A Low-Smoke Zero Halogen (known shortly as LSZH or LSOH) cable is a cable with insulation and/or jacket that minimizes the smoke and produces no halogen when exposed to heat sources and fire.
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Read this blog to learn where these cables are used, their properties, and how they radically differ from PVC and LSF.
An LSZH cable is useful for environments where fire and high temperatures might be hazardous and smoke and toxic fumes risk public safety, such as industrial plants, public buildings, and vehicles. LSZH cables are intended for indoor use.
Low-smoke zero halogen cables emit less than 0.5% hydrogen chloride gas and smoke when burnt.
A standard PVC cable can be flame-retardant or not flame-retardant, but they produce harmful black smoke during the fire and release harmful chemicals, including halogen. In many instances, the smoke and gasses produced during a fire cause more harm to people than the fire itself. For this reason, a flame-retardant PVC cable does not really protect people in case of fire.
PVC cables are a great way to save costs, but it is not worth it for commercial and public buildings where safety is a great concern.
The cons of LSZH cables compared to PVC is that they are less flexible and more expensive, but these are negligible if you take into consideration the damage to people and property that a large-scale fire causes.
Low-smoke zero-halogen сable is often compared to LSF Low Smoke and Fume cable because the names sound very similar. The relative lack of standardization and naming regulation is the driving factor behind such confusion. In reality, LSZH and LSF cables do not have anything in common.
LSF cables are altered PVC cables that produce less harmful gasses and smoke when burning than traditional PVC. However, the material of LSF cables is still PVC, so gasses are emitted nevertheless, there are just 5x less of them. So, LSF cables are slightly improved compared to PVC, but they have no qualities of low-smoke zero-halogen cables, so they should not be bought in place of LSZH cables.
Confusing LSZH and LSF cables can actually be dangerous if the intention is to place LSZH cables to protect the building from fire.
NNC offers a wide range of low-smoke zero halogen cables of high quality at excellent prices, including:
LSZH stands for Low-Smoke Zero-Halogen, which means that the cable emits little to no toxic halogens and minimal smoke when in contact with fire. LSZH wire and cable are also called: low smoke non-halogen (LSNH), low-smoke halogen-free (LSHF), and low-smoke zero-halogen (LS0H).
For more information, please visit low smoke zero halogen lszh.
Halogens are non-metallic elements found in the periodic table. The five halogens are fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and astatine. They are present in PVC insulation and jacketing, and are highly flame retardant. However, when they are burned, halogens emit thick toxic smoke and become corrosive which can cause damage to equipment and pose a safety concern.
Halogen-free cables are used when fire safety, fire damage prevention, and environmental issues are a concern. Halogen-free cables help eliminate the use of environmentally sensitive materials.
The halogen-free cable is intended for use in applications in which insulation with low toxicity, low smoke generation, and low corrosiveness is needed. Examples include rapid transit, industrial, shipboard, aerospace, and commercial applications where human safety and protection of equipment is a concern.
The NEC (National Electrical Code) doesn't prohibit halogen-free cable or wire installation in any application. The NEC does require low smoke cables for plenum spaces.
Low smoke cable emits a thinner and clearer smoke when burning, making possible evacuation and firefighting efforts easier and safer. A cable may be low smoke and still contain toxic halogens.
Zero halogen means that the cable does not contain fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, or astatine. Zero halogen cable may still emit thick smoke when burned. Both properties are not always needed for all cables. Check specifications to be sure that the cable meets both requirements if necessary for your application.
Low smoke zero halogen cables provide a lot of great safety advantages, but there can be an electrical and mechanical trade-off.
In order to be low-smoke zero-halogen, the cable jacket must incorporate a high percentage of filler material. This increase in filler material could make the jacket less chemical and water-resistant and could provide poorer mechanical and electrical properties than a non-LSZH counterpart. LSZH jackets are also more likely to experience jacket cracking during installation, so special lubricants may be necessary to avoid damage, especially in cold environments.
Because of the limited flexibility of LSZH, it is not recommended in robotic or continuous flex applications. As a result, LSZH cable is commonly chosen for applications where fire safety is more of a concern than the cable’s specific electrical and mechanical properties. Advances in compound materials and processing have decreased some of these issues.
Yes. LSZH may pass a standard flame test. To determine how an LSZH cable will react in a fire, the following five criteria are considered:
Some test standards related to this type of cable are plenum-rated, LS rated, S1 rated, and ASTM D.
When choosing LSZH products, factors such as the environment and price should be considered. The temperature of the application’s environment can affect the flexibility of the cable. Low smoke zero halogen cable also tends to cost more due to its special properties.
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