oSIST prEN IEC 61138:2026

• Status: Not Published
• Public Enquiry End Date: 30-Sep-2026
• ICS: 29.060.20 - Cables
• Technical Committee: IEKA - Electric cables
• Current Stage: 4020 - Public enquire (PE) (Adopted Project)
• Start Date: 23-Jul-2026
• Due Date: 10-Dec-2026
• Completion Date: 29-Sep-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: prEN IEC 61138:2026 - Cables for portable earthing and short-circuiting equipment

• Revises: SIST EN 61138:2008 - Cables for portable earthing and short-circuiting equipment
• Effective Date: 08-Apr-2025

oSIST prEN IEC 61138:2026 is the Slovenian standard from SIST for cables used with portable earthing and short-circuiting equipment. It specifies flexible cables with EPR, PVC/ST 5, PVC/ST 11 or SiR covering, and brings together the construction, marking and test requirements that manufacturers, test laboratories and users need when the cable is part of IEC 61230 equipment.

What does oSIST prEN IEC 61138:2026 specify?

oSIST prEN IEC 61138:2026 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. The standard gives no rated voltage for these cables because they are intended exclusively for that use.

Clause 1 points to the test methods in IEC 63294:2021, IEC 60811 and IEC 62230, and it notes that the complete equipment should also be considered against IEC 61230. The document is organized into clauses on scope, references, definitions, construction, marking, tests and a guide to use, plus one normative annex.

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

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

Cable construction and covering materials

Clause 4 limits the cable to one conductor made from annealed copper, aluminium or aluminium alloy in accordance with IEC 60228. Clause 4.1 also allows plain or tinned copper wires, and Clause 4.1.3 requires the conductor construction to be checked by visual inspection and measurement.

Clause 4.3.1 limits the covering to EPR, PVC/ST 5, PVC/ST 11 or SiR, depending on the cable type. Clause 4.3.3 requires the covering to be closely applied, while still removable without damage to the covering, the conductor or the tin coating if present. In practice, this fixes the basic build of the cable and prevents a product that is too loose, too fragile or difficult to inspect.

Clause 4.3.4 links thickness and mean overall diameter to the type selected in Tables 1 and 2, so the manufacturer has to choose the correct type designation before checking dimensions. Clause 4.3.2 allows any colour, including transparent covering.

Marking and identification

Clause 5 requires the cable to show its origin, the code designation from Table 4 and the conductor cross-sectional area. The origin may be shown by a manufacturer’s identification thread or by continuous marking of the manufacturer’s name or trade mark on the covering.

Clause 5 also requires the marks to stay continuous, durable and legible. This matters because the cable may be handled in the field, cleaned or stored with other equipment, so the user still needs to identify the source and type after service use.

Tests on completed cables

Clause 6 brings together the checks that confirm the finished cable still meets the construction requirements. Tables 7, 8 and 9 separate these checks into type tests, sample tests and routine tests, which tells manufacturers whether a test is for design approval, sampling or every production length.

Clause 6.2 requires electrical integrity checks. The voltage test uses IEC 63294:2021 with the test conditions stated in the clause, and the spark test uses IEC 62230 to verify the integrity of the covering. In practice, these tests show whether the cable can withstand electrical stress without faults.

Clause 6.3 requires the overall diameter and ovality to stay within the limits given in Tables 1 and 2. That is important for fit, handling and consistency from batch to batch.

Clause 6.4 deals with flexibility. Cables with copper conductors use the static flexibility method in IEC 63294:2021 and the limits in Table 6. Cables with aluminium conductors use a repeated flexing test with a change-in-resistance check at the end. For the reader, this is the main proof that the cable can be bent and moved in service without cracking or losing acceptable conductor performance.

Material performance of the covering

Clause 4.3.6 and Tables 7 to 9 set the non-electrical tests for the covering material. The document assigns different test sets to EPR, PVC/ST 5, PVC/ST 11 and SiR, using methods from IEC 60502-1, IEC 60227-1 and the IEC 60811 series.

