ABC-0.6-1kV
ABC Aerial Bundled Cable 0.6/1 kV to IEC 60502-1 & NFC 33-209
Twisted insulated phase conductors on one messenger, with the street-lighting pair laid into the same bundle.
ABC moves low-voltage distribution from a bare-conductor problem to a cabling problem, and it changes what a tree can do to the network. The phase conductors are stranded aluminium with cross-linked polyethylene over them, twisted together in a right-hand lay around an insulated or bare alloy messenger. A falling branch that would flash a bare line across two phases is much more likely to bounce off a bundle, and a clipped bundle needs no crossarms.
The street-lighting option is the reason many buyers specify ABC rather than a cable plus a separate lighting circuit. Two 1.5 mm² insulated conductors are laid into the same bundle, so the public lighting on a street is fed from the same lay and the same pole attachments as the distribution. Voltcore builds ABC to IEC 60502-1 and to NFC 33-209, the French specification that much of Africa and the Middle East inherited.
Specification
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Rated voltage U0/U | 0.6/1 kV |
| Phase conductor | Class 2 stranded aluminium, compacted round, IEC 60228 |
| Neutral or messenger | Aluminium alloy, insulated or bare AAAC messenger |
| Street-lighting conductor | 2 × 1.5 mm², aluminium, insulated |
| Insulation | XLPE, black with raised phase ribs or numerals |
| Cross-section range | 16 – 150 mm² |
| Number of cores | 2, 3, 4, plus 2 street-lighting conductors |
| Maximum conductor temperature | +90 °C continuous, 250 °C short-circuit for 5 s |
| Minimum installation temperature | −20 °C |
| Bundle lay | Right-hand lay, lay length about 60 × bundle diameter |
| Standard | IEC 60502-1, NFC 33-209 |
| Flame and UV behaviour | UV-stabilised black XLPE; IEC 60332-1-2 available |
Layer-by-layer construction
Listed from the conductor outward. Read this alongside the specification table — the two together tell you whether the cable will survive its installation method.
- 1. Phase conductorCompacted round stranded aluminium, Class 2 to IEC 60228, 16–150 mm²
- 2. InsulationUV-stabilised black XLPE, 1.2–1.8 mm nominal, with raised ribs or printed numerals for phase identification
- 3. Neutral or messengerAluminium alloy conductor, supplied bare as the supporting messenger or insulated within the bundle
- 4. Street-lighting conductors2 × 1.5 mm² aluminium, insulated, laid into the bundle for the lighting service
- 5. Bundle assemblyCores twisted together in a right-hand lay, lay length about 60 × bundle diameter, no outer sheath
Reference dimensions and weights
| Phase conductor (mm²) | Neutral conductor (mm²) | Street-lighting (mm²) | Insulation thickness (mm) | Approx. bundle diameter (mm) | Approx. weight (kg/km) | Current rating in air at 30 °C (A) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 16 | 2 × 1.5 | 1.2 | 22 | 330 | 72 |
| 25 | 25 | 2 × 1.5 | 1.2 | 25 | 470 | 96 |
| 35 | 35 | 2 × 1.5 | 1.2 | 28 | 610 | 119 |
| 50 | 50 | 2 × 1.5 | 1.4 | 32 | 830 | 145 |
| 70 | 70 | 2 × 1.5 | 1.4 | 37 | 1120 | 184 |
| 95 | 95 | 2 × 1.5 | 1.6 | 42 | 1490 | 223 |
| 120 | 120 | 2 × 1.5 | 1.6 | 47 | 1850 | 259 |
| 150 | 150 | 2 × 1.5 | 1.8 | 52 | 2280 | 299 |
Reference figures for preliminary sizing and drum planning. Overall diameter and weight vary with strand construction and sheath thickness tolerance; certified drawings are issued with each quotation.
Engineering characteristics
- Twisted insulated cores, so a tree contact causes far less damage than on a bare line.
- XLPE insulation rated to 90 °C continuous and 250 °C for 5 s short-circuit, to IEC 60502-1.
- 2 × 1.5 mm² street-lighting conductors in the same lay, which removes a separate lighting circuit.
- Phase identification by raised ribs or printed numerals, which a lineman can read without a torch.
- Neutral supplied as an insulated core or as a bare AAAC messenger, to the NFC 33-209 arrangement you need.
- Black UV-stabilised XLPE for permanent exposure, plus aluminium-alloy fittings rather than copper ones.
- Current ratings tabulated in air at 30 °C, which is the condition an overhead bundle actually works in.
Typical applications
- Low-voltage distribution in dense urban and village networks
- Street lighting fed from the same bundle as the LV distribution
- Informal settlement and rural electrification upgrades
- Tree-covered routes where bare conductors cause repeated faults
- Temporary supply networks on construction and mining camps
Ordering options
- 2, 3 or 4 cores, 16–150 mm², with or without the 2 × 1.5 mm² lighting pair
- Insulated neutral or bare AAAC messenger construction
- NFC 33-209 or IEC 60502-1 designation on the drum tag
- UV-stabilised black XLPE; coloured insulation available to order
- Drum lengths to 1000 m, or cut to the section lengths of a stringing schedule
Standards manufactured to
- IEC 60502-1
- NFC 33-209
- IEC 60228
- IEC 60332-1-2
Manufactured to other standards on request. Send the standard number with your RFQ and we will quote against it rather than against a near-equivalent.
Price and availability for ABC Aerial Bundled Cable with Street-Lighting Conductor
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
ABC Aerial Bundled Cable with Street-Lighting Conductor — frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the IEC and the NFC 33-209 constructions?
The NFC 33-209 arrangement is the French specification adopted widely in Africa and the Middle East: an aluminium alloy messenger, insulated or bare, with 2 × 1.5 mm² street-lighting conductors as standard. IEC 60502-1 covers the same 0.6/1 kV cable family but leaves the arrangement to the buyer. Voltcore builds to either and marks the drum tag with the specification named.
Do I need a messenger or an insulated neutral?
It depends on the pole hardware. With a bare AAAC messenger the bundle hangs from the messenger and the messenger carries the tension, which suits long spans and larger sizes. With an insulated neutral all four cores are in the bundle and the whole assembly is supported by suspension clamps, which suits short spans and tamper-prone areas.
How do I terminate and tap an ABC bundle?
With piercing connectors and covered fittings, not with the bare hardware used on open-wire lines. A piercing connector bites through the insulation to make the service tap without stripping, which is fast and keeps the insulation intact. The aluminium-alloy fittings matter too: copper on an aluminium conductor is a bimetallic joint waiting to corrode.
Why is the current rating lower than for the same size buried cable?
Because the bundle traps heat differently and sees sun. The cores are twisted together with no air gap between them and the surface sits in direct sunlight, so the rating is tabulated in air at 30 °C rather than in a duct. The practical advice: use the tabulated rating, and do not derate from a buried-cable table, which will be optimistic in the other direction.