prEN IEC 61138:2026

• Status: Not Published
• Publication Date: 14-Dec-2027
• ICS: 29.060.20 - Cables
• Technical Committee: CLC/TC 20 - Electric cables
• Current Stage: 4060 - Enquiry results established and sent to TC, SR, BTTF - Enquiry
• Start Date: 02-Oct-2026
• Completion Date: 02-Oct-2026
• Directive: 2014/35/EU - Directive 2014/35/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014 on the harmonisation of the laws of the Member States relating to the making available on the market of electrical equipment designed for use within certain voltage limits
• Ref Project: oSIST prEN IEC 61138:2026 - Cables for portable earthing and short-circuiting equipment

• Revises: EN 61138:2007 - Cables for portable earthing and short-circuiting equipment
• Effective Date: 08-Apr-2025

prEN IEC 61138:2026 is a CENELEC draft of IEC 61138 from IEC technical committee 20, Electric cables. It covers flexible cables for portable earthing and short-circuiting equipment and specifies their construction, marking, tests and permitted use conditions. The standard is for cable manufacturers, test laboratories, equipment suppliers and users who need a defined cable type for earthing and short-circuiting work.

What does prEN IEC 61138:2026 specify?

prEN IEC 61138:2026 specifies flexible cables with EPR, PVC or SiR covering for portable earthing and short-circuiting equipment. It gives the cable types, their code designations, construction requirements, marking, test methods and a guide to use.

The scope says these cables are intended only for earthing and short-circuiting equipment, so no rated voltage is given. The document is organized into seven clauses and one normative annex.

Annex	What it covers
Annex A	Clashing test, including preparation, apparatus, procedure and expression of results

The main body covers scope, normative references, terms and definitions, construction, marking, tests on completed cables, and guidance for use. Clause 4 and Clause 6 are the core technical sections, while Clause 7 gives the temperature ranges for use.

What are the key requirements of prEN IEC 61138:2026?

prEN IEC 61138:2026 sets the construction, marking and test requirements for flexible cables used with portable earthing and short-circuiting equipment. In practice, it separates design qualification tests from production checks and gives different test sets for EPR, PVC and SiR coverings.

Cable construction and materials

Clause 4 requires a single conductor made of annealed copper, aluminium or aluminium alloy in accordance with IEC 60228. Copper wires may be plain or tinned, and any tin coating must be effective. This matters because the cable must carry current reliably without overheating or damage during use.

The cable may include a separating tape between the conductor and the covering. The covering must be one of the specified material types: EPR, PVC/ST5, PVC/ST11 or SiR. The covering must be closely applied and removable without damage to the covering, conductor or tin coating.

Clause 4 also controls thickness and overall diameter. The mean covering thickness and the mean overall diameter must stay within the limits in Tables 1 and 2, and the local thickness variation is limited. In practice, this means the cable must be physically consistent enough to fit the equipment and perform as tested.

Covering tests and product qualification

Clause 4.3.6 links each covering type to a defined set of non-electrical tests. EPR uses IEC 60502-1:2021 based requirements, with an extra low-temperature bending or elongation test at -50 °C. PVC/ST5 uses IEC 60227-1:2024, and PVC/ST11 and SiR use the test limits in Table 3 of this standard.

These tests cover mechanical strength, ageing, loss of mass, heat shock, pressure at high temperature, hot set, low-temperature bending, low-temperature elongation, impact, ozone resistance and water absorption. For a buyer or quality manager, this is the section that shows whether a cable type has been qualified for its insulation or covering material.

Marking and traceability

Clause 5 requires an indication of origin, either by a manufacturer's identification thread or by continuous marking of the manufacturer's name or trade mark. The cable must also show the code designation from Table 4 and the conductor cross-sectional area in mm².

Printed markings must be durable, and all marking must be legible. The distance between repeating mark sets must not exceed 550 mm. In practice, this supports traceability at installation, in stores and during later inspection.

Tests on completed cables

Clause 6 requires each cable to comply with the construction, marking and test requirements, with test selection based on the cable type in Tables 7, 8 and 9. Electrical integrity is checked by a voltage test and a spark test.

