AS/NZS 1995:1995

Australian/New Zealand Standard

Welding cables
Accessed by CLOUGH ENGINEERING on 13 Mar 2002
 AS/NZS 1995:1995

This Joint Australian/New Zealand Standard was prepared by Joint Technical

Committee EL/3, Electric Wires and Cables. It was approved on behalf of the Council
of Standards Australia on 22 November 1994 and on behalf of the Council of
Standards New Zealand on 2 December 1994. It was published on 5 March 1995.

The following interests are represented on Committee EL/3:

Australian Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers Association

Department of Defence, Australia
Electrical regulatory authorities
Electricity Supply Association of Australia
Ministry of Commerce, New Zealand
New Zealand Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers Federation
New Zealand Electrical Contractors Association
Office of Energy, N.S.W.
Railways of Australia Committee
Testing interests

Review of Standards. To keep abreast of progress in industry, Joint Australian/New

Zealand Standards are subject to periodic review and are kept up to date by the issue
of amendments or new editions as necessary. It is important therefore that Standards
users ensure that they are in possession of the latest edition, and any amendments
thereto.
Full details of all Joint Standards and related publications will be found in the
Standards Australia and Standards New Zealand Catalogue of Publications; this
information is supplemented each month by the magazines ‘The Australian Standard’
and ‘Standards New Zealand’, which subscribing members receive, and which give
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details of new publications, new editions and amendments, and of withdrawn

Standards.
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Standards Australia or Standards New Zealand, are welcomed. Notification of any
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made without delay in order that the matter may be investigated and appropriate action
taken.

This Standard was issued in draft form for comment as DR 94185.

 AS/NZS 1995:1995

Australian/New Zealand Standard

Welding cables

First publi shed in Austr alia as AS C308— 1954.

Second editi on 1971.
Revised and redesignated AS 1995— 1977.
AS 1995 — 1977 jointly revised and designated as Joint
Standard AS/NZS 1995:1995.
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PUBLISHED JOINTLY BY:

STANDARDS AUSTRALIA
1 The Crescent,
Homebush NSW 2140 Australia

STANDARDS NEW ZEALAND

Level 10, Standards House,
155 The Terrace,
Wellington 6001 New Zealand
ISBN 0 7262 9529 9
 AS / NZS 1995:1995 2

PREFACE

This Standard was prepared by a subcommittee of the Joint Standards Australia/Standards

New Zealand Committee EL/3 on Electric Wires and Cables to supersede AS 1995— 1977,
Welding cables.
The nominal cross-sectional areas of the conductors specified herein are identical with those
specified in AS 1125, Conductors in insulated electric cables and flexible cords, with the
addition of 8 mm2 .
The range of copper conductor and wire sizes is similar to that given in BS 638, Arc welding
power sources, equipment and accessories, Part 4: Specification for welding cables, except
that 8, 10, 150 and 240 mm2 sizes have been added.
Current ratings have been allocated with respect to a standard duty cycle in accordance with
AS l966, Electric arc welding power sources. Thus a cable may have four ratings which
relate to duty cycles of 100, 60, 30 and 25 percent.
Acknowledgment is made of the assistance received from BS 638 and IEC 245-6.
This Standard differs from the 1977 edition as follows:
(a) Conductors consisting of aluminium wires have been deleted.
(b) Plain and tinned conductors are included and resistances for both types are given.
(c) Current ratings for 20 percent duty cycle have been deleted and a formula for
calculating current ratings for duty cycles other than those given has been added.
(d) R-CPE-90 and TP-90 covering materials have been added.
(e) Current ratings have been transferred to an informative appendix.
(f) A Purchasing Guidelines Appendix has been added.
(g) Some covering thicknesses have been reduced.
(h) It is published as a Joint Australian/New Zealand Standard.
The term ‘informative’ has been used in this Standard to define the application of the
appendix to which it applies. An ‘informative’ appendix is only for information and guidance.
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 Copyright STANDARDS AUSTRALIA/ STANDARDS NEW ZEALAND

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 3 AS / NZS 1995:1995

CONTENTS
Page

1 SCOPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. .. . .. . .. .. .. .. ... ...... .. .. .. 4

2 REFERENCED DOCUMENTS . . . .. .. .. .. . .. . ............ ... .. .. .. 4
3 DEFINITIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. .. ... ... . ... .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. 4
4 CABLE RATINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . ... ... .... ... .. .. .. .. . . .. .. 4
5 CONDUCTORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. .. . .. ... . ... ... .. ... ... .. .. .. 5
6 COVERING FOR CABLES . . . . . .. .. .. ... ... .......... ... .. .. .. .. 5
7 MARKING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. .. ... . .. . .. .. .. .. ... ... .. .. .. 5
8 TESTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. .. . .. . .. .. .. .. ... ...... .. .. .. 6

APPENDICES
A PURCHASING GUIDELINES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
B CURRENT RATINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
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 AS/NZS 1995:1995 4

STANDARDS AUSTRALIA / STANDARDS NEW ZEALAND

Australian/New Zealand Standard

Welding cables

1 SCOPE This Standard applies to flexible cables for use with arc welding equipment
rated in accordance with AS 1966.
Current ratings are assigned for a range of operating duty cycles for each cable size. Selection
of the cable should be made in accordance with the anticipated duty cycle.
NOTE: Purchasing guidelines are given in Appendix A.

