Cable fire standards are quoted on almost every specification we see, and they are misquoted on many of them. A tray of cables “to IEEE 383” is not automatically fire-resistant, a coating “tested to IEC 60331” may not have been tested on your cable, and IEC 60332 is not one test but a family of them. This article explains the three standards that matter most for cable coating work, what each actually proves and how to write them into a specification so that the contractor, the supplier and the inspector all mean the same thing.
Two different questions
Cable fire testing answers one of two questions. The first is about flame propagation: if a fire reaches this cable, how far does the flame travel along it and does it keep burning after the source is removed? The second is about circuit integrity: while the cable is in the fire, does it keep carrying current? Flame-spread tests protect the building from the cable. Circuit-integrity tests protect the service the cable provides. A cable or a coating can pass one and fail the other, and a specification should say which it needs.
IEC 60332 — flame propagation
IEC 60332 is the international series for flame spread. IEC 60332-1 tests a single vertical cable exposed to a 1 kW flame for a set time and measures how far the charring extends; it is a screening test and most modern cables pass it. IEC 60332-3 is the one that matters for trays: bunched cables are mounted on a vertical ladder in a chamber, a 20 kW burner is applied for 20 or 40 minutes depending on category, and the charred length is measured after the flame is removed. The categories (A, B, C, D) differ in the volume of combustible material per metre, with Category A the most demanding. A coating that is tested to IEC 60332-3 on a bunched tray demonstrates that it stops flame travelling along the run — it does not demonstrate that the circuits inside kept working.
IEEE 383 — the North American tray test
IEEE 383 was written for cables in nuclear power stations and became the reference for cable trays across North American and much of Gulf oil and gas practice. Its vertical tray flame test mounts cables on a vertical ladder tray, applies a ribbon burner of defined output for 20 minutes and measures the extent of charring; the cable passes if the flame does not propagate to the top of the tray and self-extinguishes. IEEE 1202 later formalised the same test independently of nuclear qualification and is the standard most commonly cited alongside IEEE 383 today. In practice IEEE 383 and IEC 60332-3 are the two accepted routes to proving that a cable run — with or without a coating — will not carry fire along a tray.
The point specifiers most often miss is that IEEE 383 is a flame-spread test. A cable “IEEE 383 rated” will resist propagating fire; it makes no promise about continuing to operate during one.
IEC 60331 — circuit integrity
IEC 60331 asks the second question. A cable is energised at its rated voltage and mounted horizontally over a ribbon burner producing a flame of at least 750 °C (830 °C in the current parts). It must keep conducting, without a fuse operating or a short circuit, for the specified period — commonly 90 minutes — and in some parts survive a cooling and a mechanical shock sequence as well. The relevant parts are IEC 60331-11 (the test apparatus), IEC 60331-21 (cables up to 0.6/1 kV) and IEC 60331-23 (data cables). A coating that has been tested to IEC 60331 has demonstrated that ordinary cables, coated at a defined loading rate, kept their circuits alive in that flame for that time. That is a fundamentally different — and more demanding — claim than flame-spread resistance.
What this means for a cable coating
A cable coating is tested as a system: a defined cable type, in a defined tray arrangement, coated at a defined wet-film rate, exposed to a defined test. The test report is only evidence for that combination. When comparing products, therefore, ask for:
- the standard and part number the coating was tested to;
- the cable construction and tray configuration used in the test;
- the applied loading rate (wet film per square metre, or dry film thickness) and the number of coats;
- the result — charred length for flame-spread tests, minutes of circuit survival for IEC 60331;
- any conditioning (ageing, humidity, salt spray) the coated cable went through before the fire test.
Our intumescent and ablative cable coating systems are supplied with the test evidence for the relevant standards so that the specifier can check these points rather than take a label on trust. If your project sits in a hydrocarbon fire zone, note that neither IEEE 383 nor IEC 60331 represents a hydrocarbon fire — that requires a test to UL 1709, explained in our article on hydrocarbon fire zones.
How to write it into the specification
A clause that will actually be enforceable at handover looks like this: “Cable trays in [locations] shall be coated with a fire-protective coating tested to IEC 60332-3 Category A on bunched cables and, where circuits are designated fire-rated on the drawings, to IEC 60331-21 for [90] minutes. The coating shall be applied at the loading rate stated in the test report, verified by wet-film gauge during application and by dry-film measurement on completion. The contractor shall submit the test reports, the manufacturer’s data sheet and application records before coating begins.” Replace the standards with IEEE 383 / IEEE 1202 where the project follows North American practice. Our technical specification development service writes and reviews clauses of this kind for consultants and EPC contractors.
Where the standards fit in Saudi projects
Saudi Civil Defence and the Saudi Building Code recognise both the IEC and the IEEE routes, and the SASO conformity framework accepts test evidence from accredited laboratories to either. Aramco, SEC and SABIC standards each have their own preferences — often IEEE 383 / IEEE 1202 for trays and IEC 60331 for fire-rated circuits — so check the client standard before the specification is issued. Our guide to Saudi SASO and Civil Defence requirements covers the approval process in more detail.
If you have a specification that quotes these standards and want to check that the product proposed actually meets it, send it to us — reviewing test evidence against a clause is a routine part of what we do.
Frequently asked questions
Is IEEE 383 the same as IEC 60332-3?
They are similar vertical tray flame-propagation tests from different standards bodies and are generally treated as equivalent routes, but the burner, duration and pass criteria differ. A specification should name one, or accept either explicitly.
Does passing IEC 60331 mean a cable is fire-rated for 90 minutes in a building?
It means the tested cable, or the tested coated cable system, maintained its circuit for the stated time in the test flame. The rating applies to the installed system only if the cable, coating, loading rate, supports and fixings match the tested arrangement.
What is the difference between IEEE 383 and IEEE 1202?
IEEE 1202 is the stand-alone flame test that was originally part of IEEE 383’s nuclear qualification procedure. Most modern specifications cite IEEE 1202 for the flame test and IEEE 383 for the wider qualification.
Can a cable coating make an ordinary cable pass IEC 60331?
Coating systems have been tested to IEC 60331 on standard cables at defined loading rates and have maintained circuits for the test period. Whether that evidence applies to your cables depends on how closely they match the tested construction; we check that before recommending a system.
Which test does Saudi Civil Defence require?
Civil Defence requirements are set out in the Saudi Building Code and project approvals; both the IEC and the IEEE test routes are accepted with evidence from accredited laboratories. Client standards such as Aramco or SEC may specify one route.
Passive fire protection supplier and specialist contractor for electrical cable systems, based in Riyadh. Cable coating materials and application, firestop sealants and mortars, fire-resistant boards and wraps, and the technical documentation that goes with them.
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