The voltage test uses a minimum sample length of 10 m, 1 000 V AC and a minimum duration of 5 min. The spark test checks the covering for faults. This means the finished cable must show sound insulation or covering before it is released.

Clause 6 also checks dimensions, ovality and flexibility. For copper conductors, the static flexibility test limits the measured distance in Table 6. For aluminium conductors, the cable is flexed for 2 000 movements under defined pulley and loading conditions, and the conductor resistance must not change by more than 10%. This is important for handling and repeated service use.

Optional clashing test

Clause 6.5 makes the clashing test optional and limits it to PVC covered cables, according to special national rules or customer requirements. A cable that passes may be marked "Clashing test". Annex A gives the test procedure and acceptance criteria.

Use limits

Clause 7 says these cables are exclusively for portable earthing and short-circuiting equipment in accordance with IEC 61230. It also gives indoor and outdoor temperature ranges for each covering type: EPR and SiR from -40 °C to +70 °C, PVC/ST5 from -5 °C to +70 °C, and PVC/ST11 from -25 °C to +55 °C. That helps users match the cable to the intended environment.

What terms does prEN IEC 61138:2026 define?

prEN IEC 61138:2026 defines the test categories used to judge cable compliance.

• Type tests (T) - tests made before a cable type is offered commercially, to show that the design performs as intended.
• Sample tests (S) - tests on samples or components from a finished cable to confirm that the product matches its design specification.
• Routine tests (R) - tests made on every production length to check integrity.
• EPR - an elastomeric insulation compound based on cross-linked ethylene propylene rubber or similar material.
• PVC/ST5 - a general purpose thermoplastic insulation compound based on polyvinylchloride.
• PVC/ST11 - a cold-resistant thermoplastic insulation compound based on polyvinylchloride.
• SiR - a cross-linked silicone rubber insulation compound.

Who uses prEN IEC 61138:2026?

prEN IEC 61138:2026 is used by cable manufacturers, testing laboratories, certification and quality teams, and buyers specifying cables for portable earthing and short-circuiting equipment. It is also relevant to utilities and other organizations working in electricity transmission and distribution where portable earthing equipment is used.

Manufacturers use it to design the cable types, choose conductor and covering materials, and set up conformity testing. Buyers and quality managers use it to compare quoted products against a common technical basis, especially for marking, flexibility, temperature range and test evidence. Test labs use it for the electrical, mechanical and material tests in Clauses 4 to 6 and Annex A.

What changed in prEN IEC 61138:2026 from the previous edition?

prEN IEC 61138:2026 is the fourth edition and it cancels and replaces the third edition published in 2007. The document states these significant technical changes:

• the maximum diameter of wires in aluminium class 5 conductors has been changed
• the term insulation has been changed to covering, because either insulating or sheathing materials may be used
• the lower limit of mean overall diameter has been changed for SiR insulated cables
• the general layout has been reorganized

Which standards are used with prEN IEC 61138:2026?

prEN IEC 61138:2026 relies on several IEC standards for conductors, test methods and use context.

• IEC 60228 - gives conductor requirements and the DC resistance basis for copper conductors
• IEC 60227-1:2024 - provides general requirements used as the basis for PVC/ST5 covering requirements
• IEC 60502-1:2021 - provides the basis for EPR-related requirements and some material test limits
• IEC 60811-401, -402, -403, -409, -501, -504, -505, -506, -507, -508 and -509 - provide the ageing, mechanical, low-temperature, ozone, water absorption, pressure and cracking test methods used for coverings
• IEC 61230 - gives the application context for portable earthing or earthing and short-circuiting equipment
• IEC 62230 - provides the spark-test method
• IEC 63294:2021 - provides test methods used for voltage test, thickness and dimensional checks, flexibility measurements and the clashing test procedure

What does the prEN IEC 61138:2026 document contain?

prEN IEC 61138:2026 contains tables that define cable types, dimensions, resistance limits, test voltages and flexibility limits. It also contains test matrices that show which tests apply to each cable type and covering material.

Table 1 and Table 2 give general data for the different code-designated cable types. Table 3 sets non-electrical test requirements for PVC/ST11 and SiR. Table 4 gives the code designations, Table 5 the test voltages, and Table 6 the static flexibility requirements.

