Aluminium conductors have higher resistance – roughly 1.6× the copper value.
In this article, we’ll break down what the standard covers, why it matters, and how to use it correctly. BS EN/IEC 60228 is the British Standard (BS) adoption of the international standard IEC 60228 , titled "Conductors of insulated cables." bs en/iec 60228
0.5 – 0.75 – 1 – 1.5 – 2.5 – 4 – 6 – 10 Aluminium conductors have higher resistance – roughly 1
If you have ever specified a cable, terminated a wire, or calculated voltage drop, you have relied on BS EN/IEC 60228 – even if you didn’t know it. This standard is the international foundation for classifying conductors by their cross-sectional area and resistance. why it matters
| Nominal area (mm²) | Max. resistance (Ω/km) at 20°C | |--------------------|-------------------------------| | 1.5 | 12.1 | | 2.5 | 7.41 | | 4 | 4.61 | | 6 | 3.08 | | 10 | 1.83 | | 16 | 1.15 | | 25 | 0.727 | | 35 | 0.524 | | 50 | 0.387 | | 70 | 0.268 | | 95 | 0.193 | | 120 | 0.153 | | 150 | 0.124 | | 185 | 0.0991 | | 240 | 0.0754 |
16 – 25 – 35 – 50 – 70 – 95 – 120 – 150 – 185 – 240 – 300 – 400
Here is an extract for (Class 2, the most common for fixed power cables):