Lighting cables are absolutely everywhere – in your home, in your office, in public buildings, in security systems, on film sets, in complex machinery, and much more. Anywhere that lighting is needed, specialised lighting cables must be installed to provide the proper solution.
However, with so many potential locations and applications, there’s a huge range of different lighting cable sizes, types and designs to choose from. This can make it difficult to decide which cable solution is best for your particular needs.
With this in mind, we’ve put together a complete guide to lighting cables to help you figure out what you’re searching for, from high-current three-core lighting cables for commercial settings to completely custom cables for unique and challenging use cases.
What is a lighting cable?
A lighting cable delivers electrical power safely and reliably to lighting equipment, such as lamps, softboxes, LED strips and more. Different types and sizes of lighting cables are needed to provide the appropriate amount of power to the equipment, ensuring that there is sufficient brightness and a minimised risk of the cable overheating or catching fire.
For most domestic lighting equipment that you can purchase in general electrical shops, the right cables will be provided for you. However, the task of installing and connecting lighting equipment becomes more challenging for larger-scale commercial lighting projects and highly specialised lighting applications. In these cases, there may be more complex cable configurations to deal with or a totally bespoke cable may be required to deal with the unique challenges of your environment (i.e., the presence of moving machinery parts that could damage a common lighting cable).
Cable vs flex cable
Before we look closer at the basic construction of a lighting cable and the different sizes and types to choose from, let’s clear up some basic terminology.
When many people think of lighting cables, they will picture a flexible wire attached to a lamp that connects to mains power. This is actually called ‘flex’ or ‘flex cable’, and it’s the fixed wiring that runs between a lighting fixture and its power supply that is referred to as simply ‘cable’. Flex cables are typically purchased with portable lighting fixtures or can be purchased separately from electrical wholesalers. However, when you need a more complex and intricate lighting cable solution (e.g., for specialised commercial and industrial applications), you will need a custom cable manufacturer like us to design lighting cables that are specifically manufactured and tested for the exact use case and environment you’re working with.
Lighting cable construction
Lighting cables can vary from small, single-core cables to much larger multi-core cables that are capable of carrying huge amounts of current. For commercial cable applications, it’s likely that a larger, more powerful lighting cable will be needed to carry the required current without the risk of overheating.
Each core within the lighting cable – except the earth – will be covered in a layer of colour-coded PVC insulation to resist electrical leakage and preserve the integrity of the cable. Colour-coding is used to identify each core according to British standards, which were updated in 2006 to more closely align with European Union requirements. The current cable insulation colours are:
- Brown – Live wire (L1)
- Black – Live wire (L2)
- Grey – Live wire (L3)
- Blue – Neutral
Each core is grouped together by an inner sheath, which holds the cable together and preserves its shape. Depending on the potential application and environment of the lighting cable, a layer of twisted galvanised steel wire can be added on top of the inner sheath to provide mechanical protection for the cable, whilst also acting as the Circuit Protective Conductor (CPC). Finally, another PVC layer is added on top as an outer sheath or cable jacket, providing extra insulation, protection and cable integrity.
Lighting cable size
As discussed, the number of cores and the diameter of the lighting cable will vary depending on the required current for your application. According to British and European standards, lighting cables must have a diameter of at least 0.75mm to have the capacity to withstand typical currents, but they can be designed to be much larger if they carry a significant amount of current. However, bear in mind that much thicker cables will be less flexible.
For domestic applications, lighting cables will typically have either two cores and one earth or three cores and one earth. Diameters will usually be around the 1mm-1.5mm mark – 1.5mm lighting cables are also frequently used for commercial applications. Much thicker cables with a diameter of around 2.5mm will be used behind plug sockets.
Applications of lighting cables
Lighting cables are needed in pretty much all settings and applications – whether domestic, commercial or industrial. Let’s take a look at the main ways they can be used:
1. Commercial and domestic lighting
Lighting cables are used throughout domestic and commercial settings to provide much-needed light. In these environments, standard lighting cables from electrical retailers are generally used, and custom cable solutions would only be required for more unusual setups.
2. Telescopic masts
One of these unusual setups would be the use of telescopic masts, which are used in commercial and industrial applications for things such as floodlighting and security lighting. Telescopic masts are designed to extend and retract, with tubular sections sliding within each other to facilitate this movement. As you can imagine, this moving mechanism makes it more challenging to affix lighting solutions that can extend and retract along with the mast, as the lighting cables would need to be very flexible and durable to accommodate this frequent movement.
Custom lighting cables are often required to suit each individual application. For example, custom retractable cables – also known as coiled cables – are commonly used for telescopic masts due to their ability to extend and retract whilst also maintaining their shape and cable integrity over time. These custom-coiled lighting cables also save space in these setups, which is very important for small, intricate machinery.