Tables 7, 8 and 9 map the required tests to EPR, PVC and SiR cable types. Annex A provides the clashing test method, including the test piece length, apparatus, fall height, acceptance criteria and Figure A.1 showing the impact test apparatus.

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-september-2026
Kabli za prenosno ozemljilno in kratkostično opremo
Cables for portable earthing and short-circuiting equipment
Leitungen für ortsveränderliche Erdungs- und Kurzschließ-Einrichtungen
Câbles d'équipements portables de mise à la terre et de court-circuit
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN IEC 61138:2026
ICS:
29.060.20 Kabli Cables
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

20/2297/CDV
COMMITTEE DRAFT FOR VOTE (CDV)
PROJECT NUMBER:
IEC 61138 ED4
DATE OF CIRCULATION: CLOSING DATE FOR VOTING:
2026-07-10 2026-10-02
SUPERSEDES DOCUMENTS:
20/2242/CD, 20/2262A/CC
IEC TC 20 : ELECTRIC CABLES
SECRETARIAT: SECRETARY:
Germany Mr Walter Winkelbauer
OF INTEREST TO THE FOLLOWING COMMITTEES: HORIZONTAL FUNCTION(S):

TC 78
ASPECTS CONCERNED:
Electricity transmission and distribution,Safety
SUBMITTED FOR CENELEC PARALLEL VOTING NOT SUBMITTED FOR CENELEC PARALLEL VOTING
Attention IEC-CENELEC parallel voting
The attention of IEC National Committees, members of
CENELEC, is drawn to the fact that this Committee Draft
for Vote (CDV) is submitted for parallel voting.
The CENELEC members are invited to vote through the
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This document is still under study and subject to change. It should not be used for reference purposes.
Recipients of this document are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of
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Recipients of this document are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant “In Some
Countries” clauses to be included should this proposal proceed. Recipients are reminded that the CDV stage is
the final stage for submitting ISC clauses. (SEE AC/22/2007 OR NEW GUIDANCE DOC).

TITLE:
Cables for portable earthing and short-circuiting equipment

PROPOSED STABILITY DATE: 2033
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IEC CDV 61138 © IEC 2026
CONTENTS
Contact . 2
CONTENTS . 1
FOREWORD . 3
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms and definitions . 6
4 General requirements for the construction of cables . 6
4.1 Conductors . 6
4.1.1 Material . 6
4.1.2 Construction . 7
4.1.3 Check of construction . 7
4.1.4 Electrical resistance . 7
4.2 Separator between conductor and covering . 7
4.3 Covering . 7
4.3.1 Material . 7
4.3.2 Colour of covering . 7
4.3.3 Application to the conductor . 7
4.3.4 Thickness . 8
4.3.5 Tests . 8
4.3.6 Requirements for non-electrical tests of covering . 9
5 Marking . 12
5.1 Indication of origin . 12
5.2 Indication of code designation and cross-sectional area of the conductor . 12
5.3 Continuity of marks . 12
5.4 Durability . 12
5.5 Legibility . 12
6 Tests on completed cables . 13
6.1 General . 13
6.2 Electrical properties . 13
6.2.1 General . 13
6.2.2 Voltage test . 13
6.2.3 Spark test . 13
6.3 Overall dimensions and ovality . 13
6.4 Flexibility test . 14
6.4.1 General . 14
6.4.2 Test for cables with copper conductors . 14
6.4.3 Test for cables with aluminium conductors . 14
6.5 Optional clashing test . 14
7 Guide to the use of the cables . 17
Annex A (normative) Clashing test . 19
A.1 Preparation of test pieces . 19
A.2 Apparatus and test conditions . 19
A.3 Procedure . 19
A.4 Expression of results . 19
Bibliography . 21

IEC CDV 61138 © IEC 2026
Figure A.1 – Impact test apparatus (vertical impact) . 20

