SIST EN 60794-2-40:2008

• Abstract:

  IEC 60794-2-40:2008(E) is part of a family specification covering buffered A4 fibres and cabled A4 fibres for indoor use. This technical revision now also covers cabled A4 fibres.

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 04-Jun-2008
• ICS: 33.180.10 - Fibres and cables
• Technical Committee: iTEL - Communication cables
• Current Stage: 6060 - National Implementation/Publication (Adopted Project)
• Start Date: 19-May-2008
• Due Date: 24-Jul-2008
• Completion Date: 05-Jun-2008
• Ref Project: EN 60794-2-40:2008 - Optical fibre cables - Part 2-40: Indoor optical fibre cables - Family specification for A4 fibre cables

• Refers: SIST EN 159:1998 - Dust-pressed ceramic tiles with water absorption E>10% - Group BIII
• Effective Date: 09-Feb-2026
• Refers: SIST EN 60794-1-1:2002 - Optical fibre cables -- Part 1-1: Generic specification - General
• Effective Date: 03-Feb-2026
• Refers: SIST EN 60793-2-40:2006 - Optical fibres -- Part 2-40: Product specifications - Sectional specification for category A4 multimode fibres
• Effective Date: 03-Feb-2026
• Refers: SIST EN 60794-2:2004 - Optical fibre cables -- Part 2: Indoor cables - Sectional specification
• Effective Date: 03-Feb-2026
• Refers: SIST EN 60793-1-20:2004 - Optical fibres -- Part 1-20: Measurement methods and test procedures - Fibre geometry
• Effective Date: 03-Feb-2026
• Refers: SIST EN 60794-1-2:2004 - Optical fibre cables -- Part 1-2: Generic specification - Basic optical cable test procedures
• Effective Date: 03-Feb-2026
• Refers: SIST EN 60793-1-21:2004 - Optical fibres -- Part 1-21: Measurement methods and test procedures - Coating geometry
• Effective Date: 03-Feb-2026
• Referred By: SIST EN 3745-505:2018 - Aerospace series - Fibres and cables, optical, aircraft use - Test methods - Part 505: Cable tensile strength
• Effective Date: 09-Feb-2026
• Referred By: SIST EN 60794-1-20:2014 - Optical fibre cables - Part 1-20: Generic specification - Basic optical cable test procedures - General and Definitions
• Effective Date: 03-Feb-2026

SIST EN 60794-2-40:2008 is the Slovenian adoption of EN 60794-2-40:2008 for indoor optical fibre cables. It is a family specification for buffered A4 fibres and cabled A4 fibres, and it sets the construction, dimension checks and test framework for indoor use.

What does SIST EN 60794-2-40:2008 specify?

SIST EN 60794-2-40:2008 specifies a family specification for A4 fibre cables intended for indoor use. It organizes the subject into scope, normative references, construction, dimensions and tests, with Annex ZA giving the European reference list.

Annex	What it covers
ZA	Normative references to international publications with their corresponding European publications

The document is written as a family specification, so it gives the common rules for the cable family rather than a full product-by-product detail sheet. It is meant to be used together with the generic indoor cable standards named in the text.

What are the key requirements of SIST EN 60794-2-40:2008?

SIST EN 60794-2-40:2008 focuses on how A4 fibre cables are built, identified and verified. The practical effect is that buyer and supplier have a common basis for design, acceptance and test planning.

Construction and product definition

• The cable shall be designed and manufactured for an expected operating life of at least 15 years. In practice, that means long-term durability is part of the product expectation, not only initial performance.
• The attenuation of the installed cable at the operational wavelength(s) shall stay within values agreed between customer and supplier. This makes wavelength performance a contractual point that must be documented.
• The materials in the cable shall not present a health hazard within the intended use. This matters for indoor installation, handling and procurement decisions.
• There shall be no fibre splice in a delivery length unless customer and supplier agree otherwise. For delivery and acceptance, the cable length should therefore be traceable as a continuous length.
• Each individual fibre shall be identifiable throughout the cable length. This supports installation, repair and inventory control.
• The cable shall use multimode category A4 optical fibres meeting IEC 60793-2-40. This ties the cable family to a defined fibre category.
• Buffers, if used, shall consist of one or more layers of inert material. Tight buffer and semi-tight buffer removal behavior is described so the cable can be prepared without damaging the fibre.