3. Moveable lighting fixtures
Another common use for custom retractable lighting cables is for any movable or adjustable lighting fixture since standard lighting cables do not provide the flexibility and mechanical strength needed to bend and flex along with the moving parts. These retractable lighting cables also have the important ability to return to their previous position once the moveable fixture is no longer activated, allowing it to move smoothly alongside the equipment for further use. For example, if a commercial setting uses a large lighting pendant that extends down from the ceiling when activated or moves along into a new position, custom lighting cables would be absolutely necessary to work smoothly alongside this equipment across its lifetime.
4. CCTV
Specialised custom lighting cables are also commonly used for security systems, such as CCTV, thanks to their superior flexibility, strength and reliability. Lighting cables are necessary to improve visibility for a huge range of security and CCTV systems, from simple pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) security systems to advanced automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) systems. These flexible cables power lighting for these systems whilst also allowing full freedom of movement, meaning that the security cameras are able to easily pan and tilt as required.
5. Airfield lighting cables
Within the aerospace industry, custom airfield lighting cables can be designed for safety-critical airport and airfield lighting systems. These robust industrial lighting cables illuminate airport runways to ensure safety and operational efficiency, and can be used for types of airfield lighting such as runway identification lights, runway end lights, edge and centreline lights, and approach lights for takeoff and landing. In addition to being used for commercial aircraft, these specialist lighting cables will be designed for use in the military sector for military airfields.
Types of lighting cables
To suit these many potential applications, there are various types of lighting cables designed according to different environmental factors and requirements. We’ve already briefly touched on the importance of different lighting cable sizes and single-core vs multi-core cable setups, but let’s discuss different lighting cable types in more detail below:
1. Three core lighting cable
Three core and earth lighting cables are commonly used for wiring two-way light switches. All of the cores except the earth are coated in colour-coded PVC insulation.
2. Two core flex cable
For light fixtures that don’t require an earth, a two core flex cable can be used to provide electrical power. These insulated cores will also be colour-coded in accordance with British standards.
3. Retractable cables
For more complex lighting setups that involve moving parts (e.g., for moveable commercial/industrial lighting fixtures or telescopic masts), retractable or coiled lighting cables may need to be used to ensure that the cable can bend and flex along with the rest of the equipment, without sustaining damage or losing structural integrity over time.
4. Combination cables
For some lighting applications, such as for security systems, power, video and data are commonly combined within a single flexible cable to save space and improve cost-effectiveness. Combination cables are extremely useful for small, intricate setups where reducing cabling as much as possible is necessary for keeping the setup compact. Plus, these highly specialised cables improve operational and cost efficiency by ensuring that only one cable solution is needed instead of multiple at the same time.
5. DMX lighting cable
DMX lighting cables, or Digital Multiplex cables, are often used in stage productions to transmit control signals for lighting equipment. This ensures that lighting changes and special effects are quickly and reliably communicated to equipment during live events like concerts.
6. Custom cables
For any application where common lighting cable types aren’t fit for purpose, we can design custom lighting cables that are designed and tested specifically for your environment and use case. Custom cables are frequently needed for commercial and industrial lighting applications, particularly those that involve any moving parts or non-standard power requirements.
Benefits of custom lighting cables
But why is it better to opt for custom lighting cables in this situation instead of trying to find a standard cable that may work? Here’s why custom cables are the right choice for you:
1. Flexible
Custom cables can be designed to allow for much greater flexibility, which is particularly important for any project that involves moving parts. Standard cables may not offer the level of flexibility needed, causing machinery malfunctions or cable damage that leads to costly repairs and replacements. On the other hand, flexible custom cables – such as coiled cables – will move along with other equipment without sustaining damage.
2. Durable
For harsh commercial or industrial environments, custom cables are a much better option due to their enhanced durability. Custom cables can be designed and tested according to the exact environmental conditions they will face when installed on your property, whether this may involve exposure to moisture, harsh chemicals, oils, extreme temperatures, and so on. Standard cables are not designed with your specific environment and needs in mind, so they are less likely to be able to withstand these challenges for long periods of time.
3. Reliable
With this increased flexibility and durability, your custom lighting cables will perform much more consistently and reliably, leading to improved productivity for your business. This is because they’re less susceptible to wear and tear, and because they can be designed to meet specific standards in your industry that typical lighting cables don’t meet.
4. Specialised
In addition, we will design your custom lighting cables to suit the exact needs of your application, so if you need combination cables to fulfil a specific set of functions, this is entirely possible with custom cable manufacturing. It will be much harder – or even impossible – for you to find standard cables that fulfil your highly specialised requirements. After all, they’re designed with more common use cases and environments in mind.
5. Long-lasting
All of the above benefits ensure that your custom cables will perform reliably and efficiently for many years to come. With a standard cable, you’re more likely to encounter performance issues or signs of damage over time, leading to potentially expensive repairs and replacements. However, by investing in a custom cable solution from the start, you could save money in the long run by creating lighting cables that are specifically designed and tested for your unique environment, application, industry standards, requirements and challenges.
Ready to design your ideal lighting cable solution? Get in touch with us today for an initial consultation. We’ll work with you from start to finish to design, manufacture and test your custom lighting cables, ensuring that they deliver the exact requirements you’re looking for.