Table 1 – General data for Types 61138 IEC 60110, 60150, 60155 and 60165 . 8
Table 2 – General data for Types 61138 IEC 60210, 60250, 60255 and 60265 . 8
Table 3 – Requirements for the non-electrical tests for PVC/ST11 and SiR covering . 9
Table 4 – Code designation . 12
Table 5 – Requirement for test voltages . 13
Table 6 – Requirements for the static flexibility test . 14
Table 7 – Tests for Types 61138 IEC 60110 and 60210 (EPR covering) . 15
Table 8 – Tests for Types 61138 IEC 60150, 60155, 60250 and 60255 (PVC covering) . 16
Table 9 – Tests for Types 61138 IEC 60165 and 60265 (SiR insulation) . 17
Table A.1 – Height of fall . 19

IEC CDV 61138 © IEC 2026
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
Cables for portable earthing and short-circuiting equipment

FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for
standardization comprising all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees).
The object of IEC is to promote international co-operation on all questions concerning
standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To this end and in addition to other
activities, IEC publishes International Standards, Technical Specifications, Technical Reports,
Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) and Guides (hereafter referred to as “IEC
Publication(s)”). Their preparation is entrusted to technical committees; any IEC National
Committee interested in the subject dealt with may participate in this preparatory work.
International, governmental and non-governmental organizations liaising with the IEC also
participate in this preparation. IEC collaborates closely with the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by agreement between the two
organizations.
2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as
possible, an international consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical
committee has representation from all interested IEC National Committees.
3) IEC Publications have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted
by IEC National Committees in that sense. While all reasonable efforts are made to ensure that
the technical content of IEC Publications is accurate, IEC cannot be held responsible for the
way in which they are used or for any misinterpretation by any end user.
4) In order to promote international uniformity, IEC National Committees undertake to apply IEC
Publications transparently to the maximum extent possible in their national and regional
publications. Any divergence between any IEC Publication and the corres ponding national or
regional publication shall be clearly indicated in the latter.
5) IEC itself does not provide any attestation of conformity. Independent certification bodies
provide conformity assessment services and, in some areas, access to IEC marks of conformity.
IEC is not responsible for any services carried out by independent certification bodies.
6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this publication.
7) No liability shall attach to IEC or its directors, employees, servants or agents including
individual experts and members of its technical committees and IEC National Committees for
any personal injury, property damage or other damage of any nature whatsoever, whether direct
or indirect, or for costs (including legal fees) and expenses arising out of the publication, use
of, or reliance upon, this IEC Publication or any other IEC Publications.
8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced
publications is indispensable for the correct application of this publication.
9) IEC draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve
the use of (a) patent(s). IEC takes no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability
of any claimed patent rights in respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document,
IEC had not received notice of (a) patent(s), which may be required to implement this document.
However, implementers are cautioned that this may not represent the latest information, which
may be obtained from the patent database available at https://patents.iec.ch and 9) IEC draws
IEC CDV 61138 © IEC 2026
attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the use of (a)
patent(s). IEC takes no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability of any claimed
patent rights in respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, IEC had not
received notice of (a) patent(s), which may be required to implement this document. However,
implementers are cautioned that this may not represent the latest information, which may be
obtained from the patent database available at https://patents.iec.ch and www.iso.org/patents.
IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. . IEC shall not be
held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
IEC 61138 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 20, Electric cables. It is an
International Standard.
This fourth edition cancels and replaces the third edition published in 2007. This edition
constitutes a technical revision.
This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous
edition:
a) Maximum diameter of wires in auminium class 5 conductors has been changed.
b) The term insulation has been changed to covering due to use of either insulating or
sheathing materials.
c) Lower limit of mean overall diameter has been changed for SiR insulated cables.
d) General layout has been reorganised.
The text of this International Standard is based on the following documents:
