C.S.A. & U.L.
Wire and Cable
Designations and Terms
Both the Canadian Standards Association ( C.S.A.) and Underwriters Laboratories ( U.L. ) have type designations for wires and cables approved to their standards. These types are applied or used in accordance with the Canadian Electrical Code ( CEC ) in Canada and the National Electrical Code ( NEC ) in the United States.
Shown below is a partial list showing the most common wire and cable type designations, mainly in the Equipment Products Group of Nexans. This is a partial list with some indication of where and how the product is applied. For more definitive guidance on application you should refer to the CEC or NEC and to the applicable Nexans catalogue for product information.
C.S.A. TYPES
AC90 - Armoured Cable, 90º C rated, dry locations
ACIC - Armoured Control and Instrumentation Cable, can have various temperature and
- voltage ratings
ACM - designation for Aluminum Conductor Material (8000 series of aluminum alloys)
- all Nexans aluminum conductor building wire is alloy 8030 ( same as
- NUAL )
ACSR - Aluminum Conductor Steel Reinforced - bare conductor of one or more layers of
- aluminum wires over one or more steel core wires.
ACWU - Armored Cable, Wet rated, direct burial ( U )
Annunciator – signal and bell wire, low voltage, generally PVC insulated
ASLC - Airport Series Lighting Cable - 5000 volt, 90º C wet rated, for airport runways etc.
CIC - Control and Instrumentation Cable, same as ACIC except not armoured
CL Series - Coil Lead wire - CL is followed by a number series indicating
- it's rated baking temperature
FAS - Fire Alarm and Signal cable - Nexans Securex is FAS and LVT rated
HPN - Heat rated, Parallel, Neoprene ( now CPE ) insulated/jacketed cord
LVT - Low Voltage Thermoplastic wire, 30 volts or less
NMD90 - Non Metallic, Dry rated 90º C, 300 volt rated
NMWU - Non Metallic, Wet rated at 60º C, for direct burial ( U ), 300 volt rated
NS -75 - Neutral Supported overhead service entrance cable, 600 volt rated , 75º C polyethylene
insulated phase conductors wrapped over an ACSR neutral ( supporting ) conductor
NS -90 - Neutral Supported overhead service entrance cable, 600 volt rated , 90º C crosslinked
polyethylene insulated phase conductors wrapped over an ACSR neutral ( supporting ) conductor
RA90 - Rubber insulated, Aluminum sheath, rated 90º C degrees
RW90 - Rubber insulated ( now XLPE insulated ), Wet and dry rated 90º C
RWU90 - like RW90 except thicker insulation for direct burial ( U ), 1000 volt rated
SJTW - Service cord, 300 volt junior cord ( J ), Thermoplastic, Wet rated
SPT - Service cord, Parallel ( like HPN), Thermoplastic insulation, 300 volt rated
- SPT-1, 0.76 mm ins thick, SPT-2, 1.14 mm ins thick, SPT-3, 1.52 to 2.41 ins thickness
TC - non armoured Tray Cable, can be many different CSA approved types that pass
- additional TC requirements
Teck90 - Armored cable developed for Teck mine in Northern Ontario, 90º C rated
TEW - Thermoplastic, Equipment Wire, rated 105º C
TEWN - same as TEW but with Nylon coating for oil resistance
T90/TWN75 – Thermoplastic rated 90 º C dry / Thermoplastic, Wet rated 75º C , Nylon jacket
TW75 - Thermoplastic, Wet rated, 75º C
TW-40 - Thermoplastic, Wet rated at 60º C and rated at minus 40º C
TWU - Thermoplastic, Wet rated at 60º C and rated at minus 40º C, for direct burial ( U )
USEB - Underground Service Entrance, style B, neutral conductor wires wrapped over parallel
- phase conductors, PVC jacket overall, - 75 or -90 for 75º or 90º C, 600 volt rated
USEI - same use, temperature and voltage rating as USEB. Construction is Individually
- insulated and jacketed conductors twisted together to form complete cable.
