Safety concerns of Class 5 conductors in India

Class of conductor refers to the flexibility requirement in application. Class 2 is used in cases where the installation is fixed and they are stranded conductors. Class 5 refers to flexible conductor. The core of class 5 conductor has more number of thin wires than class 2 to make it more flexible. As the Class 5 conductors are having a higher resistance, they consume more power. So heat loss in conductor is also similar.

As per IEC 60228 insulation conductor cable standard. Class 2 and Class 5 conductors are used to distinguish conductor hardness. According to this standard, Class 2 is called a twisted round cable, Class 5 is called soft conductor. The case of cables being fixed or with less mobile design should use Class 2 conductor, while more movement or with cable soft conductor, Class 5 conductors should be used. These extra flexible automotive cables are ideal for use in automotive and marine applications, range of extra flexible battery/ welding cable, using fine stranded copper conductors, Class 5, bare copper rope stranded, with soft PVC insulation, resistant to abrasion, moisture, petrol/diesel, oil and diluted acids. Globally, nowhere in the world, flexible wires are being used as building/house wires. Right now, only India is using it. Earlier, manufacturing of house wires was mainly reserved for small scale industries. So, one of the first corporate companies in India started using flexible wire as house wires which moving forward gave rise to the trend of using flexible wires throughout in buildings/houses. This has been going on for the last 14 years. This itself is wrong, ideally, it should be the globally accepted 7 stranded building wire that needs to be used as house or building wires. Wires, though the most important, are behind the wall. So, no one really bothers to buy costly products like the UCT cables. When it comes to switches, fan, ceiling lights, we buy the trendiest one without even caring for its cost. The movement and its sessions are still going on but it is not catering enough people or consumers.

All the IT companies where they use 24-hour electricity, still use Class 5 conductor because they get contractors to do the job. If we don’t produce good quality products, then how are we going to gain a hold on exports. Today, our country needs to increase the exports. The best of the best buildings in India are not using fire resistant or quality wires. Recently, the National Building Code has decided to implement fire resistant cable in all the high-rise buildings. If we take a survey, we would get the actual picture as in how many industries or builders are actually following it. There are a lot of guidelines and codes but no apex body to look after whether these guidelines and standards are being implemented or not. As class 5 conductors are causing hazardous affects all around India, and people are using it with there convenience because it is flexible, whereas in Indian construction the level of flexibility that class 2 conductors provide is also efficient.