Draft Report on voting
Full information on the voting for its approval can be found in the report on voting indicated in
the above table.
The language used for the development of this International Standard is English [change
language if necessary].
This document was drafted in accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2, and developed in
accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 and ISO/IEC Directives, IEC Supplement, available
at www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs. The main document types developed by IEC are
described in greater detail at www.iec.ch/publications.
The committee has decided that the contents of this document will remain unchanged until the
stability date indicated on the IEC website under webstore.iec.ch in the data related to the
specific document. At this date, the document will be
– reconfirmed,
– withdrawn, or
– revised.
IEC CDV 61138 © IEC 2026
1 Scope
This International Standard applies to flexible cables with covering based on ethylene propylene
rubber (EPR), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or silicone rubber (SiR) for portable earthing and short -
circuiting equipment.
For this type of cable no rated voltage is given as such cables are exclusively intended for
earthing and short-circuiting equipment.
The particular types of cable and their code designations are specified in Table 4 of this
standard.
The test methods specified in this standard are given in ,IEC 63294:2021 , IEC 60811 and IEC
62230.
NOTE In addition to the requirements given in this standard, mechanical requirements and requirements for the
marking for the complete equipment should be taken into account. These requirements can be found in IEC 61230.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies.
For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any
amendments) applies.
IEC 60227-1:2024, Polyvinyl chloride insulated cables of rated voltages up to and including
450/750 V - Part 1: General requirements
IEC 60228, Conductors of insulated cables
IEC 60502-1:2021, Power cables with extruded insulation and their accessories for rated
voltages from 1 kV (Um = 1,2 kV) up to 30 kV (Um = 36 kV) - Part 1: Cables for rated voltages
of 1 kV (Um = 1,2 kV) and 3 kV (Um = 3,6 kV)
IEC 60811-401, Electric and optical fibre cables - Test methods for non-metallic materials - Part
401: Miscellaneous tests - Thermal ageing methods - Ageing in an air oven
IEC 60811-402, Electric and optical fibre cables - Test methods for non-metallic materials - Part
402: Miscellaneous tests - Water absorption tests
IEC 60811-403, Electric and optical fibre cables - Test methods for non-metallic materials - Part
403: Miscellaneous tests - Ozone resistance test on cross-linked compounds
IEC 60811-409, Electric and optical fibre cables - Test methods for non-metallic materials - Part
409: Miscellaneous tests - Loss of mass test for thermoplastic insulations and sheaths
IEC 60811-501, Electric and optical fibre cables - Test methods for non-metallic materials - Part
501: Mechanical tests - Tests for determining the mechanical properties of insulating and
sheathing compounds
IEC 60811-504, Electric and optical fibre cables - Test methods for non-metallic materials - Part
504: Mechanical tests - Bending tests at low temperature for insulation and sheaths
IEC 60811-505, Electric and optical fibre cables - Test methods for non-metallic materials - Part
505: Mechanical tests - Elongation at low temperature for insulations and sheaths
IEC CDV 61138 © IEC 2026
IEC 60811-506, Electric and optical fibre cables - Test methods for non-metallic materials - Part
506: Mechanical tests - Impact test at low temperature for insulations and sheaths
IEC 60811-507, Electric and optical fibre cables - Test methods for non-metallic materials - Part
507: Mechanical tests - Hot set test for cross-linked materials
IEC 60811-508, Electric and optical fibre cables - Test methods for non-metallic materials - Part
508: Mechanical tests - Pressure test at high temperature for insulation and sheaths
IEC 60811-509, Electric and optical fibre cables - Test methods for non-metallic materials - Part
509: Mechanical tests - Test for resistance of insulations and sheaths to cracking (heat shock
test)
IEC 61230, Live working – Portable equipment for earthing or earthing and short-circuiting
IEC 62230, Electrical cables – Spark-test method
IEC 63294:2021, Test methods for electric cables with rated voltages up to and including
450/750 V
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following definitions apply.
3.1
type tests
symbol T
tests required to be made before supplying a type of cable covered by this standard on a general
commercial basis in order to demonstrate satisfactory performance characteristics to meet the
intended application
Note 1 to entry: These tests are of such a nature that, after they have been made, they need not be repeated unless
changes are made in the cable materials, design or type of manufacturing process which might change the
performance characteristics.
3.2
sample tests
symbol S
tests made on samples of completed cable, or components taken from a completed cable,
adequate to verify that the finished product meets the design specifications
3.3
routine tests
symbol R
tests made on all production cable lengths to demonstrate their integrity
4 General requirements for the construction of cables
4.1 Conductors
4.1.1 Material
The conductor shall consist of anne
...