2 REFERENCED DOCUMENTS The following documents are referred to in this

Standard:
AS
1125 Conductors in insulated electric cables and flexible cords
1574 Copper and copper alloys — Wire for electrical purposes
1660 Test methods for electric cables, cords and conductors
1966 Electric arc welding power sources
3000 SAA wiring rules
3116 Approval and test specification— Electric cables— Elastomer insulated —For working
voltages up to and including 0.6/1 kV
3147 Approval and test specification — Electric cables —Thermoplastic insulated — For
working voltages up to and including 0.6/1 kV
MP
49 Register of colours of manufacturers’ identification threads for electric cables and
flexible cords

3 DEFINITIONS For the purpose of this Standard, the definitions given in the referenced
Standards and those below apply.
3.1 Duty cycle — the ratio of the total arcing time to 5 minutes in any 5-minute period,
expressed as a percentage.
3.2 Routine tests—tests made by the manufacturer on all completed cable to demonstrate
the integrity of the cable.
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3.3 Sample tests— tests made on samples of completed cable or components taken from
completed cable, adequate to verify that the finished product meets the design specification.

4 CABLE RATINGS
4.1 Voltage ratings Cables to this Standard are suitable for welding duty at voltages to
earth not exceeding 100 V d.c. or a.c. r.m.s. value. This limitation does not however apply
to the voltage produced by a superimposed high frequency supply or other similar low power
device used for starting or stabilizing an arc. When required, the cable may be used at
voltages above 100 V but not exceeding 600 V d.c. or a.c. r.m.s. to earth and, in these cases,
it shall be installed or used in accordance with AS 3000.

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 5 AS/NZS 1995:1995

4.2 Current ratings The maximum current ratings of flexible welding cables are based
on an ambient temperature of 40°C.
NOTE: Current ratings of welding cables are given in Appendix B.
The current ratings for duty cycles other than those given in the Tables can be calculated
from the formula:
I1 = Ic (100/x) 1/2
where
I1 is the current rating at the required duty cycle
Ic is the current rating at 100 percent duty cycle
x is the required duty cycle expressed as a percentage.

5 CONDUCTORS
5.1 Material The conductors shall consist of annealed copper wires, of designation 110
in AS 1574.
The wires may be plain or tinned. However, tinned wires taken from a completed cable need
not pass the tinning test in AS 1660.
Wires taken from the completed cable shall comply with the elongation requirements
specified in AS 1125.
5.2 Construction The cross-sectional areas, dimensions and resistances of conductors are
given in Table 1.
Elastomer-covered copper conductors shall have a suitable separator tape (e.g. polyethylene
terephthalate film) placed between the conductor and the covering.
A suitable tape may be used over the conductor of cables having a thermoplastic covering.

6 COVERING FOR CABLES

6.1 Material The covering shall consist of R-CSP - 9O or R-CPE-90 cross-linked elastomer
compound complying with the requirements of AS 3116, or V-90 PVC complying with the
requirements of AS 3147. An alternative thermoplastic polymeric covering designated TP-90
may also be used providing it complies with all the tests and criteria of V-90 insulation in
AS 3147.
6.2 Application The covering shall be applied with a close fit and shall not adhere to the
conductor. The covering may be applied in one or two layers.
6.3 Thickness The average thickness of the covering, determined by the method described
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in AS 1660, shall be not less than the thickness specified in Table 1, and the minimum
thickness at any point shall not fall below the specified thickness by more than 15 percent
of the specified thickness t c, plus 0.1 mm, i.e. (0.15 tc + 0.1 mm).
Where the covering is a combination of layers, the average thickness of the second layer shall
be not less than 60% of the specified average thickness and at no point shall be less
than 1.0 mm.

