CPR Cable Compliance
The Construction Products Regulation
CPR 305/2011
The European Construction Products Regulation (CPR) 305/2011 defines coherent and verifiable regulations for the use of construction products in buildings. The CPR was extended to include cables and wires which are classified in terms of their reaction to fire. The regulations will be required for manufacturers and suppliers from 1st July 2017.
CPR and country regulation
The classifications of each country will continue to evolve as Wiring Regulations are updated - so any cable specification must be considered both in context of design and in country regulation. CPR compliance is just one part of specifying the most appropriate cable for a project.CPR for cables and wires
The CPR for cables and wires is implemented by EN 50575:2017: “Power, control and communication cables - Cables for general applications in construction works subject to reaction to fire requirements”. Cable products verified by a notified body (for Cavi F.E.R.M.I. srl is IMQ - n. 0051) are awarded a CE mark. For each cable, the manufacturer or supplier must also provide a declaration of performance (DoP) which precisely describes its reaction to fire.
Euroclasses
With the inclusion of cables and wires in the list of construction products, the EU has defined 6 fire classes for cables – from ACa through to FCa (Ca stands for ‘cable’). The class is allocated according to criteria such as flame propagation and heat generation. There are also three additional riteria which refer to other requirements such as smoke production, acidity / halogen-free flame retardancy and flaming droplets.