PABX & internal telephone | CW1308 Telephone CableBT CW1308 | <97.8 Ω/km loop resistance |
| Intercom & nurse-call tails | Switchboard & Intercom CableTEC/ITD G/WIR-06/02 | Electro-tinned solid copper for zero-oxidation termination |
H07V-K (IEC 60227-3) and H07Z-K (EN 50525-3-41) for European and Middle Eastern hospital MEP schedules. BS 6231 Type CK (BS 6231) for imaging room flexible wiring to British specifications.
View export & international standards →Reference clients
Related sectors
Healthcare cable specification — common questions.
Sector-specific questions raised by hospital MEP consultants, biomedical engineers, and institutional procurement teams.
Why is HFFR (IS 17048:2018) mandatory in hospitals — why isn't FR-LSH sufficient?
Hospitals are Group C institutional under NBC 2016 Part 4 Cl. 4.14, requiring HFFR throughout patient-occupied floors. The driver is HCl emission, not just flame retardance. HFFR per IS 17048:2018 requires < 0.5% HCl release; FR-LSH per IS 694:2010 permits up to < 15% — a 30-fold difference.
Halogen acid gas at sub-ignition temperatures corrodes anaesthesia equipment, monitoring systems, surgical lights, and digital control hardware. Patients in ICU, OT, and cath labs cannot self-evacuate — preventing toxic acid mist is life-safety critical, not optional.
Which IEC standard governs cable selection by medical location group?
IEC 60364-7-710 classifies medical locations into three groups by patient-contact risk:
- Group 0 — admin, waiting, non-patient areas (FR Single Core, IS 694:2010 baseline)
- Group 1 — wards, consulting rooms (FR-LSH per NBC 2016 escape-route requirements)
- Group 2 — invasive: OTs, ICU, cath labs (LSZH / HFFR per IS 17048:2018, mandatory)
This classification works in conjunction with NBC 2016 Part 4 — IEC 60364-7-710 defines the medical risk grade; NBC defines the building-fire compliance.
Are MRI suites or radiology rooms subject to additional cable considerations?
Standard IS 17048:2018 HFFR applies to general MRI and radiology room building services — power, lighting, BMS, and HVAC. The MRI scanner itself is supplied with manufacturer-specific shielded cables under the OEM's scope; National Cables supplies the building services wiring up to the equipment's electrical interface.
For radiology shielded rooms, follow the room manufacturer's EMC and grounding requirements. Cable enters the room through filtered penetrations defined by the radiation-shielding contractor, not by the building cable specification.
Is CW1308 telephone cable suitable for nurse-call or medical emergency systems?
No. CW1308 (BT spec, bare annealed copper, 80V working, <97.8 Ω/km loop resistance) is intended for PABX and internal voice telephone distribution. Nurse-call, alarm, and medical emergency systems require the cable specified by the alarm/nurse-call OEM — typically multicore screened control cable based on IS 694:2010 Class 5.
For PABX voice backbone within a hospital, CW1308 is appropriate. For any safety-critical alarm circuit, follow the OEM specification — substituting a different cable can void system certification.
Which institutional hospital references can National Cables share?
National Cables references the following healthcare institutions as supply partners (current and historical relationships across decades):
- Government: AIIMS New Delhi, Safdarjung Hospital, Maulana Azad Medical College
- Private super-speciality: Apollo Hospitals, Max Healthcare, Fortis Healthcare, BLK-Max, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital
For active project verification, the technical team can provide current supply references on request. All hospital supply is to documented IS 17048:2018 / IS 694:2010 specifications agreed at order stage, with full BIS licence reference and type-test documentation issued.
Specify National Cables for your hospital project.
IS 17048:2018 test certificates, NBC 2016 compliance documentation, and zone-by-zone cable schedules — 24-hour response.