Detailed reference table for electrical cable weight

The electric cable weight table is an essential tool helping engineers or project managers accurately calculate material quantity or transportation costs. The following article will provide information about weight tables for common cable types, how to read them, and practical applications, helping you optimize your workflow and ensure safety in electrical projects.

1. What is an electric cable weight table?

An electric cable weight table is a specification table that clearly states the weight of electrical cables per unit length, typically calculated in kg/km or kg/m, helping users quickly determine cable weight according to specific cross-sections and lengths. This is an indispensable tool in designing, constructing, and operating electrical systems.

2. Factors affecting electrical cable weight

The weight of electrical cables depends not only on cross-sectional size but is also influenced by many other factors:

2.1 Conductor material

The material used for the conductor has the greatest impact on the weight of electrical cables. The two most common materials are copper and aluminum.

Copper (Cu): With a specific density of about 8.96 g/cm³, copper is the best electrical conductor but has a high mass. Copper cables are usually heavier than aluminum cables of the same cross-section.
Aluminum (Al): With a specific density of about 2.7 g/cm³ (only about 1/3 compared to copper), aluminum is a popular choice for long power transmission lines or applications requiring weight reduction. Aluminum cable weight tables typically show significantly lighter weights compared to copper cables of the same size.

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2.2. Number of cores

The number of conductor cores in the cable is an important factor directly affecting the overall weight. More cores mean proportionally increased weight.

For example, with CVV cable with voltage rating 0.6/1kV:

CVV 1x10mm²: approximately 151 kg/km
CVV 2x10mm²: approximately 378 kg/km
CVV 3x10mm²: approximately 443 kg/km
CVV 4x10mm²: approximately 613 kg/km

2.3. Conductor cross-section

The conductor cross-section is a basic factor determining cable mass. As the cross-section increases, the amount of conductor material used also increases, resulting in higher weight.

For example, with 2-core CVV cable with voltage rating 0.6/1kV:

CVV 2×10 mm²: approximately 378 kg/km
CVV 2x16mm²: approximately 514 kg/km
CVV 2x25mm²: approximately 728 kg/km
CVV 2x35mm²: approximately 953 kg/km

2.4. Insulation and sheath materials

The type of insulation material also significantly impacts the weight of cables. Below are the specific densities of some common plastics:

PVC (Polyvinyl chloride): Common material with specific density of about 1.4-1.5 g/cm³, typically used for standard residential and industrial cables.
XLPE (Cross-linked polyethylene): Has lower specific density than PVC, about 0.91-0.96 g/cm³, typically used for medium and high voltage cables.
HDPE (High-density polyethylene): Has specific density of about 0.94-0.97 g/cm³, typically used as outer sheath for underground cables.

2.5. Cable protection layers

Protection layers such as steel wire armour (SWA), double steel tape armour (DSTA), or double aluminum tape armour (DATA) will significantly increase the weight of the cable.

For example:

CXV 3x10mm² cable (unarmoured): approximately 440 kg/km
CXV/SWA 3x10mm² cable (with steel wire armour): approximately 912 kg/km

3. How to read an electric cable weight table

To effectively use the weight table, users need to know how to read and apply information from this table to practical work. When reading an electric cable weight table, follow these steps in sequence:

Step 1: Identify the correct cable type needed for reference based on cable notation (CVV, CXV, AXV/DSTA, CVV/SWA…).
Step 2: Identify the nominal cross-section of the cable.
Step 3: Identify the number of cable cores, typically 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 cores.
Step 4: Look up the correct weight information.

For example, to look up the weight of a CXV 3x10mm² cable, you need to:

Step 1: Find the information row for CXV cable notation
Step 2: Find the cross-section information column, trace down to the row with 10mm² cross-section
Step 3: Find the weight information column for the 3-core cable type
Step 4: Read the corresponding weight value

4. Common electric cable weight tables

Below are weight tables for common electrical cable types in the market. Note that these values may vary slightly depending on the manufacturer and applicable standards.