Verification and testing

• Compliance is verified by selected tests, not by running every test on every cable. The frequency of testing is agreed between customer and supplier, so test plans can be matched to procurement or qualification needs.
• Unless otherwise specified, tests are carried out at ambient temperature. This gives a default test condition when no special condition is agreed.
• Fibre geometry and coating geometry are checked with IEC 60793-1-20 and IEC 60793-1-21, while buffer, cable and sheath dimensions are measured with IEC 60189-1. This tells the reader which measurement methods to use.
• Mechanical requirements are covered by Table 1, which points to tensile, crush, impact, bend, repeated bending, low-temperature bend, flexing, torsion and kink tests from IEC 60794-1-2 and IEC 60794-2. In practice, the product specification sets the parameters and acceptance criteria.
• Environmental testing is applied to unbuffered fibre only when the fibre is sold in unbuffered form; otherwise it is performed on the completed buffered or cabled product. This helps the buyer choose whether qualification is on fibre or on finished cable.
• Transmission requirements are aligned with IEC 60793-2-40 and are agreed between customer and supplier.
• Fire performance is handled by reference to IEC/TR 62222, with tests and requirements agreed according to the end-use fire hazard and any applicable legislation.

What terms does SIST EN 60794-2-40:2008 define?

• A4 optical fibres - Multimode fibres of category A4 as specified by IEC 60793-2-40.
• Buffer - One or more inert layers around the fibre that help with handling and protection.
• Tight buffer - A buffer that can be removed in one operation over a short length.
• Semi-tight buffer - A buffer that can be removed over a longer length than a tight buffer.
• Delivery length - The supplied cable length for which splice-free delivery applies unless otherwise agreed.
• Attenuation - The optical loss of the installed cable at the operational wavelength(s).
• Family specification - A common specification for a cable family, used to define shared construction and test expectations.

Who uses SIST EN 60794-2-40:2008?

SIST EN 60794-2-40:2008 is used by cable manufacturers, fibre cable suppliers, customers writing purchase specifications, and test laboratories. It is relevant in indoor fibre-optic product design, quality control, incoming inspection, qualification testing and acceptance of buffered or cabled A4 fibre products.

What changed in SIST EN 60794-2-40:2008 from the previous edition?

SIST EN 60794-2-40:2008 is a technical revision that replaces the first edition published in 2003. The update keeps coverage of buffered A4 fibres and also adds cabled A4 fibres.

Which standards are used with SIST EN 60794-2-40:2008?

• IEC 60189-1 - Provides the general test and measuring methods used for buffer, cable and sheath dimensions.
• IEC 60793-1-20 - Gives the fibre geometry measurement methods.
• IEC 60793-1-21 - Gives the coating geometry measurement methods.
• IEC 60793-2-40 - Defines the product specification for category A4 multimode fibres.
• IEC 60794-1-1 - Gives the general specification for optical fibre cables.
• IEC 60794-1-2 - Gives the basic optical cable test procedures.
• IEC 60794-2 - Provides the sectional specification for indoor cables.
• IEC/TR 62222 - Gives guidance on fire performance of communication cables installed in buildings.

What does the SIST EN 60794-2-40:2008 document contain?

SIST EN 60794-2-40:2008 contains the scope, the normative reference list, and construction rules for A4 indoor fibre cables. It also includes the dimension checks and a testing section that covers mechanical, environmental, transmission and fire-performance topics.

Table 1 lists the mechanical test types and the IEC method references for each one. Clause 5 explains how compliance is checked and where the product specification must supply the detailed test parameters and requirements. Annex ZA maps the international references to the European publications used with the standard.

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
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Optical fibre cables - Part 2-40: Indoor optical fibre cables - Family specification for A4
fibre cables (IEC 60794-2-40:2008)
Lichtwellenleiterkabel - Teil 2-40: LWL-Innenkabel - Familienspezifikation für Kabel mit
Fasern der Kategorie A4 (IEC 60794-2-40:2008)
Câbles à fibres optiques - Partie 2-40: Câbles intérieurs à fibres optiques - Spécification
de famille pour les câbles à fibres A4 (CEI 60794-2-40:2008)
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN 60794-2-40:2008
ICS:
33.180.10 2SWLþQDYODNQDLQNDEOL Fibres and cables
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EUROPEAN STANDARD
EN 60794-2-40
NORME EUROPÉENNE
May 2008
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
ICS 33.180.10
English version
Optical fibre cables -
Part 2-40: Indoor optical fibre cables -
Family specification for A4 fibre cables
(IEC 60794-2-40:2008)
Câbles à fibres optiques - Lichtwellenleiterkabel -
Partie 2-40: Câbles intérieurs Teil 2-40: LWL-Innenkabel -
à fibres optiques - Familienspezifikation für Kabel
Spécification de famille mit Fasern der Kategorie A4
pour les câbles à fibres A4 (IEC 60794-2-40:2008)
(CEI 60794-2-40:2008)
This European Standard was approved by CENELEC on 2008-04-01. 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 Central Secretariat 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 Central Secretariat has the same status as the official versions.

