Industrial
Industrial Cable Selection Guide
02 Mar 2026 · 9 min read
Industrial cable failures are rarely electrical. They are mechanical and chemical — the wrong flexibility class, the wrong sheath, or a temperature rating that was correct at design and wrong in service.
Flexibility class and movement
IEC 60228 conductor classes describe how a conductor tolerates movement. Class 2 stranded is for fixed installation. Class 5 flexible suits occasional movement and tight routing. Class 6 extra-flexible is for continuous flexing applications such as drag chains and robotics.
Specify a continuous-flex cable by its rated bending cycles and minimum bend radius in the moving section, not by the general catalogue bend radius.
Sheath chemistry
PVC is economical and flame-retardant but stiffens below 0 °C and is attacked by many solvents. PUR resists oil, abrasion and hydrolysis and stays flexible in the cold, which makes it the standard for machine tooling. LSZH is mandated where smoke toxicity matters in occupied spaces. Silicone and fluoropolymer sheaths cover high-temperature zones.
- Machine shop with cutting fluid: PUR
- Cold store or outdoor plant: PUR or cold-flexible PVC
- Tunnels, transit and public buildings: LSZH
- Furnaces and steam lines: silicone or fluoropolymer
Temperature rating in service
Rate the cable for the ambient temperature next to the conductor at the hottest point of the run, plus its own self-heating, plus any derating for grouping and enclosure. A cable in a sunlit steel panel can sit 25–30 °C above nominal ambient.