Electric cable weight table for CVV:


CVV 1C, 2C, 3C, 4C
Nominal area	Structure	Appox. Conductor diameter	Nom. Thickness of insulation	1C	2C	3C	4C	1C	2C	3C	4C
mm²	Nº x mm	mm	mm	mm							kg/km
CIRCULAR COMPACTED
10	CC	3.67	1.0	1.4	1.8	1.8	1.8	151.0	378	443	613
16	CC	4.70	1.0	1.4	1.8	1.8	1.8	210.8	514	625	860
25	CC	5.73	1.2	1.4	1.8	1.8	1.8	305.3	728	901	1250
35	CC	6.80	1.2	1.4	1.8	1.8	2.0	407.4	953	1212	1779
50	CC	8.00	1.4	1.4	2.0	1.9	2.1	539.7	1360	1610	2355
70	CC	9.70	1.4	1.4	2.1	2.0	2.2	751.4	1850	2279	3259
95	CC	11.50	1.6	1.5	2.2	2.2	2.4	1025.1	2474	3113	4421
120	CC	12.85	1.6	1.6	2.3	2.3	2.5	1289.0	1990	3923	5327
150	CC	14.30	1.8	1.6	2.4	2.4	2.7	1600.0	3743	5768	6805
185	CC	15.80	2.0	1.7	2.6	2.6	2.9	2011.8	4696	6544	8580
240	CC	18.25	2.2	1.8	2.8	2.8	3.1	2516.8	6014	7681	10726
300	CC	20.70	2.4	1.9	3.0	3.0	3.3	3129.0	7336	9560	13313
CONCENTRIC STRANDED
4	7x0.85	2.55	1.0	1.4	1.8	1.8	1.8	89.2	310.0	363.0	436
6	7x1.04	3.12	1.0	1.4	1.8	1.8	1.8	113.6	380.4	453.0	550
10	7x1.35	4.05	1.0	1.4	1.8	1.8	1.8	161.3	514.5	627.0	772
16	7x1.70	5.10	1.0	1.4	1.8	1.8	1.8	227.0	694.8	863.0	1073
25	7x2.14	6.42	1.2	1.4	1.8	1.8	1.8	338.1	1007.7	1268.0	1590
35	7x2.52	7.56	1.2	1.4	1.8	1.8	1.9	440.9	1284.1	1634.0	2075
50	19x1.80	9.00	1.4	1.4	1.9	2.0	2.1	597.0	1736.0	2262.0	2873
70	19x2.14	10.70	1.4	1.5	2.0	2.1	2.2	812.0	2330.2	3014.0	3842
95	19x2.52	12.60	1.6	1.6	2.2	2.3	2.4	1107.7	3146.0	4084.0	5261
120	37x2.03	14.21	1.6	1.6	2.3	2.4	2.6	1365.2	3841.7	5055.0	6483
150	37x2.25	15.75	1.8	1.7	2.3	2.6	2.8	1672.5	4696.0	6173.0	7974
185	37x2.52	17.64	2.0	1.8	2.6	2.7	2.9	2084.5	5846.0	7587.0	9733
200	37x2.60	18.20	2.2	1.8	2.7	2.9	3.0	2228.1	6283.6	8254.0	10587
240	61x2.25	20.25	2.2	1.9	2.8	3.0	3.2	2709.0	7369.1	9647.0	12402
300	61x2.52	22.68	2.4	2.0	3.0	3.2	3.5	3371.5	9384.1	12333.0	15961

Electric cable weight table for CXV:


