IEC 60189-1:2018

Low-frequency cables and wires with PVC insulation and PVC sheath - Part 1: General test and measuring methods

IEC 60189-1:2018 specifies mechanical, electrical and climatic test methods for low-frequency cables and wires designed for use in telecommunication inside plants and equipment and in electronic devices employing similar techniques. 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) Test methods for dielectric strength and insulation resistance that were referenced in the previous edition have been withdrawn. They have been replaced with references to similar test methods described in current standards.
b) References to the IEC 60811 series have been updated as the numbering of this series has completely been changed.

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 21-Jun-2018
• ICS: 01 - GENERALITIES. TERMINOLOGY. STANDARDIZATION. DOCUMENTATION
• ICS: 33.120.20 - Wires and symmetrical cables
• Technical Committee: SC 46C - Wires and symmetric cables
• Drafting Committee: MT 1 - TC 46/SC 46C/MT 1
• Current Stage: PPUB - Publication issued
• Start Date: 29-Jun-2018
• Completion Date: 22-Jun-2018

Relations

• Revises: IEC 60189-1:2007 - Low-frequency cables and wires with PVC insulation and PVC sheath - Part 1: General test and measuring methods
• Effective Date: 05-Sep-2023

Standards Content (Sample)

IEC 60189-1 ®
Edition 4.0 2018-06
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
Low-frequency cables and wires with PVC insulation and PVC sheath –
Part 1: General test and measuring methods

All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from
either IEC or IEC's member National Committee in the country of the requester. If you have any questions about IEC
copyright or have an enquiry about obtaining additional rights to this publication, please contact the address below or
your local IEC member National Committee for further information.

IEC Central Office Tel.: [phone]
3, rue de Varembé [e-mail]
CH-1211 Geneva 20 www.iec.ch
Switzerland
About the IEC
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is the leading global organization that prepares and publishes
International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies.

About IEC publications
The technical content of IEC publications is kept under constant review by the IEC. Please make sure that you have the
latest edition, a corrigenda or an amendment might have been published.

IEC Catalogue - webstore.iec.ch/catalogue Electropedia - www.electropedia.org
The stand-alone application for consulting the entire The world's leading online dictionary of electronic and
bibliographical information on IEC International Standards, electrical terms containing 21 000 terms and definitions in
Technical Specifications, Technical Reports and other English and French, with equivalent terms in 16 additional
documents. Available for PC, Mac OS, Android Tablets and languages. Also known as the International Electrotechnical
iPad. Vocabulary (IEV) online.

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The advanced search enables to find IEC publications by a 67 000 electrotechnical terminology entries in English and
variety of criteria (reference number, text, technical French extracted from the Terms and Definitions clause of
committee,…). It also gives information on projects, replaced IEC publications issued since 2002. Some entries have been
and withdrawn publications. collected from earlier publications of IEC TC 37, 77, 86 and

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also once a month by email. need further assistance, please contact the Customer Service
Centre: [e-mail].
IEC 60189-1 ®
Edition 4.0 2018-06
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
Low-frequency cables and wires with PVC insulation and PVC sheath –

Part 1: General test and measuring methods

INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
ICS 33.120.20 ISBN 978-2-8322-5765-4

– 2 – IEC 60189-1:2018 © IEC 2018
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 4
1 Scope . 6
2 Normative references . 6
3 Terms and definitions . 7
4 Standard conditions for testing . 8
5 Dimensions. 8
5.1 Selection and preparation of samples . 8
5.1.1 Insulation . 8
5.1.2 Sheath . 8
5.1.3 Finished cable or wire . 8
5.2 Measurement of dimensions . 8
5.2.1 Minimum thickness of insulation or sheath . 8
5.2.2 Mean thickness of insulation or sheath . 9
5.2.3 Diameter of finished cable or wire . 9
6 Mechanical tests . 10
6.1 Selection, marking and preparation of samples for tensile tests . 10
6.1.1 Conductors . 10
6.1.2 Insulation . 10
6.1.3 Sheath . 10
6.2 Measurement of cross-sectional area for tensile test . 12
6.2.1 General . 12
6.2.2 Insulation . 12
6.2.3 Sheath . 12
6.3 Tensile test . 12
6.3.1 Conditioning of test pieces . 12
6.3.2 Tensile testing procedure . 12
6.3.3 Expression of results . 12
6.4 Stripping properties of insulation . 12
6.4.1 General . 12
6.4.2 Test method . 12
7 Thermal stability and climatic tests . 13
7.1 Accelerated ageing . 13
7.2 Pressure test at high temperature . 14
7.3 Resistance to flame propagation . 14
7.3.1 General . 14
7.3.2 Wires . 14
7.3.3 Cables . 14
7.4 Cold bend test . 14
7.4.1 General . 14
7.4.2 Insulation . 14
7.4.3 Sheath . 14
7.5 Heat shock test . 14
7.5.1 General . 14
7.5.2 Insulation . 14
7.5.3 Sheath . 15
7.6 Measurement of insulation shrinkage after overheating of conductor . 15

7.7 Combined shrinkage and heat shock test . 15
7.8 Solder test on tinned conductors . 15
8 Electrical tests . 16
8.1 Electrical resistance of conductors . 16
8.2 Dielectric strength . 16
8.2.1 General . 16
8.2.2 Wires . 16
8.2.3 Cables . 16
8.3 Insulation resistance . 17
8.3.1 General . 17
8.3.2 Wires . 17
8.3.3 Cables . 17
8.4 Mutual capacitance . 17
8.5 Capacitance unbalance (conductor to conductor) . 17

Figure 1 – Dumb-bell test piece . 11
Figure 2 – Small dumb-bell test piece . 11
Figure 3 – Stripping properties of insulation . 13
Figure 4 – Position of the sample in the text apparatus . 13

Table 1 – Mandrel diameter according to mean thickness of sheath . 15

– 4 – IEC 60189-1:2018 © IEC 2018
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
LOW-FREQUENCY CABLES AND WIRES WITH
PVC INSULATION AND PVC SHEATH –

Part 1: General test and measuring methods

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 corresponding 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) Attenti
...

