Armoured Cable
Armoured cable is a power cable, which may have a number of insulated cores covered in PVC bedding that are protected by a galvanised steel braided wire with an outer thick black PVC sheath.
Armoured electrical cable or SWA armoured cable is typically made up of six components:
- Plain stranded copper or aluminium conductor
- Insulation: Materials such as cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) offer strong temperature resistance as well as excellent dielectric strength, resulting in improved electrical qualities.
- Bedding is a layer that acts as a barrier between the insulation and the armour.
- Armour: A steel or aluminium armour offers mechanical protection for the cable, allowing it to endure mechanical loads.
- Sheath: the cable's constituent sections are kept together by a sheath, which provides additional protection. For UV stability, black sheaths can be carbon-loaded.
- Voltage ratings of 600/1000V, 6.35/11kV, and 19/33kV are available.
Armoured Cable Cost Per Meter
The cost of armoured cables on our website is priced per meter. You have the option to change the quantity of the cable you are ordering. The armoured cables are cut to order. 1 quantity equals 1 meter. For example, if you increase the quantity of your armoured cable order to 30 and add it to your basket, a length of 30 meters will be dispatched.
SWA Cable Suppliers
Armoured cable prices are very competitive on our website. If you can’t find what you are looking for, please contact our sales team and we can help source the armour cable you need. With access to the top SWA cable suppliers in Ireland and the UK, we have you covered with a wide range of SWA Cable!
SWA Cable or Armoured Cable?
So what is SWA cable and what is armoured cable? Armoured cable is often referred to as SWA or Steel wire armoured cable and even by simply electrical cable. Armoured cable is a power cable , which may have a number of insulated cores covered in PVC bedding that are protected by a galvanised steel braided wire with an outer thick black PVC sheath. We stock a wide range of SWA cables, SWA cable joints, and SWA cable glands. Use our SWA cable gland size guide to make an informed purchase.
Where is SWA armoured cable used?
SWA cable is most often used as an outdoor armoured cable. SWA cable is designed mainly to be used in harsh external or underground systems and installations such as a construction sites, underground cable ducting, power networks, sewers, workshops and transport. SWA armoured is suitable for direct burial in to soil because of its armoured mechanical protection.
Meteor stocks a wide range of underground XLPE PVC SWA cables including 3 core, 4 core and 5 core and 1.5mm, 2.5mm, 6.0mm, 10.0mm and 6.0mm copper conductors sizes. This cable conforms to British Standard BS5467 and is BASEC approved. This cable is sold by the meter. More sizes of this cable are available upon request. Please also note heavy shipping charges may apply depending on the quantity of cable.
Meteor Electrical also carries a wide selection of 3 Core and Earth cables, NYY-J, NYM-J LSF, coaxial, communication, telephone, single core, bell cables, flex cables speaker, alarm, and network cables.
Our armoured and SWA armoured cables are priced per meter and come in all sizes ranging from 1.5mm to 2.5mm going up to 6mm armour cable to 16mm and higher. Our armoured cable variety is sold priced per metre as well as preset lengths such as 50m, 200m, and100m armoured cable.
Please order online today for next-day delivery throughout the island of Ireland and the UK.
How to Fit an Armoured Cable Gland?
When dealing with terminating armoured cables, they must be suitably supported to prevent placing unnecessary strain on the gland termination. Making sure that there is sufficient support in place also ensures that there are fewer chances of incurring damage to cables caused by their weight.
This becomes more important when working with armoured cables that are connected to enclosures of some type. Connections of this kind must provide both mechanical strength and electrical continuity so using the correct armoured cable gland to terminate the armouring is essential.
When a metallic enclosure for armour cables is being used, it is highly recommended to bolt the brass earth tag to the enclosure to maintain electrical continuity. It is a good idea to look up the manufacturer’s guidelines when fitting any type of armoured electrical cable glands and terminating SWA cable.
How to Lay Armoured Cable Correctly
When laying an armoured cable underground, the armoured electrical cable must be laid out at a sufficient depth to avoid any potential damage or disturbance. It is better to consider increasing the depth of direct burial underground or provide additional protection for the armoured cable to ensure security.
It is a fact that BS standards do not state a single minimum depth, which is why it is necessary to make sure that the armoured electric cable will not be affected by typical activity.
A minimum installation depth that’s followed by all professionals is 450mm underground. This depth increases to 600mm for armoured cables in locations where there is a higher chance for any potential disturbance.
If the armoured electrical cable is installed directly into the ground, the cable should be surrounded by sharp sand to make sure it is protected against any damage to the sheath or insulation. Another precaution that can be taken is the use of electrical warning tape – this can be placed above the sand to indicate that there is an armoured electrical cable present below.
In the case of an armoured cable being installed within a pipe, it is crucial to ensure that it is completely watertight to prevent ingress of any kind.
The armoured mains cable should also be earthed regardless of whether the armouring is being used as a protective conductor or not. What this does is make sure that the automation disconnection of supply (ADS) requirements are adhered to.
Overlooking this may cause problems in the long run because an armoured cable that is not properly earthed can become a dangerous safety risk to users.
How to Cut an Armoured Electric Cable
There are various tools you can use to cut armoured cables and one of the best and most common options is to make use of dedicated cable cutters which are designed specifically for this task. Other alternative options can be side cutters or hacksaws but cable cutters remain the most efficient option for cutting any SWA armoured cable.
Always contact a professional and trained electrician when dealing with armoured cables. Here are some steps that can help you to use cable cutters for armoured cables safely and efficiently.
- Accurately measure the armoured cable length required and mark the outer sheath properly at the cutting point.
- Adjust the cutters’ blade depth to make sure that the correct depth for cutting through the armoured cable armour is secured.
- Next, position the armoured cable in the cutters’ wire guide and make sure it is aligned with the marked cutting point and secure it in place.
- Carefully make the armoured cable cut.
- Remove the newly cut armoured cable from the cutters.
Armoured Electric Cable Sizes
At Meteor, armoured cables are available in a wide range of types and sizes that are fit for various applications. The size of armoured cable that you will require will depend on various factors such as the ones mentioned below.
- What the install environment for the armoured cable is like
- The length required for the armoured electric cable
- Current rating (Amps) of the armoured cable
- Typical conditions of the armoured cable
- Whether the armoured cable will be installed in a domestic or industrial location
The size of the armoured cable can also be referred to as several different measurements such as the ones mentioned below.
- Length (m)
- Diameter (mm)
- Gland size
- Overall dimensions of the armoured cable
FAQ's
- What are Armoured Cables?
- Are Armoured Cables waterproof?
- Where is SWA armoured cable used?
- How can I fix or join armoured cables?
- How deep can SWA armoured cable be buried?
- Should Armoured Cable be earthed?
- How long does Armoured Cables last?
- Can you use Armoured Cables internally?
- What Armoured Cables do you stock?
- What sizes of Armoured Cables do you stock?
- How much is armoured cable?