YJV vs YJLV: copper or aluminium XLPE power cable

Reading the model codes

Chinese power cable codes are built from letters for each layer. YJ means XLPE insulation, V means PVC sheath, and copper is the default conductor, so it is not written. L means aluminium. YJV is therefore Cu/XLPE/PVC and YJLV is Al/XLPE/PVC, both rated 0.6/1 kV and both made to GB/T 12706.1, the Chinese standard aligned with IEC 60502-1. Add 22 and you get the steel tape armoured versions, YJV22 and YJLV22. The general rules for these codes are in reading cable designations.

Both share the same XLPE insulation, rated 90 degrees C continuous and 250 degrees C under short circuit, the same fillers and binder tape and the same PVC sheath. The comparison is a conductor comparison, and the wider background is in copper vs aluminium conductors.

Resistance decides the size

Aluminium conducts less well than copper, so an aluminium conductor needs a larger cross-section to carry the same load with the same losses. IEC 60228 sets the maximum DC resistance for each nominal size and material. Comparing the limits shows the step most designers use as a first estimate:

An aluminium conductor has roughly the resistance of a copper conductor about two standard sizes smaller: aluminium 95 mm2 sits between copper 50 and 70 mm2. That is why a switch from YJV to YJLV is never a like-for-like size swap. The project engineer recalculates the size from the installation method, voltage drop and short-circuit duty under IEC 60364-5-52 or the national rules; the supplier does not convert sizes on the buyer's behalf, and the desk does not quote current ratings.

Weight, diameter and handling

Aluminium is far lighter than copper, and that shows on the drum even when the aluminium conductor is larger. Reference values from a partner plant catalogue:

The aluminium cable in this example has far more conductor area and well under half the resistance of the copper one, yet weighs less than one and a half times as much. For long feeders and utility work that weight saving helps with pulling, drum sizes and freight. The trade-off is diameter: an aluminium cable sized to match a copper one is larger, which affects tray space, gland sizes and bending radius.

The size range is also different. The partner plant catalogue offers multicore aluminium from 10 mm2 upward; small aluminium sizes are not supplied, and many markets restrict aluminium in small building circuits anyway. In the US, for example, NEC 310.3 sets 12 AWG as the minimum for aluminium and copper-clad aluminium conductors.

Joints and terminations

Most field problems with aluminium cable come from terminations, not from the cable. Aluminium forms a hard oxide film, and it behaves differently from copper under pressure and heat, so joints must use lugs and connectors designed for aluminium, or bimetallic lugs where an aluminium conductor meets a copper busbar, installed with the tooling and torque the fitting maker specifies. That is an installation matter for the contractor, but it affects sourcing in two ways:

• Conductor shape: confirm round stranded or compacted conductor so that lugs and connectors are ordered to the right diameter; see compacted conductors.
• Accessories: the cable order and the lug order should be checked against each other; a YJLV order without matching aluminium or bimetallic lugs on site is a common delay.
• Equipment terminals: check that switchgear and distribution boards accept aluminium conductors of the chosen size.

Price, sourcing and when to choose each

Metals make up roughly 80% of the cost of a typical wire or cable product, according to listed manufacturers' disclosures, and the industry quotes on a metal price plus processing basis. YJV prices therefore follow copper, which reached a record intraday high of USD 14,875 per tonne on the LME three-month contract on 10 September 2026, and YJLV prices follow aluminium. That difference in metal exposure is one reason buyers ask for aluminium quotes when copper is high, and it is why quote validity is usually short and stated in days. The copper price and cable quotes article covers how quotes are built.

Inspection points differ slightly too. For copper cable the main risk is a conductor that is short on metal, which shows as resistance above the IEC 60228 limit and as low weight per kilometre. For aluminium cable the same resistance check applies against the aluminium limit, and buyers should also confirm the conductor is the aluminium grade and stranding stated on the datasheet, because a weak or poorly stranded conductor makes terminations harder on site. In both cases the routine voltage test, insulation thickness, outer diameter and sheath print are checked per drum before loading, and the records travel with the shipment.

Typical trade preferences, which the specification overrides:

1. YJV (copper): building distribution, smaller sizes, tight spaces, equipment with copper-only terminals, and where the client specification requires copper.
2. YJLV (aluminium): large feeders, utility and distribution networks, long runs where weight matters, and solar and industrial projects that accept aluminium on their larger feeders.
3. Armoured versions: YJV22 and YJLV22 for direct burial, where the steel tape resists crushing forces but not heavy pulling.

The desk sources both from partner plants in the main power cable clusters, checks conductor resistance per drum against the IEC 60228 limit for the material, and plans drum lengths from cable weight and diameter. MOQs for LV power cable are commonly around 500 m per size, with some plants accepting 100 m, confirmed in writing for each order. See the aluminium cable line and the LV power cable line, or send both options through the quote form for a side-by-side offer.