EN 50289-4-16:2016

Communication cables - Specifications for test methods - Part 4-16: Environmental test methods - Circuit integrity under fire conditions

This European Standard, part of EN 50289, specifies the criteria for copper data and telecom cables designed to have intrinsic resistance to fire and intended for use as emergency circuits for alarm, lighting and communication purposes. This European Standard is applicable to copper data and telecom cables for emergency circuit. The test method is described in EN 50200 and/or EN50577. This European Standard is to be used with EN 50200 and/or EN50577 for CPR purpose.

Kommunikationskabel - Spezifikationen für Prüfverfahren - Teil 4-16: Umweltprüfverfahren - Funktionserhalt im Brandfall

Diese Europäische Norm, Teil der EN 50289, legt die Kriterien zur Bestimmung des Funktionserhaltes von Steuer- und Kommunikationskabeln - Drähten, symmetrischen Kabeln und Koaxialkabeln mit metallischen Leitern zur Anwendung in z.B. der Telekommunikation, der Datenübertragung, der Hochfrequenz, der Videokommunikation sowie für Signalisierung und Steuerungsgeräte fest. Das Prüfverfahren ist in EN 50200 und/oder EN 50577 beschrieben. Diese Europäische Norm ist zusammen mit EN 50200 und/oder EN 50577 für Zwecke der Bauprodukten-regulierung (CPR) anzuwenden.

Câbles de communication - Spécifications des méthodes d'essais - Partie 4-16: Méthodes d'essais d’environnement - Intégrité du circuit en cas d'incendie

La présente Norme européenne, partie de l'EN 50289, spécifie les critères concernant l'intégrité des circuits des câbles de contrôle/commande et de communication - fils, câbles à paires symétriques et câbles coaxiaux avec conducteurs métalliques destinés à être utilisés par exemple dans les applications de télécommunications, de transmission de données, radiofréquence et de communication vidéo, et dans les équipements de signalisation et de contrôle/commande. La méthode d’essai est décrite dans l'EN 50200 et/ou l'EN 50577. Il est essentiel d'utiliser la présente Norme européenne avec l'EN 50200 et/ou l'EN 50577 dans le cadre de la mise en oeuvre de la RPC.

Komunikacijski kabli - Specifikacije za preskusne metode - 4-16. del: Preskusne metode za okolje - Celovitost tokokroga v požarnih razmerah

Ta evropski standard, ki je del standarda EN 50289, določa merila za bakrene podatkovne in telekomunikacijske kable, ki so sami po sebi odporni proti požarom in namenjeni za uporabo kot zasilni tokokrogi za namene zvočnih opozoril, razsvetljave in komunikacije.
Ta evropski standard se uporablja za bakrene podatkovne in telekomunikacijske kable za zasilni tokokrog.
Preskusna metoda je opisana v standardu EN 50200 in/ali EN50577.
Ta evropski standard je treba uporabljati s standardom EN 50200 in/ali EN50577 za namen uredbe o gradbenih izdelkih.

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 15-Sep-2016
• ICS: 33.120.10 - Coaxial cables. Waveguides
• Technical Committee: CLC/TC 46X - Communication cables
• Drafting Committee: CLC/TC 46X - Communication cables
• Current Stage: 9093 - Decision to confirm - Review Enquiry
• Start Date: 30-Nov-2022
• Completion Date: 23-Sep-2025
• Directive: 305/2011 - Regulation (eu) No 305/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 march 2011 laying down harmonised conditions for the marketing of construction products and repealing council directive 89/106/eec
• Mandate: M/443 - Mandate to CEN and CENELEC concerning the execution of standardisation work for harmonized standards on power, control and communication cables related to the following end uses: 24/33: Supply of electricity, 26/33: Communications, 28/33: Fire detection and alarm
• Ref Project: SIST EN 50289-4-16:2016 - Communication cables - Specifications for test methods - Part 4-16: Environmental test methods - Circuit integrity under fire conditions

Relations

• Replaces: EN 50289-4-16:2012 - Communication cables - Specifications for test methods - Part 4-16: Environmental test methods - Circuit integrity under fire conditions
• Effective Date: 07-Jun-2022
• Revised: EN 50289-4-16:2012 - Communication cables - Specifications for test methods - Part 4-16: Environmental test methods - Circuit integrity under fire conditions
• Effective Date: 04-Aug-2015

Overview

EN 50289-4-16:2016 is a European test-method specification for communication cables that must maintain circuit integrity under fire conditions. It covers copper data, telecom and coaxial cables designed with intrinsic fire resistance for use as emergency circuits - for alarm, lighting, signalling, control and communication systems. This part of EN 50289 defines acceptance criteria, measurement procedures during fire exposure and how to declare circuit-integrity performance for CPR and safety applications.

Key topics and requirements

• Scope: Applies to metallic conductors (wires, symmetric pairs, coax) used in telecom, data, RF, video and signalling where continuity under fire is critical.
• Test methods referenced: EN 50200 (burner test) and/or EN 50577 (furnace test). Use with these standards is essential for CPR (Construction Products Regulation) compliance.
• Measured parameters during fire: dielectric strength (no short circuit / 100 V DC / 70 V AC), capacitance (max difference < 30 %), attenuation (max difference < 12.5 %), return loss (RL > 8 dB for high frequencies), and near-end crosstalk (NEXT) performance as given in the standard.
• High-frequency criteria: Frequency-dependent limits apply (<100 kHz, >100 kHz up to 100 MHz, and up to 1 000 MHz for coax), with degradation normalized per metre (EN 50200 exposes 1 m; EN 50577 exposes >2.5 m).
• Test setup and sampling: A sample >30 m is used. EN 50200 requires ≤10 m from burner to test equipment (remaining coiled or straight); EN 50577 requires 15 m outside the furnace to equipment.
• Monitoring cadence: Measurements every 5 min for 0–30 min, and every 10 min for 30–120 min.
• Survival time and classification: Survival recorded up to 120 min. Classification follows EN 13501-3: PH15/30/60/90/120 (EN 50200) or P15/30/60/90/120 (EN 50577). PH relates to constant 842 °C attack; P follows standard time/temperature curves.