7 MARKING
7.1 Information to be marked Cables shall be marked with the manufacturer’s name or
registered trade name or registered mark.
7.2 Means of marking Marking shall be legible, durable and may either be in accordance
with Items (a) or (b) as follows, or in the case of manufacturer’s identification thread, with
Item (c):

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 AS/NZS 1995:1995 6

(a) Marking on covering The marking shall consist of printing, embossing or indenting
on the covering. The distance between the end of one block of marking and the
beginning of the next shall not exceed 1 m.
(b) Marking on a tape The marking shall consist of printing on a tape which is included
throughout the full length of the cable. The distance between the end of one block of
marking and the beginning of the next shall not exceed 200 mm.
(c) Manufacturer’s identification thread Manufacturer’s identification threads shall
comprise clearly discernible and permanently coloured threads suitably incorporated
(see SAA MP49).
7.3 Marking of coils or reels Every coil or reel of cable shall have the following
information marked by means of an attached tag or label or by marking directly on the reel:
(a) The trade name or registered mark of the manufacturer or other distinguishing mark.
(b) The size of the conductor.
(c) Wording to identify the type of covering.
(d) The catalogue number or type number or name or other marking to distinguish the
cable.
(e) Length of cable in metres.
NOTE: Manufacturers making a statement of compliance with this Australian/New Zealand
Standard on a product, packaging, or promotional material related to that product are advised to
ensure that such compliance is capable of being verified.

8 TESTS
8.1 Conductor resistance test The conductor resistance shall be measured in accordance
with AS 1660 as a routine test.
8.2 Spark test The spark test shall be carried out in accordance with AS 1660 as a routine
test.
8.3 High voltage test for 5 minutes This test shall be carried out in accordance with
AS 1660 as a sample test.
TABLE 1
CONSTRUCTION DETAILS OF WELDING CABLE
1 2 3 4 5 6

Nominal cross- Maximum Average Approximate

sectional area diameter of thickness of overall Maximum d.c. resistance at 20°C
of conductor wires covering diameter
tc Plain wires Tinned wires
mm 2 mm mm mm Ω/km Ω/km
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8 0.21 2.0 8.6 2.32 2.39

10 0.21 2.0 9.5 1.84 1.90
16 0.21 2.0 10.8 1.16 1.19
25 0.21 2.0 12.9 0.758 0.780
35 0.21 2.0 13.6 0.536 0.552
50 0.21 2.2 16.1 0.379 0.390
70 0.21 2.4 18.0 0.268 0.276
95 0.21 2.6 20.9 0.198 0.204
120 0.51 2.8 22.9 0.153 0.156
150 0.51 3.0 24.9 0.123 0.125
185 0.51 3.2 28.3 0.101 0.103
240 0.51 3.4 30.9 0.0763 0.0778

NO TE: The approximate overall diameters given are for user information only and do not constitute a mandatory
part of this Standard.

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 7 AS/NZS 1995:1995

APPENDIX A
PURCHASING GUIDELINES
(Normative)

A1 GENERAL Australian/New Zealand Standards are intended to include the technical

requirements for relevant products, but do not purport to comprise all the necessary
provisions of a contract. This Appendix contains advice and recommendations on the
information to be supplied by the purchaser at the time of enquiry or order.

A2 INFORMATION TO BE SUPPLIED BY THE PURCHASER The purchaser should

supply the following information at the time of enquiry and order, after making due reference
to the explanation, advice and recommendations contained in this Appendix:
(a) The number of this Standard, i.e. AS/NZS 1995.
(b) Length of cable and individual drum lengths required.
(c) Conductor size, i.e. nominal cross-sectional area.
(d) Whether conductor is to be tinned.
(e) Type of covering, e.g. R-CSP-90, TP90.
(f) Type of construction, e.g. single or dual covering.
(g) Specific marking or colour.
Accessed by CLOUGH ENGINEERING on 13 Mar 2002

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 AS/NZS 1995:1995 8

APPENDIX B
CURRENT RATINGS
(Informative)

The current ratings of welding cables are given in Table B1 below.

TABLE B1
CURRENT RATINGS OF WELDING CABLES
FOR 5-MINUTE PERIOD DUTY CYCLE

1 2 3 4 5

Nominal cross- Current rating

sectional area of A
conductor
Maximum duty cycle, percent (see Notes)

mm 2 100 60 30 25
8 80 100 145 160
10 90 120 165 180
16 125 160 225 245
25 165 210 300 330
35 205 265 375 410
50 260 335 475 520
70 325 415 590 645
95 390 505 715 780
120 455 585 830 910
150 535 690 975 1070
185 600 775 1095 1200
240 715 920 1305 1430

NO TES:
1 The current ratings are based on a conductor temperature of
90°C and an ambient air temperature of 40°C (See
Clause 4.2).
2 Rating factors for other ambient temperatures

°C 20 25 30 35 40 45
Factor 1.22 1.17 1.11 1.05 1.00 0.94
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Accessed by CLOUGH ENGINEERING on 13 Mar 2002