What the CPR covers for cable
The Construction Products Regulation, Regulation (EU) No 305/2011, applies to products incorporated permanently into buildings and civil works. For cable, the harmonised standard is EN 50575:2014+A1:2016. It covers power, control and communication cables intended for permanent installation in buildings, and optical fibre cables are within that scope as well as copper.
The practical consequence is that an LV power cable for a commercial building, a Cat6 cable run in an office ceiling and an indoor fibre cable in a riser all need a declared reaction-to-fire class when they are placed on the EU market for that use. A flexible cord on an appliance is a different case, handled under other product rules. If a product sits near the boundary, the importer of record should confirm the classification before the order is placed; the desk prepares the technical file either way.
The CPR measures only one property: reaction to fire, meaning how much the cable contributes to a fire through flame spread, heat release, smoke, flaming droplets and acidity. It does not say whether the cable keeps a circuit working during a fire. That is circuit integrity, tested separately to IEC 60331, BS 6387 CWZ or BS 8519 per test report. Buyers who need both should specify both, as explained in fire-resistant vs flame-retardant cables.
Classes and additional classifications
EN 50575 uses seven main classes, from the best performance to the lowest: Aca, B1ca, B2ca, Cca, Dca, Eca and Fca. Each class from B1ca to Dca is tested to EN 50399, a large-scale bunched test that measures flame spread and heat release, combined with the single-cable flame test EN 60332-1-2. Eca needs only EN 60332-1-2. Aca is reserved for essentially non-combustible products and uses EN ISO 1716.
Three additional classifications sit alongside the main class:
- Smoke: s1 (subdivided s1a and s1b), s2 and s3.
- Flaming droplets: d0, d1 and d2.
- Acidity: a1, a2 and a3; a1 requires conductivity below 2.5 µS/mm and pH above 4.3.
A full declaration therefore reads like Cca-s1,d1,a1 or B2ca-s1a,d1,a1. The CPR cable classes article explains each test in more detail.
Sheath material and construction drive the class far more than conductor size. An LSZH sheath helps with smoke and acidity, but it does not by itself deliver Cca or B2ca; the whole construction, including insulation, fillers and tapes, is what burns in the EN 50399 rig. That is why a class is declared per construction and why a plant cannot transfer a result from one design to another. A change in compound supplier, sheath thickness or filler type can be enough to require new testing, so ask whether the construction you are buying is the one that was classified.
AVCP: who has to be involved
AVCP stands for assessment and verification of constancy of performance. For cables, Commission Decision 2011/284/EU sets the system according to the class declared. This is the part that changes cost and lead time most, because it decides whether a notified body has to certify the plant.
| Classes | AVCP system | Who does what | Impact on sourcing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aca, B1ca, B2ca, Cca | System 1+ | Notified product certification body: type testing, initial factory inspection, continuing surveillance and audit testing of samples | Only plants holding a current certificate for that construction can supply; check the certificate scope per order |
| Dca, Eca | System 3 | Notified laboratory does the type testing; the manufacturer runs factory production control | Ask for the notified lab report that covers the construction |
| Fca | System 4 | Manufacturer assesses and declares | Lowest burden, but Fca may not meet the building requirement |
The class actually required for a given building is set by national rules and the project specification, not by the cable. Ask the designer or electrical contractor which class is called for before asking for a quote; ordering Cca where Eca is enough adds cost, and ordering Eca where Cca is required leaves the drums unusable.
System 1+ also has a time dimension. The notified body keeps visiting and sampling, so a certificate can be suspended, withdrawn or narrowed in scope. A copy of a certificate from last year is not proof for this year's production; the desk checks the current status at the time of order.
The DoP and the CE label
Every CPR cable needs a Declaration of Performance (DoP) issued by the manufacturer. It names the product type, the intended use, the harmonised standard, the AVCP system, the notified body where one is involved, and the declared performance. The DoP is the legal statement; the CE marking is the visible sign of it.
EN 50575 places the CE marking and the associated information on the product label, which in practice means the drum label, the coil label or the box, not printed on the cable sheath. The sheath print usually carries the construction, standard, size and metre marks. The cable marking page sets out what goes on the sheath and what goes on the label.
For private label orders the documents need extra care. If the cable reaches the market under your brand, the obligations attached to that brand should be agreed with your importer of record before the label artwork is approved. The desk coordinates label layouts, DoP drafts and certificate copies as part of OEM and private label work.
Great Britain and what to ask the plant
Great Britain has its own version of the regulation. A ministerial statement in September 2024 confirmed that CE marking on construction products continues to be accepted in Great Britain with no end date, and UKCA marking is optional. The technical requirements are the same EN 50575 framework; a UKCA route needs a UK Approved Body.
Before an order for CPR cable, the desk asks the partner plant for five items and checks them against the construction quoted:
- The DoP for the exact construction and size range.
- For Aca to Cca, the notified body certificate of constancy of performance, checked in the certifier's public records per order.
- For Dca and Eca, the notified laboratory classification report.
- The label artwork showing the CE marking, class and DoP reference.
- Routine test records for the production lot, such as conductor resistance and dimensions.
Documents and certificate checks add time, so they belong in the brief from the start. Put the required class and documents in your quote request, and see compliance and certifications for how the desk handles the file.