Nexans Trade Names
Canadex -
Nexans name for NMD90Corflex -
Nexans name for RA90DriveRx -
Nexans name for Variable Speed Drive cableExelene - Nexans name for cross-linked polyethylene ( RW90, RWU90 )
Flameseal -
Nexans name for FT1 rated, PVC insulated cable ( TW75, TW-40, TWU )Heatex -
Nexans name for NMD90 for electric heating applications
U.L. TYPES
AC - Armored Cable, 2,3,or 4 conductor, #14 to #1 AWG, 600 volt rated or less, dry locations
- only, used in accordance with N.E.C. Article #320
AWM - Appliance Wiring Material, multitude of types and constructions for specific
- applications that may not meet specific or all U.L. requirements for a given
- type in a U.L. standard
ITC - Instrumentation Tray Cable, instrumentation cable that meets tray cable requirements of
- U.L. Standard # 2250 and used in accordance with N.E.C. Article # 727 (see PLTC also)
MC - Metal Clad cable, 2,000 volts max, #18 to 2,000 MCM, interlocked armor or smooth or
- corrugated metal tube, meets U.L. Standard #1569 and used in accordance with
- N.E.C. Article # 330
MTW - Machine Tool Wire, 90º to 105º C, 600 volt rated thermoplastic insulated wire
PLTC - Power Limited Tray Cable, tray rated cable for power limited circuits, generally
- shielded pairs/triads and overall shield, meets U.L. Standard #13and used in
- accordance with N.E.C. Article # 725
RH - Rubber insulated Heat resistant, 75º C, 600 volt, dry and damp location building wire
RHH - Rubber insulated ( Higher ) Heat resistant, 90º C, 600 volt, dry and damp location
- building wire
RHW - Rubber insulated Heat and moisture ( W ) resistant, 75º C, 600 volt, dry or wet
- location building wire
RHW-2 - same as RHW except 90º C dry or wet location building wire
SER - Service Entrance style R, insulated conductors, twisted together with PVC jacket
- overall, 75º or 90º C, 600 volt rated, dry or wet location, above ground service
- entrance cable, meets U.L.Standard # 854 and used in accordance with
- N.E.C. Article # 338
SEU - Service Entrance style U, neutral conductor wires wrapped over parallel laid insulated
- phase conductors, jacket overall. Same ratings, U.L. standard and N.E.C. article as SER
SIS - #14 to # 4/0 thermoset insulated wire for internal wiring of switchboards, meets U.L.
- Standard # 44, and applied in accordance with N.E.C. Article 408.19
TBS - same size range and application as SIS, thermoplastic insulated, meets U.L.
- Standard # 83
TC - Tray Cable, thermoplastic or thermoset insulated non-armored cable, meets U.L.
- Standard # 1277, applied in accordance with N.E.C. Article 336, for cable tray
- use in industrial installations.
THW - Thermoplastic Heat resistant Wet rated 600 volt wire, 75 ºC dry or wet
- location building wire
THHN - Thermoplastic insulated ( Higher ) Heat resistant, Nylon coated,
- 600 volt, 90 ºC dry location building wire, meets U.L. Standard # 83
THWN - same as THHN except wet and dry rated 75 º C building wire
UF - Underground Feeder and branch circuit cable, thermoplastic insulated and jacketed,
- 600 volt, 60 ºC dry and wet rated, meets U.L. Standard # 493, applied in
- accordance with N.E.C. Article # 340
USE - Underground Service Entrance cable, 600 volt, 75 ºC dry and wet rated, meets
- U.L. Standard # 854, applied in accordance with N.E.C. Article # 338
USE-2 - same as USE except 90 ºC wet and dry rated
XHHW - Thermoset ( X ) higher ( H ) Heat resistant Wet rated building wire,
- 600 volt, 90 ºC dry and 75 ºC wet rated, meets U.L. Standard # 44
XHHW-2 - same as XHHW except 90 ºC wet and dry rated
Nexans Trade Names
Corflex - Nexans name for aluminum sheathing products such as Type MC, PLTC
- MV etc.
Energex 8000 - Nexans name for building wire products with aluminum alloy 8030
- conductors
Energex AC & MC - Nexans name for these two U.L. types
Firex - Nexans name for Teck90 and industrial Type MC cables
Ultrex VN - Nexans name for PVC/Nylon insulated Type TC tray cable
Ultrex XL - Nexans name for XHHW insulated Type TC tray cable
By : D.S. Reith, Applications Specialist
Technical Bulletin #10, Rev #2 - February 3, 2006.