Producers of counterfeit and substandard wires and cables, driven by greed, disregard the interests of consumers and mass-produce inferior products, disrupting the wire and cable market and harming the interests of users. Therefore, choosing the right wires and cables is crucial. So, what kind of products meet national standards?
I. Characteristics of Wire and Cable Products that Meet National Standards
First, it must have the "CCC" certification mark. Because wires and cables are closely related to the lives of consumers, their quality and safety directly affect their personal safety and property. Therefore, wires and cables are products subject to mandatory safety certification in China. All manufacturers must obtain "CCC" certification from the China Electrotechnical Products Certification Committee and display the "CCC" certification mark on their certificates of conformity or products.
Secondly, the packaging is exquisite. Like other products, the packaging of wires and cables is highly valued by large and medium-sized reputable enterprises whose products meet national standards.
Thirdly, the product has a smooth, round appearance and uniform color. Reputable wire and cable manufacturers strictly control raw material selection, production equipment, and production processes to ensure product quality and compliance with national standards. Therefore, their products meet standard requirements for appearance: smooth, round, and uniform color. Counterfeit and inferior products, on the other hand, have a rough, dull appearance. For rubber-insulated flexible cables, a round appearance is required, with the sheath, insulation, and conductor tightly bonded and not easily peeled off. Counterfeit and inferior products have a rough appearance, high ovality, and low sheath insulation strength, making them easily tearable by hand. Fourthly, the conductor is glossy, and the DC resistance and conductor dimensions meet national standards. Wire and cable products that meet national standards, whether using aluminum or copper conductors, are relatively bright and free of oil stains. Therefore, the conductor's DC resistance fully meets national standards, exhibiting good conductivity and high safety.
Fifth, accurate length. Length is a primary and intuitive way to distinguish between products that meet national standards and counterfeit or substandard products. Wires and cables that meet national standards have a length of 100 ± 0.5 meters (i.e., with 100 meters as the standard, the allowable error is 0.5 meters), protecting the interests of consumers.
Sixth, the certificate of conformity is clearly marked. Certificates of conformity for wires and cables that meet national standards are clearly printed, including the "CCC" certification mark, trademark, model specifications, rated voltage, length, inspection information, manufacturing date, certification number, applicable standards, manufacturer's name, address, telephone number, etc., all of which are clearly displayed and consistent with the product. Some companies also include "Notice to Users" on the certificate of conformity to help consumers make correct purchases and installations.
II. Correctly select wire and cable products that meet national standards.
First, check the certificate of conformity. When purchasing, be sure to check whether the certificate of conformity has the "CCC" certification mark, and whether the model specifications, rated voltage, length, manufacturing date, certification number, inspection, applicable standards, manufacturer's name, and address are clearly marked.
Secondly, pay attention to the packaging. When purchasing, ensure the packaging is exquisite, the printing is clear, and the model, specifications, manufacturer's name, and address are complete. Thirdly, check the product's appearance. When purchasing, check that the appearance is smooth and round, the color is uniform, and it feels good to the touch. If it is a rubber-insulated wire or cable, the sheath and insulation can be burned with a cigarette butt, and the surface should remain completely undamaged.
Fourth, inspect the conductor. The conductor should have a certain luster and moderate flexibility, and the conductor's structural dimensions should meet national standard requirements.
Fifth, check the length. When purchasing, never be greedy for cheap prices and choose wires and cables with length markings of 90m or 80m, or even without length markings. The length must meet the standard requirement of 100±0.5m.
Currently, in the wire and cable sales market, some manufacturers, in order to attract users and mislead consumers, disregard national standards that stipulate a 100-meter length per coil for their products, manufacturing their products (especially plastic wires) as 90 meters. This harms consumer interests and disrupts the wire and cable sales market. Why do these manufacturers sell their products as 90 meters? The reason is to reduce the price by 10 meters and mislead consumers. For example, a certain wire factory produces PVC insulated copper core plastic wire BV2.5mm², with the certificate of conformity stating a length of 90 meters, but the actual length is 82 meters. A coil of this BV2.5mm² wire sells for over 50 yuan, which is 20-30 yuan less than the market price of a 100-meter coil of a standard-compliant BV2.5mm² wire (70-80 yuan). This violates national standards, seriously harms consumer interests, and disrupts the wire and cable sales market.
Common Misconceptions about the Use of Wires and Cables
First, the pursuit of low prices. This is a common misconception among a significant number of users, and even some businesses, regarding the use of electrical wires and cables. Some users, in an effort to save money, neglect safety and specifically choose cheap, low-quality wires and cables with unreliable quality and high safety risks. We know that due to safety and other factors, the price of electrical wires and cables cannot meet the requirements of some users. Furthermore, some privately owned enterprises cannot manufacture wires and cables that meet national standards in terms of material selection, production processes, and testing methods. Their safety cannot be guaranteed, and they often resort to cutting corners by using shorter lengths to flood the market with low prices, catering to some users. Therefore, we urge users not to be tempted by cheap electrical wires and cables.
II. Inappropriate Design. Some users lack sufficient understanding of their electrical appliance usage requirements and environmental conditions, and are often misled by insufficient knowledge of the application scope, requirements, and performance of different wire and cable models. For example, a steel plant's furnace-mounted slag truck is powered by a single motor, and the furnace temperature reaches 800℃～900℃. Under such environmental conditions, the plant was unaware of any special requirements for wires and cables, and thus selected a general-purpose rubber-sheathed flexible cable of type YC. As a result, the cable's service life was short, and the sheath was scorched, affecting production and wasting money. After consultation, fire-resistant and flame-retardant cables were selected, reducing the hassle and economic losses of cable replacement and ensuring normal production. Important departments, high-rise buildings, computer centers, chemical plants, public entertainment venues, and places with concentrated personnel all require the use of flame-retardant or fire-resistant cables with fire protection functions. The Ministry of Coal stipulates that cables used in deep coal mines must be flame-retardant. Furthermore, elevator cables, welding machine cables, and motor lead wires all have special performance requirements. In actual use, some enterprises, especially individual enterprises, often lack sufficient understanding of these special wires and cables with special requirements and refuse to use them; some enterprises ignore the Ministry of Coal's requirement that cables used in deep coal mines must be flame-retardant, and instead purchase general-purpose rubber-sheathed flexible cables; some karaoke halls and places where people gather install general wires and cables that do not have fire protection functions, causing great accident hazards.