Practical applications and users

• Who uses it: cable manufacturers, test laboratories, building services engineers, fire-safety consultants, specifiers for critical infrastructure (hospitals, transport hubs, data centres), and procurement teams requiring fire-resilient emergency circuits.
• Why it matters: Ensures that communication and control circuits maintain signal/power continuity during fires - critical for alarms, emergency lighting, public-address and safety systems.
• How it’s applied: Used to validate product performance, support CE/CPR declarations, specify acceptance criteria in tenders, and guide installation/testing practices for fire-critical cable routes.

Related standards

• EN 50200 - Method of test for resistance to fire (unprotected small cables)
• EN 50577 - Fire resistance test for unprotected electric cables (P classification)
• EN 13501-3 - Fire classification using fire resistance test data
• EN 50288 / EN 50289 family / EN 50117-1 - related cable and test specifications

Keywords: EN 50289-4-16:2016, circuit integrity, communication cables, fire resistance, EN 50200, EN 50577, CPR, emergency circuits, PH/P classification.

Standards Content (Sample)

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-november-2016
1DGRPHãþD
SIST EN 50289-4-16:2012
Komunikacijski kabli - Specifikacije za preskusne metode - 4-16. del: Preskusne
metode za okolje - Celovitost tokokroga v požarnih razmerah
Communication cables - Specifications for test methods - Part 4-16: Environmental test
methods - Circuit integrity under fire conditions
Kommunikationskabel - Spezifikationen für Prüfverfahren - Teil 4-16:
Umweltprüfverfahren - Funktionserhalt im Brandfall
&kEOHVGHFRPPXQLFDWLRQ6SpFLILFDWLRQVGHVPpWKRGHVG
HVVDLV3DUWLH
0pWKRGHVG
HVVDLVGHQYLURQQHPHQW,QWpJULWpGXFLUFXLWHQFDVG
LQFHQGLH
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN 50289-4-16:2016
ICS:
19.040 Preskušanje v zvezi z Environmental testing
okoljem
33.120.10 Koaksialni kabli. Valovodi Coaxial cables. Waveguides
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EUROPEAN STANDARD EN 50289-4-16

NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
September 2016
ICS 33.120.10 Supersedes EN 50289-4-16:2012
English Version
Communication cables - Specifications for test methods - Part 4-
16: Environmental test methods - Circuit integrity under fire
conditions
Câbles de communication - Spécifications des méthodes Kommunikationskabel - Spezifikationen für Prüfverfahren -
d'essais - Partie 4-16: Méthodes d'essais d¿environnement Teil 4-16: Umweltprüfverfahren - Funktionserhalt im
- Intégrité du circuit en cas d'incendie Brandfall
This European Standard was approved by CENELEC on 2016-07-22. CENELEC members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC
Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration.
Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC
Management Centre or to any CENELEC member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by translation
under the responsibility of a CENELEC member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre has the
same status as the official versions.
CENELEC members are the national electrotechnical committees of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia,
Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Turkey and the United Kingdom.

European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization
Comité Européen de Normalisation Electrotechnique
Europäisches Komitee für Elektrotechnische Normung
CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Avenue Marnix 17, B-1000 Brussels
© 2016 CENELEC All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved worldwide for CENELEC Members.
Ref. No. EN 50289-4-16:2016 E
Contents Page
European foreword .3
1 Scope .4
2 Normative references .4
3 Circuit Integrity .4
3.1 General .4
3.2 Circuit integrity classification .5
4 Test procedure .5
4.1 Preliminary tests .5
4.2 EN 50200 .6
4.3 EN 50577 .6
4.4 Electrical test during fire .6
5 Requirements .6
6 Test report .6
Annex A (informative) Information regarding classification .8
A.1 General .8
A.2 Functional requirement (PH or P) and Interpretation .8
A.3 Classification .8
Bibliography .9

Tables
Table 1 – Maximum frequency required tests and requirements .5
Table 2 – Circuit integrity class .5
Table 3 – Period between two measurements .6
Figure 1 – Test fixture .6
European foreword
This document (EN 50289-4-16:2016) has prepared by CLC/TC 46X "Communication cables".
The following dates are fixed:
• latest date by which this document has (dop) 2017-07-22
to be implemented at national level by
publication of an identical national
standard or by endorsement
• latest date by which the national (dow) 2019-07-22
standards conflicting with this
document have to be withdrawn
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CENELEC [and/or CEN] shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such
patent rights.
This document supersedes EN 50289-4-16:2012.
1 Scope
This European Standard, part of EN 50289, specifies the criteria for circuit integrity of control and
communication cables – wires, symmetric cables, and coaxial cables with metallic conductors for use
in e.g. telecommunication, data transmission, radio frequency, video communication and signalling
and control equipment.
The test method is described in EN 50200 and/or EN 50577.
It is essential to use this European Standard with EN 50200 and/or EN 50577 for CPR purpose.
2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and are
indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated
references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
EN 50117-1, Coaxial cables — Part 1: Generic specification
EN 50200:2006, Method of test for resistance to fire of unprotected small cables for use in emergency
circuits
EN 50288-1, Multi-element metallic cables used in analogue and digital communication and control —
Part 1: Generic specification
EN 50289 (all parts), Communication cables — Specifications for test methods
EN 50577,
...