CVV 1C, 2C, 3C, 4C
Nominal area	Structure	Appox. Conductor diameter	Nom. Thickness of insulation	Nom. Thickness of outer shealth							Approx. Weight
Nominal area	Structure	Appox. Conductor diameter	Nom. Thickness of insulation					1C	2C	3C	4C	1C	2C	3C	4C
mm²	Nº x mm	mm	mm	mm							kg/km
CIRCULAR COMPACTED
10	CC	3.67	0.7	1.4	1.8	1.8	1.8	141	339	440	551
16	CC	4.70	0.7	1.4	1.8	1.8	1.8	199	470	622	787
25	CC	5.73	0.9	1.4	1.8	1.8	1.8	288	674	907	1159
35	CC	6.80	0.9	1.4	1.8	1.8	1.8	387	892	1217	1565
50	CC	8.00	1.0	1.4	1.8	1.8	1.9	513	1176	1615	2078
70	CC	9.70	1.1	1.4	1.9	2.0	2.1	722	1644	2293	2984
95	CC	11.50	1.1	1.5	2.0	2.1	2.2	976	2198	3081	4019
120	CC	12.85	1.2	1.5	2.1	2.2	2.4	1233	2774	3904	5120
150	CC	14.30	1.4	1.6	2.3	2.4	2.5	1843	3470	4888	7576
185	CC	15.80	1.6	1.7	2.4	2.5	2.7	1728	3902	5476	7172
240	CC	18.25	1.7	1.8	2.6	2.7	2.9	2437	5430	7671	10061
300	CC	20.70	1.8	1.9	2.8	2.9	3.1	3015	6737	9522	12494
400	CC	23.30	2.0	2.0	3.0	3.1	3.4	3845	8776	12572	16629
500	CC	26.40	2.2	2.1	3.2	3.4	3.7	4767	10927	15703	20766
CONCENTRIC STRANDED
2.5	7 x 0.67	2.01	0.7	1.4	1.8	1.8	1.8	58	162	194	231
6	7 x 1.04	3.12	0.7	1.4	1.8	1.8	1.8	99	258	325	400
10	7 x 1.35	4.05	0.7	1.4	1.8	1.8	1.8	144	361	468	586
16	7 x 1.70	5.10	0.7	1.4	1.8	1.8	1.8	207	503	666	843
25	7 x 2.14	6.42	0.9	1.4	1.8	1.8	1.8	311	740	996	1272
35	7 x 2.52	7.56	0.9	1.4	1.8	1.8	1.9	410	962	1334	1722
50	19 x 1.8	9.00	1.0	1.4	1.9	1.9	2.0	552	1321	1801	2331
70	19 x 2.14	10.70	1.1	1.5	2.0	2.1	2.2	764	1797	2483	3220
95	19 x 2.52	12.60	1.1	1.5	2.1	2.2	2.4	1027	2394	3330	4349
120	37 x 2.03	14.21	1.2	1.6	2.3	2.4	2.5	1289	2998	4176	5433
150	37 x 2.25	15.75	1.4	1.7	2.4	2.5	2.7	1581	3655	5101	6667
185	37 x 2.52	17.64	1.6	1.7	2.6	2.7	2.9	1964	4557	6368	8323
240	61 x 2.25	20.25	1.7	1.8	2.8	2.9	3.1	2553	5889	8251	10794
300	61 x 2.52	22.68	1.8	1.9	2.9	3.1	3.3	3177	7271	10246	13410
400	61 x 2.90	26.10	2.0	2.1	3.2	3.4	3.7	4186	9534	13453	17650
500	61 x 3.20	28.80	2.2	2.2	3.4	3.6	3.9	5076	11541	16299	21389

Electric cable weight table for LV-ABC:


LV-ABC 2C, 3C, 4C
Nominal area	Structure			Appox. Conductor diameter	Nom. Thickness of insulation	Approx. overall diameter of cable			Approx. Weight
Nominal area	2C	3C	4C	Appox. Conductor diameter	Nom. Thickness of insulation	2C	3C	4C	2C	3C	4C
mm²	Nº x mm					mm	mm	mm				kg/km
16	CC	CC	CC	4.80	1.3	14.8	199	17.9	133	199	265
25	CC	CC	CC	5.80	1.3	16.8	281	20.3	188	281	375
35	CC	CC	CC	7.00	1.3	19.2	367	23.2	245	367	490
50	CC	CC	CC	8.20	1.5	22.4	491	27.1	327	491	654
70	CC	CC	CC	9.70	1.5	25.4	687	30.7	458	687	917
95	CC	CC	CC	11.50	1.7	29.8	933	36.1	622	933	1244
120	CC	CC	CC	12.85	1.7	32.5	1146	39.3	764	1146	1529
150	CC	CC	CC	14.50	1.7	35.8	1433	43.3	956	1433	1911

Electric cable weight table for Zinc-Coated Steel Cable (TK):


