Cable myth-buster: BASEC approval

In the first of a three-part series debunking common cable misconceptions, Paul Bellamy, Managing Director of flex7, answers the question: Is it true that only products third party tested by BASEC are safe to use in the UK?

The world of cable is, at best, convoluted and, at worst, a massive can of writhing, slippery worms. It’s full of obscure acronyms and complicated standards, so it’s not surprising that, over time, a number of misconceptions have woven their way into the fabric of this vitally important sector of the construction industry.

Probably the one I hear most often is: “If it’s not BASEC Approved, you can’t use it.” We’ve all heard this one, or something remarkably similar, but is it really that black and white?

Before we continue with this topic, let me say very clearly, I have the utmost respect for everything the BASEC Group does for our industry. I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with a number of their extremely knowledgeable people over the years and know first-hand the advice they give is always sound, impartial and comes from a deeply entrenched desire to make the UK cable industry as safe as possible. However, despite their expertise and unquestionable good intentions, my initial question remains: Can it really be the case that only products third party tested by BASEC are safe to use in the UK?

Product approval

A BASEC Approved cable has been tested by BASEC (you can rely on me to state the obvious) to ensure it complies with the standards the manufacturer claims. As part of the approval process, BASEC will also have audited the manufacturer and their facilities to ensure best practice is being employed. All good stuff, and a great seal of approval from a renowned third party.

However, does that then mean a manufacturer that chooses not to have their products tested by BASEC is a bit ‘dodgy’? Are their products unsafe by default just because BASEC hasn’t run the rule over them? Their claims of compliance not worth the paper the standards are written on? It’s quite a broad, cynical brush with which to paint a good percentage of the world’s cable producers.

And what if BASEC has never been asked to test and approve the type of cable that best suits an application? For example, BS EN 50525-1:2011+A1:2022 is the British and European umbrella standard for harmonised cables up to 450/750 V. Linked to this overarching standard there are currently 17 individual standards covering a whole raft of cable types – from single core to flexible to steel wire armour and the varying polymers used for conductor insulation, outer sheath material, etc. Out of those 17 standards, only five are listed as having BASEC Approved products against them. That’s not anyone’s fault, certainly not BASEC’s; it’s simply that no products in accordance with those standards are BASEC Approved – perhaps none have ever been submitted to BASEC for testing. That can’t mean cables manufactured to any of those 17 standards cannot be used, can it? If it does, then on a commercial level, what’s the point of producing them if they can’t be bought and installed? Remember, we’re talking about British/European standards here, not obscure legislation from some far-flung country.

What about BASEC’s overseas peers? Of course, we’re good in this country, but let’s not kid ourselves into thinking the UK is alone in the world in wanting to ensure cables are safe to install. I’m fairly sure the USA doesn’t allow their sparkies to install wet string while we Brits insist on copper. Italy has a big cable manufacturing industry, so it shouldn’t really be a surprise that it has an equivalent body to BASEC – IMQ (Italian Institute of the Mark of Quality). Cables manufactured in Italy are often marked with the letters IEMMEQU on the outer sheath, much the same as the sheath of a BASEC Approved cable is marked BASEC. Turkey, similarly, is a large producer of cable and their approval body is TSE (Turkish Standards Institute). BASEC, IMQ, TSE and other governing bodies often collaborate and consider each other equals when it comes to assessment and approvals.

Due diligence

To summarise, if a cable is BASEC Approved you can be fairly confident that, as a minimum, it meets the necessary standards and the manufacturer is a reputable operator, but the lack of the BASEC mark doesn’t automatically mean the product, or indeed its manufacturer, is suspect. Don’t dismiss out of hand similar European marks on the assumption they’re inferior – meaningless even.

Of course, the more information available to you the more confident you can be in your cable choice, so it’s in the manufacturer’s best interests to provide you with as much as possible. That said, much of the information you would think should be readily visible, i.e. printed/embossed directly on the cable, can quite legitimately be somewhere else – on the coil/drum, on a data sheet, even inside the cable itself.

Ultimately, due diligence and research is key to making the right cable choice for a given application. Most important of all, don’t be tempted to chase the cheap deal, because that could literally result in burnt fingers… for someone.

flex7.co.uk

This article appeared in Electrotechnical News January/February 2026 edition – read it here

Part two of the cable myth-buster series will look at LSF and LSHF cables – read it in the March/April issue of Electrotechnical News.