What is the admissible pulling force you can exert on a cable?
When laying a cable, the cable drum is unwound and the cable is led to its “location” by pulling on the end of the cable. If you pull too hard, you may damage the sheathing, or the entire cable and your installation will not be safe to operate. But how hard can you pull on a cable?
The maximum pulling force during installation is stated in the construction standards, which differentiate between pulling with a pulling head or with a pulling sleeve.
| Pulling head | Pulling force P (N) |
| copper cable | = S x 50 N/mm² |
| aluminium cable | = S x 30 N/mm² |
| wherein S = sum of the section of all conductors in mm², without counting any screen or armour |
| Pulling sleeve | core | Pulling force P (N) |
| cable without armour, without meal sheatging | copper | = S x 50 N/mm² |
| aluminium | = S x 30 N/mm² | |
| cable with steel wire armour* | copper | = D² x 9 N/mm² |
| cable with steel band armour* | copper | = D² x 3 N/mm² |
| wherein S = sum of the section of all conductors in mm², without any screen wherein D = cable diameter in mm (*) values taken from the German VDE construction standards |
Remember to replace the protective caps after pulling, unless you are going to connect the cable immediately.
Reduce the risk of damage
When pulling cables, some friction between the cable and the surface is inevitable. This makes you pull harder on the head of the cable, which can cause damage to the cable or sheath. By using adapted cable guides and cable rolls, that friction is reduced, so you need less pulling force and you reduce the risk of damage.
Not only the correct guidance is important, but also the correct bending radius.
Learn more about this:
Our websites
Select your country to find our products and solutions
-
Africa
- Africa
- Ghana
- Ivory Coast
- Morocco
- North West Africa
- Americas
- Asia
- Europe
- Oceania