The practical point is that the covering has to match its material family as well as its service environment. The tables cover mechanical properties, ageing, hot set, ozone resistance, water absorption, low-temperature bending, low-temperature elongation, impact and, for PVC types, additional checks such as loss of mass and pressure at high temperature.

Optional clashing test

Clause 6.5 and Annex A define an optional clashing test for PVC covered cables. The clause limits this test to cases required by national rules or by customer agreement, and cables that pass may be marked “Clashing test”.

Annex A gives the specimen preparation, the test apparatus, the fall procedure and the pass/fail reading based on cracks or breaks. This is useful where the cable may be exposed to удар-like mechanical damage in service.

Intended use

Clause 7 says the cables are exclusively for portable earthing and short-circuiting equipment in the sense of IEC 61230. It also gives indoor and outdoor temperature limits for each covering type. For users, that means the cable has to be selected as part of the complete earthing or short-circuiting set, not as a general-purpose flexible cable.

What terms does oSIST prEN IEC 61138:2026 define?

• Type tests (T) - Tests made before a cable type is supplied on a general commercial basis to show that it performs as intended.
• Sample tests (S) - Tests made on samples of completed cable, or components taken from them, to verify that the finished product matches the design.
• Routine tests (R) - Tests made on all production cable lengths to show that each length is sound.
• EPR - Ethylene propylene rubber, used here as one of the permitted covering materials.
• PVC/ST 5 - A general-purpose thermoplastic polyvinyl chloride compound used as a covering material.
• PVC/ST 11 - A cold-resistant thermoplastic polyvinyl chloride compound used as a covering material.
• SiR - Silicone rubber, used here as a cross-linked covering material.

Who uses oSIST prEN IEC 61138:2026?

oSIST prEN IEC 61138:2026 is used by cable manufacturers, test laboratories, certification and quality teams, and by buyers or engineers who specify earthing and short-circuiting leads. It is also relevant to electrical utilities and other users of portable earthing and short-circuiting equipment covered by IEC 61230.

In practice, manufacturers use it to choose materials, build the cable to the right construction and run the required tests. Buyers and quality managers use it to compare product types, check marking and confirm that the cable matches the intended service conditions.

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

This fourth edition cancels and replaces the third edition published in 2007. The foreword states these 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 the mean overall diameter has been changed for SiR insulated cables
• the general layout has been reorganized

Which standards are used with oSIST prEN IEC 61138:2026?

• IEC 60228 - gives the conductor classes and resistance basis used for copper, aluminium and aluminium alloy conductors.
• IEC 60227-1 - provides the base requirements used for PVC/ST 5 material testing.
• IEC 60502-1 - provides the base requirements used for EPR material testing.
• IEC 60811-401, 402, 403, 409, 501, 504, 505, 506, 507, 508 and 509 - supply the non-metallic material test methods used for ageing, water absorption, ozone, loss of mass, mechanical and low-temperature checks.
• IEC 61230 - defines the portable earthing or earthing and short-circuiting equipment in which these cables are used.
• IEC 62230 - gives the spark-test method used to check covering integrity.
• IEC 63294:2021 - provides the cable test methods used for resistance, voltage, dimension and flexibility checks in Clauses 5 and 6.

What does the oSIST prEN IEC 61138:2026 document contain?

The document contains general data tables for the cable types, the marking code table, the test-voltage table, the flexibility limits table and the material test requirement tables. It also contains the test schedules that separate type, sample and routine tests for EPR, PVC and SiR cables.

Annex A contains the clashing test procedure and Figure A.1 shows the vertical impact apparatus used for that test. The document also includes a guide to use in Clause 7, which ties the cable to portable earthing and short-circuiting equipment and sets the service temperature limits by material type.

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
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IEC is not responsible for any services carried out by independent certification bodies.
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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
...