VV22-0.6-1kV
VV22 Armoured Cable — PVC Insulated, Steel Tape Armoured 0.6/1 kV
Armoured burial protection at PVC cost — the right answer when the route needs armour but the load does not need 90 °C insulation.
VV22 answers a narrower question than most buyers realise. It takes VV and adds the standard steel tape armour and bedding, so the mechanical performance in a trench matches YJV22 exactly: same crush resistance, same earth path from the tapes, same 12 × diameter bending limit. The insulation stays PVC, so the conductor is still held to 70 °C continuous and 160 °C in short circuit.
That combination is genuinely useful on a well-defined class of circuit: buried, lightly loaded, cost-sensitive, and unlikely to grow. Site lighting rings, irrigation pump feeders, perimeter supplies and small outbuildings all fit. It is the wrong choice for a buried feeder at 90 % of its tabulated rating, because soil restricts cooling further and the PVC ceiling has already been reached. Voltcore states both options in the same quotation, with prices and ampacity figures side by side.
Specification
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Rated voltage U0/U (Um) | 0.6/1 (1.2) kV |
| Conductor | Class 2 stranded copper, IEC 60228 |
| Core count | 1 (non-magnetic armour required), 2, 3, 4, 5, 3+1, 4+1 |
| Cross-section range | 4 - 400 mm² |
| Insulation | PVC type A (PVC/A) to IEC 60502-1 |
| Bedding | Extruded PVC or lapped tape depending on overall diameter |
| Armour | Two layers galvanised steel tape, counter-lapped, 0.2 mm to 0.8 mm |
| Oversheath | PVC type ST1, black, UV stabilised |
| Max conductor temperature, continuous | 70 °C |
| Max conductor temperature, short circuit (5 s) | 160 °C |
| Minimum bending radius, multi-core armoured | 12 × overall diameter |
| Minimum installation temperature | 0 °C |
| Test voltage at 50 Hz | 3.5 kV, 5 min |
| Direct burial suitability | Yes, with standard sand bed and screened backfill trench detail |
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. ConductorStranded annealed copper to IEC 60228 Class 2, circular up to 35 mm² with shaped stranding available above
- 2. InsulationPVC type A compound extruded over each core with IEC 60502-1 thickness, coloured or numbered for identification
- 3. Laying-up and fillerCores cabled with polypropylene fillers to a round profile and closed with a non-hygroscopic binder tape
- 4. BeddingExtruded PVC inner covering at least 1.0 mm thick, isolating the cores from the metal armour layer
- 5. Steel tape armourGalvanised steel tape in two counter-lapped layers with opposing lay direction, continuous coverage maintained through bending
- 6. OversheathBlack UV-stabilised PVC type ST1 extruded over the tapes, protecting them against corrosion in the trench
Reference dimensions and weights
| Nominal cross-section (mm²) | Conductor structure (no./mm) | Insulation thickness (mm) | Steel tape thickness (mm) | Approx. overall diameter (mm) | Approx. net weight (kg/km) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4×4 | 7/0.85 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 19.0 | 620 |
| 4×6 | 7/1.04 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 20.3 | 770 |
| 4×10 | 7/1.35 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 23.1 | 1100 |
| 4×16 | 7/1.70 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 25.6 | 1470 |
| 4×25 | 7/2.14 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 28.8 | 2030 |
| 4×35 | 7/2.52 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 31.2 | 2560 |
| 4×50 | 19/1.78 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 34.5 | 3330 |
| 4×70 | 19/2.14 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 39.0 | 4450 |
| 4×95 | 19/2.52 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 44.2 | 5780 |
| 4×120 | 37/2.03 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 48.1 | 7080 |
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
- Steel tape armour gives the same radial crush resistance as YJV22, permitting direct burial under standard trench preparation.
- 70 °C continuous and 160 °C short-circuit conductor limits: specify 20 % more copper than an XLPE design for equal current.
- PVC insulation and sheath together reduce cost per metre noticeably against the YJV22 equivalent of the same size.
- Minimum bending radius of 12 × overall diameter rather than 15 x, which helps in congested external trenches.
- Armour layer available as an earth path subject to a DC resistance and fault-capacity check for the actual route length.
- Extruded PVC bedding keeps the tapes seated and prevents migration into the laid-up cores during installation pulls.
- Black UV-stabilised sheath handles exposed sections between the trench and the building entry point.
Typical applications
- Site lighting and car park lighting ring mains laid in open ground
- Irrigation pump and borehole supply feeders across farmland
- Small outbuilding, gatehouse and perimeter security supplies
- Temporary industrial supply where the route is buried but lightly loaded
- Landscape and amenity power distribution in parks and campuses
- Backup generator connections routed between external plant enclosures
Ordering options
- YJV22 alternative quoted side by side for comparison on loaded feeders
- PE oversheath written VV23 for waterlogged ground
- Anti-termite and anti-rodent sheath compounds for tropical routes
- Non-magnetic armour for any single-core construction
- LSZH bedding and sheath where the route enters a building escape corridor
Standards manufactured to
- IEC 60502-1
- GB/T 12706.1
- IEC 60228 (conductor)
- IEC 60332-1-2 (flame propagation)
- EN 50575 (CPR reaction to fire)
- GB/T 19666 (flame-retardant classification, where specified)
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 VV22 PVC Insulated Steel Tape Armoured 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
VV22 PVC Insulated Steel Tape Armoured Cable — frequently asked questions
What is the difference between VV22 and YJV22?
Only the insulation. Both have Class 2 copper, the same double galvanised steel tape armour, bedding and PVC oversheath, so mechanical performance and dimensions are nearly identical. VV22 uses PVC insulation limited to 70 °C conductor temperature; YJV22 uses XLPE at 90 °C. Expect roughly 20 % less current from the same size when you choose VV22.
When is VV22 the better purchase than YJV22?
On buried circuits where the load is known, stable and comfortably below the PVC ampacity figure: lighting rings, pump houses, temporary site supplies. There you pay less for performance you will not use. On feeders feeding production plant or any circuit likely to grow, the XLPE headroom is worth more than the price difference.
Is VV22 acceptable for direct burial?
Yes. The armour handles the mechanical side, provided the trench is properly prepared: around 100 mm of compacted sand below, 300 mm of screened fill above, marker tape, and no sharp stone in contact with the sheath. Where vehicles cross, use a duct or concrete cover rather than relying on the tape armour alone.
Can the armour of VV22 be used as the earth conductor?
Possibly, but check it rather than assume it. Steel tape has higher resistance than copper and little cross-section, so loop impedance may fail at the far end of a long run. Tell Voltcore the fault level and route length and we return armour resistance figures, or alternatively supply a 4+1 construction with a dedicated earth core.
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