CENELEC members are the national electrotechnical committees of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the
Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia,
Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

CENELEC
European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization
Comité Européen de Normalisation Electrotechnique
Europäisches Komitee für Elektrotechnische Normung

Central Secretariat: rue de Stassart 35, B - 1050 Brussels

© 2008 CENELEC - All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved worldwide for CENELEC members.
Ref. No. EN 60794-2-40:2008 E
Foreword
The text of document 86A/1124A/CDV, future edition 2 of IEC 60794-2-40, prepared by SC 86A, Fibres
and cables, of IEC TC 86, Fibre optics, was submitted to the IEC-CENELEC Parallel Unique Acceptance
Procedure and was approved by CENELEC as EN 60794-2-40 on 2008-04-01.
This standard is to be used in conjunction with EN 60974-1-1:2002, EN 60794-1-2:2003 and
EN 60794-2:2003.
The following dates were fixed:

– latest date by which the EN has to be implemented

at national level by publication of an identical
(dop) 2009-01-01
national standard or by endorsement

– latest date by which the national standards conflicting
(dow) 2011-04-01
with the EN have to be withdrawn
Annex ZA has been added by CENELEC.
__________
Endorsement notice
The text of the International Standard IEC 60794-2-40:2008 was approved by CENELEC as a European
Standard without any modification.
In the official version, for Bibliography, the following note has to be added for the standard indicated:
IEC 60794-2-42 NOTE  Harmonized as EN 60794-2-42:2008 (not modified).
__________
- 3 - EN 60794-2-40:2008
Annex ZA
(normative)
Normative references to international publications
with their corresponding European publications

The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application 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.

NOTE  When an international publication has been modified by common modifications, indicated by (mod), the relevant EN/HD
applies.
Publication Year Title EN/HD Year

1)
IEC 60189-1 - Low-frequency cables and wires with PVC - -
insulation and PVC sheath -
Part 1: General test and measuring methods

1) 2)
IEC 60793-1-20 - Optical fibres - EN 60793-1-20 2002
Part 1-20: Measurement methods and test
procedures - Fibre geometry
1) 2)
IEC 60793-1-21 - Optical fibres - EN 60793-1-21 2002
Part 1-21: Measurement methods and test
procedures - Coating geometry
1) 2)
IEC 60793-2-40 - Optical fibres - EN 60793-2-40 2006
Part 2-40: Product specifications - Sectional
specification for category A4 multimode fibres

1) 2)
IEC 60794-1-1 - Optical fibre cables - EN 60794-1-1 2002
Part 1-1: Generic specification - General

1) 2)
IEC 60794-1-2 - Optical fibre cables - EN 60794-1-2 2003
Part 1-2: Generic specification - Basic optical
cable test procedures
1) 2)
IEC 60794-2 - Optical fibre cables - EN 60794-2 2003
Part 2: Indoor cables - Sectional specification

1)
Undated reference.
2)
Valid edition at date of issue.

IEC 60794-2-40
Edition 2.0 2008-03
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
Optical fibre cables –
Part 2-40: Indoor optical fibre cables – Family specification for A4 fibre cables

INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
PRICE CODE
H
ICS 33.180.10 ISBN 2-8318-9666-5

– 2 – 60794-2-40 © IEC:2008(E)
CONTENTS
FOREWORD.3
1 Scope.5
2 Normative references .5
3 Construction .5
3.1 General .5
3.2 Optical fibres.6
3.3 Buffer .6
3.4 Tube.6
3.5 Strength and anti-buckling members .6
3.6 Ripcord .6
3.7 Ribbon .6
3.8 Sheath .6
3.9 Marking .6
3.10 Identification.6
3.11 Examples of construction .6
4 Dimensions .6
5 Tests .6
5.1 Dimensions .7
5.2 Mechanical requirements.7
5.3 Environmental requirements .7
5.4 Transmission requirements .7
5.5 Fire performance.7
Bibliography.9

Table 1 – Mechanical tests .7

60794-2-40 © IEC:2008(E) – 3 –
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
___________
OPTICAL FIBRE CABLES –
Part 2-40: Indoor optical fibre cables –
Family specification for A4 fibre cables

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 IE
...