Cu flat cables

Copper (Cu) wires are currently commonly used in the construction of electrical installations in various types of facilities (especially residential buildings). Despite competition in the form of other materials from which conductive elements can be made, copper enjoys the greatest recognition in this respect due to its physical properties and high resistivity.

Electrical installations are even the most important market for the copper industry. Almost half of the extracted raw material is used for the production of wires and cable strands.

Cu cables and their applications

Cu conductors were used as early as the 1820s, when the electromagnet and the telegraph were invented. Later, with the spread of telephony, copper wiring became more common, at least until aluminum wire became a viable alternative. These were extremely popular in Polish construction of the PRL period, mainly due to the lower production price.

Today, aluminum installations are massively replaced with Cu cables. It has to do with their efficiency. Wires made of Al were sufficient when households did not use many electrical devices. With the increase in the number of devices connected to the network, older-type installations became more and more vulnerable to various types of failures (including overvoltages).

Advantages of Cu conductors

The higher resistivity of copper conductors avoids such problems. Cu-based plants are more efficient and safer. The conductivity of aluminum is only 61% of that of copper. In addition, the cables commonly used today are much more resistant to stretching, necking, creep, fracture and notch action. This gives freedom in the construction and assembly of installations in a given facility. These wires are also characterized by much greater ductility and plasticity. They can be easily connected in special electrical boxes.

Another important advantage of copper is also the fact that it is resistant to corrosion caused by moisture, atmospheric agents and industrial pollution. What's more – the oxides, chlorides and sulphides appearing on the copper surface during the rusting process conduct electricity, so there is no risk that connections made of this material will overheat, e.g. due to corrosion.

Professionals value Cu conductors also for their degree of solderability. The material is very easily subjected to this type of processing and creates extremely durable connections. Another advantage of copper is the relatively low complexity of assembling the wires made of it. The aforementioned strength, hardness, flexibility, resistance to fractures and narrowing make Cu installations practically everywhere possible. Connecting the wires is easy, the raw material is subject to processing and is perfect especially in tight spaces, where making a simple installation structure is not possible for some reason.

It is also worth mentioning that copper wires provide more opportunities for future network upgrades. The already described ease of processing the base material and connecting it with other cables allows you to create any modifications to the installation without any major obstacles, e.g. after performing extremely complex renovation works.

Types of Cu conductors

There are at least several types of Cu conductors. The most popular are, of course, installation models used to create electrical networks inside buildings. In addition, telecommunications wires are made of copper, without which, for example, telephone networks, cable TV or Ethernet networks could not work. A special type of Cu conductor is the so-called twisted pair, i.e. a two-wire cable with characteristically twisted cores inside the insulation. It is the most commonly used (and at the same time the cheapest) network cable, which can be in the form of a shielded or unshielded cable.

Copper is also used to produce coaxial cables, which are used primarily in mainframe computers and for creating Internet networks, data transmission of control and measurement equipment or distribution of video signals and cable television. Compared to ordinary twisted pair, coaxial cable provides better protection against interference and can create a connection over longer distances. In addition, coaxial copper cables operate at much higher frequencies than, for example, UTP cables. Their frequent use can be explained by the fact that it is becoming common to connect them with external telecommunications systems, which are based on modern fiber optic cables.

Cu cables in practice

Cu copper wires are also used in the installation of structured cabling, i.e. internal installations designed for high-capacity telephone lines. It enables very efficient and fast communication between computers, and is extremely resistant to various types of interference. It also works well for connecting computers with printers, fax machines or entertainment equipment. Structured cabling usually includes the main switchgear, which is a kind of heart of the entire installation. It is from it that the individual wires go, leading to the other elements of the structure – dedicated sockets for connecting individual devices (mainly telephone, data transmission equipment, TV and audio equipment).

Cu cables with a flat structure

The category includes Cu wires with a flat structure, intended for classic electrical installations. They are ideal for permanent installation in dry rooms, but also in places with elevated temperatures. The products are adapted to be placed in special installation tubes (also available in the el12.pl store offer).

We offer copper wires of various construction. Products with the following number of cores are available: 2, 3, 4 and 5. They support the voltage range of 0.30/0.50 kV and 0.45/0.75 kV. All available models of Cu conductors are covered with PVC insulation. There is a wire core inside the wires.

Among flat Cu conductors, you can find items with the following cross-sections of conductors:

• 1mm²,
• 1.5mm²,
• 2.5mm²,
• 4mm²,
• 6mm²,
• 10mm².

For safety and order during the assembly of the electrical installation, it is important that the individual wires have the appropriate markings. For this purpose, cables of different colors are used. The offer of the El12.pl store includes white, black and gray copper flat cables.

We sell electrical equipment from reputable manufacturers. Among the flat Cu cables we offer, there are cables of such brands as Elpar, Eltrim, Elektrokabel Turek, NKT S.A., Tele-Fonika and Texsim. Most products are available immediately, and the order fulfillment time is from 1 to 3 business days. If a given type of cable is not currently in stock, its delivery to the indicated address may take longer. Information about the estimated pace of the purchase is always available on the card of a given product.