AAC All Aluminium Conductor
AAC-IEC61089
The 1350-O all-aluminium conductor that short distribution spans are strung with, sold by weight against the metal index.
Overhead Line Conductor & Aerial Bundled Cable
A bare overhead conductor is bought on three numbers: DC resistance in Ω/km, breaking load in kN, and kilograms per kilometre. The first is an electrical purchase, the second is a
A bare overhead conductor is bought on three numbers: DC resistance in Ω/km, breaking load in kN, and kilograms per kilometre. The first is an electrical purchase, the second is a structural one, and the third is what the invoice is calculated on. Utility buyers and EPC contractors tendering for rural electrification or grid reinforcement read those three columns before they read anything else in the catalogue.
Voltcore supplies AAC, AAAC and ACSR to IEC 61089 with the ASTM equivalents available, because the same project can be specified either way depending on whether the consultant is IEC or North American trained: B231 for AAC, B399 for AAAC and B232 for ACSR. The bundled alternative for low-voltage distribution, ABC to IEC 60502-1 and NFC 33-209, puts the phase conductors inside insulation on the same poles and can carry a street-lighting service conductor in the same lay.
4 constructions in Overhead Line Conductor & Aerial Bundled Cable
AAAC All Aluminium Alloy Conductor
AAAC-IEC61089
A 6201-T81 alloy conductor that nearly doubles the tensile strength of AAC at the same diameter, with no steel core to corrode.
ACSR Aluminium Conductor Steel Reinforced
ACSR-IEC61089
Aluminium carries the current, the galvanised steel core carries the tension, and the span can be as long as you like.
ABC Aerial Bundled Cable with Street-Lighting Conductor
ABC-0.6-1kV
Twisted insulated phase conductors on one messenger, with the street-lighting pair laid into the same bundle.
AAC, AAAC or ACSR: matching the conductor to the span
Start from the span, not from the cross-section. Two poles 50 m apart need little more than a conductor that carries the current and does not stretch; a 300 m river crossing needs one that carries its own weight, the wind load and the ice load before it carries any current at all. That is the decision the three alloys answer differently.
AAC, in 1350-O aluminium, is the cheapest and the lightest and suits short urban and distribution spans. AAAC, in a 6201-T81 alloy, roughly doubles the tensile strength at the same diameter, which buys longer spans or fewer poles without a steel core. ACSR puts galvanised steel at the centre, so the aluminium carries the current and the steel carries the tension, and that is the construction a long transmission span is strung with.
- Short distribution spans and lowest cost: AAC
- Longer spans with a corrosion-resistant single metal: AAAC
- Long spans, river crossings and high tension: ACSR
- Always check the sag-tension table for the ruling span, not the cross-section alone
Why bare conductor is quoted against a metal index
A bare conductor is, to a rough approximation, its own weight in aluminium plus its own weight in zinc-coated steel. There is no extrusion, no insulation and no cross-linking to add value to, so the price moves with the metal. That is why a utility tender for bare conductor specifies a metal-index clause rather than a fixed price for a six-month delivery period.
For a buyer this is useful rather than awkward. It means the quotation can be compared against the LME or SHFE reference you already trade on, and it means the weight column in the IEC 61089 table is the commercial column. A quote that is 3% lighter per kilometre on a 200 km line is 3% less metal, and the arithmetic is visible before anyone signs.
- Ask for the aluminium and steel content in kg/km separately
- Confirm whether the price is fixed, or indexed to a metal reference
- Compare drum lengths: longer drums mean fewer joints and less scrap
- Check the zinc coating class on the steel core, Class A minimum
ABC or bare conductor: what changes on the LV pole
Bare conductors on an 11 kV or 33 kV line are cheap and well understood. On a 0.6/1 kV distribution pole the calculation changes, because that is where trees, scaffolding poles and balcony windows meet the network. ABC twists the phase conductors together inside insulation, so a branch falling across the bundle causes far less damage and no bare conductor ends up at ground potential in a garden.
The trade-offs are real. ABC is heavier and more expensive per metre than the equivalent bare conductor, it needs covered clamps and piercings connectors rather than the bare fittings a lineman is used to, and its current rating is lower for the same cross-section because the bundle cannot shed heat as freely. For a dense village network or an informal settlement upgrade, those are acceptable costs.
- Dense urban or tree-covered routes: ABC
- Open rural routes at low voltage: bare or ABC depending on the utility standard
- Street lighting in the same lay as the phases: ABC with a service conductor pair
- Budget for piercing connectors and covered hardware, not bare fittings
Request pricing across Overhead Line Conductor & Aerial Bundled Cable
Include cross-section, core count, voltage grade, route length and installation method — those five determine price more than anything else on the page.
- Engineer-reviewed before pricing
- Reference drawings issued with the quotation
- Free sample up to free sample up to 5 m