Find answers to frequently asked questions about PVC cables.
PVC, or vinyl, is the primary material for cable insulation and sheathing in Europe due to its numerous advantages:
- Versatility of formulations: PVC's unique molecular structure allows for a wide range of applications. It offers flexibility, high insulation resistance, fire-retardancy, and is easily colored.
- Processability: With its low viscosity, PVC is easy to extrude, ensuring a consistent quality in the final cable insulation product and high productivity for manufacturers.
- Easy co-extrusion: PVC's properties allow it to be combined with other materials for multi-layer cables during the co-extrusion process.
- Resistance to temperature: PVC remains functional from -40 to 125°C, making it suitable for various climates and demanding applications.
- Resistance to atmospheric agents: PVC cables can withstand UV radiation, high temperatures, and humidity without degradation.
- Resistance to hydrocarbons: PVC cables resist many hydrocarbons, including mineral oils and diesel fuel.
- Insulation: PVC provides excellent electrical insulation, preventing electrical leakage and breakdown, and is resistant to external factors like moisture and UV radiation.
- Self-extinguishing: PVC's high chlorine content makes it naturally flame-retardant, making it ideal for applications where fire safety is crucial.
- Fire resistance: PVC produces minimal smoke in fires, is hard to ignite, and doesn't sustain combustion. New PVC formulations even achieve the highest fire reaction results compared to other thermoplastics.
- Recyclability: Most PVC cables are recycled, contributing to eco-friendly initiatives and reducing CO₂ emissions.
With its diverse benefits, PVC plays a pivotal role in various sectors, from healthcare to transportation, ensuring connectivity and safety.
Studies and tests show that, due to its intrinsically self-extinguishing characteristics, PVC is difficult to ignite and does not sustain combustion. The presence of chlorine in the polymer structure makes PVC ignitability rather difficult, even in absence of any flame retardant. This explains why, contrary to many other materials, there is no sustained lateral flame spread.
Furthermore, thanks to the charring properties of PVC, there are no flaming droplets with PVC products. Under standardised test conditions, in which the sample is forced to burn, PVC typically generates a dense smoke. However, in a real fire situation, when PVC products do not completely burn or represent a small part of burnt materials, the smoke contribution from PVC is generally not so relevant.
Unlike odourless toxic gases, such as carbon monoxide that is by far the most hazardous element in a fire, the presence of hydrogen chloride generated by PVC combustion can be detected at totally harmless trace levels, due to its distinctive smell. As such, the emission of HCl (hydrogen chloride) gas at an early stage of fire acts as a ‘warning’ signal to people to evacuate the area immediately.
The PVC value chain is constantly working on new formulations to ensure maximum safety. New formulations for PVC cables show that PVC compounds can obtain the highest fire reaction results compared with any other thermoplastic material, reaching B2Ca class, and d0 and S1a subclasses under the EU Construction Products Regulation (CPR).
Toxicity: While PVC cables do release hydrogen chloride when they burn, the overall toxicity of combustion products is a complex issue, depending on the complete mix of gases released, their concentrations, and their interactions. The total toxic gas emissions from certain halogen-free materials might be comparable to or even greater than those from PVC in real fire scenarios.
Smoke: While LSZH cables are designed to produce low smoke, the amount of smoke produced can vary with different halogen-free formulations. Smoke is a major hazard in fires as it obscures visibility and can be toxic.
Heat release: Some halogen-free materials might release more heat when they burn compared to PVC, contributing to the overall growth and intensity of a fire.
Flame spread: Due to its high chlorine content, PVC is by nature a flame retardant and can be considered self-extinguishing. This means PVC cables have a low flame propagation rate.
As testament to their safety, PVC cables are commonly used in applications where fire safety is critical, such as in buildings, transportation, and industrial settings.
New formulations for PVC cables show that PVC compounds can obtain the highest fire reaction results compared with any other thermoplastic material, reaching B2Ca class, and d0 and S1a subclasses under the EU Construction Products Regulation (CPR).
The role of PVC cables in fire scenarios is often misunderstood, particularly concerning the potential costs of corrosion versus the broader impact of fire damage. While some continue to raise concerns about corrosion costs associated with PVC, real-world data from fire incidents suggests that the primary cost drivers lie elsewhere.
Annually, post-fire damage reach vast sums in Europe and beyond, with the majority attributed to smoke removal rather than corrosion caused by hydrogen chloride (HCl) emissions. In actual fire conditions, factors such as high temperatures and smoke are the predominant causes of damage. HCl’s contribution is relatively minor compared to the immediate threats posed by intense heat and carbon monoxide (CO) levels, which often escalate before HCl reaches concentrations capable of causing significant corrosion.
PVC cables, especially those with Flame Retardant Low Smoke (FRLS) properties, are specifically designed to minimise smoke density during fires. This characteristic significantly reduces post-fire clean-up costs and limits the overall damage caused by smoke. While HCl-related corrosion is a consideration, it remains secondary in importance during fire recovery efforts. Critical threats like the spread of flames and smoke inhalation risks occur long before corrosion effects become relevant.
In many cases, injuries, fatalities, and extensive property damage arise because the fire grows too large to control or extinguish. The selection of cables with higher fire resistance classifications, such as B2ca or Cca, over Dca- or Eca-rated cables, offers improved safety and performance. These higher-rated cables are better suited to maintaining the continuity of business operations and conserving property during fire events.
By investing in advanced PVC cable technologies, industries can better mitigate fire risks, reduce recovery costs, and ensure safer environments.
Yes, PVC cables are easy to recycle mechanically and have a very high recycling rate in Europe. Thanks to VinylPlus’ collection and recycling schemes, more than 1.7 million tonnes of PVC from cables were recycled since 2000. This is equivalent to more than 3.4 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions.
There are clear economic benefits from recycling of PVC cables. According to a recent study, the economic benefits of recycling instead of incineration with copper recovery is around €53 pr. 100 metre cable.
Yes. PVC cables are generally flexible, which is one of the reasons they are commonly used in various applications. The flexibility of a PVC cable is due to the plasticisers added to the PVC during the manufacturing process. These plasticisers soften the material, making it more pliable.
The use of flexible PVC in the European Union is tightly regulated by REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals), the most stringent chemical regulation in the world. EU authorities have regulated the use of all plasticisers, banning those very few showing negative health effects. Plasticisers used in current flexible PVC’s applications are safe and pose no risk to consumers’ health and the environment.
The safety of PVC in cables and wires is also covered by the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS). The European Commission has adopted a ban on the use of DEHP, BBP, DBP, and DiBP in electrical equipment by adding them to the list of restricted substances set out in Annex II of the EU Directive on the restriction of hazardous substances (RoHS2) in electrical and electronic equipment. EU member states had to implement the ban by 22 July 2019.
REACH and RoHS, combined with the strong commitment of the flexible PVC value chain, ensure that PVC cables and other flexible PVC products manufactured in Europe follows the highest standards ensuring consumers’ safety.
No. Claims about PVC melting are outdated and based on extreme conditions beyond its intended use. When correctly specified for the application, PVC provides safe and reliable insulation, even in demanding automotive environments, without risk of melting or electrical failure.
Modern PVC formulations can withstand temperatures up to 125°C and are self-extinguishing, meaning they stop burning once the heat source is removed. For the vast majority of automotive wiring functions, including battery cables, ignition cables, and wiring for sensors and lighting, PVC offers an optimal balance of performance, cost-efficiency, and durability. Its proven track record in automotive applications highlights its reliability under normal operating conditions.