Fire Rated Cables: Circuit Integrity for Switchboards, Public Buildings, and Tunnels

Fire rated cable is designed to keep critical circuits operating during a fire, rather than simply resisting flame spread. HELU Australia's range is a flexible, single and multi-core, halogen-free, low-smoke cable suited to mains switchboards, public buildings, and tunnel projects — applications where life-safety systems such as emergency lighting, alarms, and fire pumps need to keep running when it matters most.

• Built to maintain circuit integrity: Constructed to keep supplying power during a fire, supporting emergency lighting, alarms, and other life-safety systems.
• Halogen-free, low-smoke construction: Reduces toxic smoke and corrosive gas release, supporting safer evacuation and reduced equipment damage.
• Flexible single and multi-core builds: Class 5 flexible stranded copper conductors for easier routing and termination.
• Cross-linked insulation: A flame-retardant, halogen-free compound cross-linked for greater thermal stability under fire conditions.
• Suited to critical infrastructure: Specified for mains switchboards, public buildings, and tunnel projects where evacuation safety and continued operation are paramount.
• AS/NZS 3013 fire performance: Tested against Australia and New Zealand's benchmark standard for fire-resistant wiring systems.

Fire rated cable uses a flexible, Class 5 stranded copper conductor, insulated with a cross-linked, halogen-free, flame-retardant compound manufactured and tested for AS/NZS 3013. Cross-linking gives the insulation the thermal stability to maintain its structure and insulating properties under fire conditions, rather than melting or burning away, which is what allows the cable to keep a circuit live during a fire event. A low-smoke, halogen-free sheath completes the construction, limiting the toxic smoke and corrosive gas that would otherwise be released as the cable is exposed to heat.

Fire rated cable is specified wherever continued circuit operation during a fire is a life-safety requirement: mains switchboards, public buildings, and tunnel projects. It's the cable of choice for wiring emergency lighting, fire alarm systems, smoke exhaust fans, and other critical infrastructure that needs to keep functioning long enough for a safe evacuation, in facilities ranging from commercial buildings to underground and tunnel infrastructure.

• What's the difference between fire rated and fire retardant cable? Fire rated (fire-resistant) cable is designed to keep supplying power and maintain circuit integrity during a fire, while fire retardant cable is designed to slow the spread of flame but is not intended to keep functioning once involved in a fire.
• What does AS/NZS 3013 test for? AS/NZS 3013 classifies a wiring system's ability to maintain circuit integrity under fire conditions for a specified period, and its resistance to mechanical damage of a specified severity and water spray.
• Why does halogen-free matter for fire rated cable? Halogen-free insulation and sheathing significantly reduce the toxic smoke and corrosive gas released if the cable is exposed to fire, supporting safer evacuation in public buildings and tunnels.