GENERIC CABLE REFERENCES
Key to Armoured Cable Type Designations as Defined in BS 6121 : Part 1 : 1989
[W] - Cables with Single Wire Armour (SWA) - used extensively in onshore plant both above ground and directly buried in the ground, and is probably the most common type of armoured cable used in the world. This cable type is produced mainly with steel wires, but is also supplied with aluminium wire armour, especially when the cable is either a single core cable or has aluminium conductors.
[T] - Cables with Pliable Wire Armour (PWA) - used extensively in the mining and quarrying industry particularly in underground deep coal mines, as it offers high level of mechanical protection but added flexibility compared with SWA.
[X] - Cable with Braid Armour (e.g. GSWB) - used onshore and offshore and comes in a wide variety of types, including galvanised steel wire, tinned copper wire, bronze wire, and is the standard for marine shipboard cables, and the offshore oil and gas industry around the world, because of its high level of flexibility.
[Y] - Cable with Strip Armour (e.g. ASA) - used onshore, offering heavy duty service, high level of mechanical protection but is probably the least common type of armoured cable. This cable type is often produced with aluminium strip armour but is also supplied using steel strip armour.
[Z] - Cable with Tape Armour (e.g. STA) - primarily used onshore, often referred to as DSTA, and the tape armour is manufactured in either steel (STA) or aluminium (ATA). The use of Tape Armour can mean a lighter, leaner and smaller diameter alternative to SWA, but may not be available from all cable manufacturers.
Cables that can be supplied either equipped or not equipped with armour types listed above may be produced to the following typical cable standards :-
BS 5308, BS 5467, BS 6004, BS 6007, BS 6116, BS 6346, BS 6480, BS 6500, BS 6622, BS 6724, BS 6883, IEC 60092, IEC 60502.
Abbreviations and Applications
| Mainly Used Onshore |
Cable Definitions | Abbreviation(s) | Offshore | Onshore | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single Wire Armour (or Steel Wire Armour) | SWA | NO | YES | |||
| Single Wire Armour, Lead Sheathed (or Steel Wire Armour, Lead Sheathed) |
SWA, LC | LG/SWA | LG/SWA | NO | YES | |
| Steel Tape Armour | (D)STA | NO | YES | |||
| Steel Tape Armour, Lead Sheathed | (D)STA, LC | LG(D)STA | LS(D)STA | NO | YES | |
| Aluminium Wire Armour | AWA | NO | YES | |||
| Aluminium Wire Armour, Lead Sheathed | AWA, LC | LC/AWA | LS/AWA | NO | YES | |
| Aluminium Strip Armour | ASA | NO | YES | |||
| Aluminium Strip Armour, Lead Sheathed | ASA, LC | LC/ASA | LS/ASA | NO | YES | |
| Flat Steel Wire | NY KGby | NO | YES | |||
| Flat Steel Wire, Lead Sheathed | NY KGby | NO | YES | |||
| Lead Sheathed | NY KY | NO | YES | |||
| Mainly Used Offshore |
Steel Wire Braid | SWB | YES | YES | ||
| Galavanised Steel Wire Braid | GSWB | YES | YES | |||
| Copper Wire Braid | CWB | YES | YES | |||
| Tinned Copper Wire Braid | TCWB | YES | YES | |||
| Bronze Wire Braid | BWB | YES | YES | |||
| Phosphor Bronze Wire Braid | PBWB | YES | YES | |||
| Rarely / Never Used Offshore |
Steel Wire Braid, Lead Sheathed | SWB, LC | LG/SWB | LS/SWB | NO | YES |
| Galvanised Steel Wire Braid, Lead Sheathed | GSWB, LC | LG/SWB | LS/SWB | NO | YES | |
| Copper Wire Braid, Lead Sheathed | CWB/LC | LG/CWB | LS/CWB | NO | YES | |
| Tinned Copper Wire Braid, Lead Sheathed | TCWB/LC | LC/TCWB | LS/TCWB | NO | YES | |
| Bronze Wire Braid, Lead Sheathed | BWB, LC | LC/BWB | LS/BWB | NO | YES | |
| Phosphor Bronze Wire Braid, lead Sheathed | PBWB, LC | LC/PBWB | LS/PBWB | NO | YES | |
