Concordia sounds warning over new CPR cable classification
A warning is being issued about the issues facing the cabling industry under the Constructions Products Regulation (CPR), a new piece of European legislation being introduced covering the classification of cables installed within buildings.
Concordia Technologies is highlighting that from July 2013, the CPR will require the ‘reaction to fire’ performance of cables to be classified and CE marked by a notified body within the EU to verify the cables performance.The new regulation presently defines seven classes of reaction to fire (A, B1, B2, C, D, E and F) in which those cables will have to be classified against. Each class sets out a range of criteria which the cables will have to meet to enable the CE mark to be applied.
Concordia Technologies technical manager Neil Middleton warned, ‘Today, the majority of low voltage cables, control cables and data cables marketed in Europe are manufactured in Asia where the understanding of fire performance, particularly where low smoke, halogen free materials are involved, can be brought into question.
‘It is apparent that a lack of knowledge and understanding of the impending CPR legislation, including the implications of the classification system, exists within the supply chain, which imports a large percentage of the affected product types, and this could have a huge impact on the quality of cables which will have to comply with the new legislation.’
Under the new CPR legislation, affected cables will have to carry a CE mark which can only be applied following the assessment of the products and the manufacturing plant by an independent EU designated notified body.
