Cabling Systems Get Ready for New CPR Rules
The EC’s Construction Products Regulation (CPR) rules apply to many construction products, including wire and cabling.
With these new rules from the European Commission (EC), construction products – including cabling – can no longer be used in European buildings if they are not tested and certified based on specific criteria.
Cables will be assessed based on their performance and safety during fire situations. Analyzed in a simulated installation, measurements of flame spread, heat release, flaming droplets, smoke emission and corrosivity of gases are taken. Based on the cable’s performance, it is placed into the Euroclass system that indicates its behavior during a fire, as well as its ability to operate despite a fire. The Euroclass program provides rankings based on the following criteria:
Contribution to expanding a fire (rating from “no contribution” to “high contribution,” with several levels in between)
Smoke production development (rating from “limited production” to “strong production”)
Burning falling particles/droplets (rating from “no droplets” to “high droplets”)
Class corrosiveness/acidity of combustion gases (ranging from “low corrosiveness” to “high corrosiveness”)
These characteristics can be harmful to people and the environment, so it’s important to know how your cables behave in a fire. Once CPR assessments are completed, the information can be compared between manufacturers to see which cables offer the performance level that is required for each individual country, building type and application.
Tests of CPR
CPR