IEC 60189-1 ®
Edition 4.0 2018-06
REDLINE VERSION
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
colour
inside
Low-frequency cables and wires with PVC insulation and PVC sheath –
Part 1: General test and measuring methods

All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from
either IEC or IEC's member National Committee in the country of the requester. If you have any questions about IEC
copyright or have an enquiry about obtaining additional rights to this publication, please contact the address below or
your local IEC member National Committee for further information.

IEC Central Office Tel.: [phone]
3, rue de Varembé [e-mail]
CH-1211 Geneva 20 www.iec.ch
Switzerland
About the IEC
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is the leading global organization that prepares and publishes
International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies.

About IEC publications
The technical content of IEC publications is kept under constant review by the IEC. Please make sure that you have the
latest edition, a corrigenda or an amendment might have been published.

IEC Catalogue - webstore.iec.ch/catalogue Electropedia - www.electropedia.org
The stand-alone application for consulting the entire The world's leading online dictionary of electronic and
bibliographical information on IEC International Standards, electrical terms containing 21 000 terms and definitions in
Technical Specifications, Technical Reports and other English and French, with equivalent terms in 16 additional
documents. Available for PC, Mac OS, Android Tablets and languages. Also known as the International Electrotechnical
iPad. Vocabulary (IEV) online.

IEC publications search - webstore.iec.ch/advsearchform IEC Glossary - std.iec.ch/glossary
The advanced search enables to find IEC publications by a 67 000 electrotechnical terminology entries in English and
variety of criteria (reference number, text, technical French extracted from the Terms and Definitions clause of
committee,…). It also gives information on projects, replaced IEC publications issued since 2002. Some entries have been
and withdrawn publications. collected from earlier publications of IEC TC 37, 77, 86 and

CISPR.
IEC Just Published - webstore.iec.ch/justpublished
Stay up to date on all new IEC publications. Just Published IEC Customer Service Centre - webstore.iec.ch/csc
details all new publications released. Available online and If you wish to give us your feedback on this publication or
also once a month by email. need further assistance, please contact the Customer Service
Centre: [e-mail].
IEC 60189-1 ®
Edition 4.0 2018-06
REDLINE VERSION
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
colour
inside
Low-frequency cables and wires with PVC insulation and PVC sheath –

Part 1: General test and measuring methods

INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
ICS 33.120.20 ISBN 978-2-8322-5846-0

– 2 – IEC 60189-1:2018 RLV © IEC 2018
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 4
1 Scope . 6
2 Normative references . 6
3 Terms and definitions . 8
4 Standard conditions for testing . 8
5 Dimensions . 9
5.1 Selection and preparation of samples . 9
5.1.1 Insulation . 9
5.1.2 Sheath . 9
5.1.3 Finished cable or wire . 9
5.2 Measurement of dimensions . 9
5.2.1 Minimum thickness of insulation or sheath . 9
5.2.2 Mean thickness of insulation or sheath . 10
5.2.3 Diameter of finished cable or wire . 10
6 Mechanical tests . 10
6.1 Selection, marking and preparation of samples for tensile tests . 10
6.1.1 Conductors . 10
6.1.2 Insulation . 10
6.1.3 Sheath . 11
6.2 Measurement of cross-sectional area for tensile test . 12
6.2.1 General . 12
6.2.2 Insulation . 12
6.2.3 Sheath . 13
6.3 Tensile test . 13
6.3.1 Conditioning of test pieces . 13
6.3.2 Tensile testing procedure . 13
6.3.3 Expression of results . 13
6.4 Stripping properties of insulation . 13
6.4.1 General . 13
6.4.2 Test method . 13
7 Thermal stability and climatic tests . 14
7.1 Accelerated ageing . 14
7.2 Pressure test at high temperature . 14
7.3 Resistance to flame propagation . 14
7.3.1 General . 14
7.3.2 Wires . 15
7.3.3 Cables . 15
7.4 Cold bend test . 15
7.4.1 General . 15
7.4.2 Insulation . 15
7.4.3 Sheath . 15
7.5 Heat shock test . 15
7.5.1 General . 15
7.5.2 Insulation . 15
7.5.3 Sheath . 15
7.6 Measurement of insulation shrinkage after overheating of conductor . 16

7.7 Combined shrinkage and heat shock test . 16
7.8 Solder test on tinned conductors. 16
8 Electrical tests . 17
8.1 Electrical resistance of conductors. 17
8.2 Dielectric strength . 17
8.2.1 General . 17
8.2.2 Wires . 17
8.2.3 Cables . 17
8.3 Insulation resistance . 18
8.3.1 General . 18
8.3.2 Wires . 18
8.3.3 Cables . 18
8.4 Mutual capacitance . 18
8.5 Capacitance unbalance (conductor to conductor) . 18

Figure 1 – Dumb-bell test piece . 12
Figure 2 – Small dumb-bell test piece . 12
Figure 3 – Stripping properties of insulation . 13
Figure 4 – Position of the sample in the text apparatus . 14

Table 1 – Mandrel diameter according to mean thickness of sheath . 16

– 4 – IEC 60189-1:2018 RLV © IEC 2018
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
LOW-FREQUENCY CABLES AND WIRES WITH
PVC INSULATION AND PVC SHEATH –

Part 1: General test and measuring methods

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 corresponding 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) Attention is drawn to the pos
...