ASTM A 475:2003
Nominal diameter	Number of wire	Nom. Diameter of wire	Calculated area	Approx. overall diameter of cable	Min. Breaking load	Approx. Weight (Non-Greased)	Approx. Weight (Greased)
in (mm)	Nº x mm	mm	mm²	mm	kN	kg/km	kg/km
5/16"	7	2.64	38.32	7.92	35.6	300.79	308.00
3/8"	7	3.05	51.14	9.15	48.0	401.47	410.50
7/16"	7	3.68	74.45	11.04	64.5	584.46	598.00
1/2"	7	4.19	96.52	12.57	83.6	757.68	775.00
1/2"	18.1	2.54	96.27	12.70	85.0	755.76	775.00
9/16"	7	4.78	125.62	14.34	109.0	986.09	1008.00
9/16"	18.1	2.87	122.92	14.35	107.2	964.89	988.50
5/8"	7	5.26	152.11	15.78	131.7	1194.07	1220.67
5/8"	19	3.18	150.90	15.90	125.0	1184.59	1215.00


BS 183:1972
Structure	Calculated area	Approx. overall diameter of cable	Min. Breaking load					Approx. Weight
Structure	Calculated area	Approx. overall diameter of cable	Structure	Calculated area	Approx. overall diameter of cable	350 N/mm²	700 N/mm²	Approx. Weight	1300 N/m²	Approx. Weight
Nº x mm	mm²	mm	kN					kg/km
7 x 1.60	14.074	4.8	4.90	9.85	18.3	110.50
7 x 1.80	17.813	5.4	6.23	12.45	23.2	140.00
7 x 2.00	21.991	6.0	7.70	15.40	28.6	172.63
7 x 2.36	30.621	7.1	10.70	21.40	39.8	240.37
7 x 2.65	38.608	8.0	13.50	27.00	50.2	303.08
7 x 3.00	49.480	9.0	17.30	34.65	64.3	388.42
7 x 3.15	54.552	9.5	19.10	38.20	70.9	428.23
7 x 3.25	58.071	9.8	20.30	40.65	75.5	455.85
7 x 3.65	73.244	11.0	25.60	51.25	95.2	574.97
7 x 4.00	87.965	12.0	30.90	61.60	114.0	690.52
7 x 4.25	99.304	12.8	34.75	69.50	129.0	779.54
7 x 4.75	124.044	14.3	43.40	86.80	161.3	973.75
19 x 1.60	38.202	8.0	13.37	26.75	49.7	299.88
19 x 2.00	59.690	10.0	20.90	41.78	77.6	468.57
19 x 2.50	93.266	12.5	32.65	65.29	121.3	732.14
19 x 3.00	134.303	15.0	47.00	94.00	174.6	1054.28
19 x 3.55	188.062	17.8	65.80	131.60	244.5	1476.29
19 x 4.00	238.762	20.0	83.55	167.20	310.4	1874.28
19 x 4.75	336.691	23.8	117.85	235.70	437.7	2643.03


ΓOCT 3062 & 3063 & ASTM B 498
Structure	Calculated area	Approx. Overall diameter of cable	Approx. Weight (Non-Greased)	Approx. Weight	Min. Breaking load	Approx. Greased weight
Nº x mm	mm²	mm	kg/km	kg/km	kN	kg/km
7 x 2.65	38.61	7.95	303.08	292	50.5	9.6
7 x 3.0	49.48	9.00	388.42	385	64.0	12.3
1x1.9 + 18x1.8	48.64	9.10	381.82	378	65.1	14.3
7 x 3.5	67.35	10.50	528.68	524	86.8	16.7
19 x 2.2	72.23	11.00	566.97	564	96.7	19.8
7 x 4.0	87.96	12.00	690.52	685	113.4	21.9
19 x 2.3	78.94	11.50	619.68	669	103.0	21.7
19 x 2.8	116.99	14.00	918.40	895	153.2	32.1


JIS G 3537:1994
Product code	Nominal area	Structure	Calculated area	Calculated diameter	Approx. Weight	Min. Breaking load
Product code		mm²	Nº x mm	mm²	mm	kg/km	N
TK 35	35	7x2.6	37.2	7.8	292	42000
TK 50	50	7x2.9	46.2	8.7	363	52200
TK 50	50	19x1.8	48.3	9.0	380	53300
TK 70	70	7x3.5	67.3	10.5	529	75800
TK 70	70	19x2.3	78.9	11.5	620	87000
TK 90	90	7x4.0	88.0	12.0	691	99100
TK 90	90	19x2.6	100.9	13.0	792	112000
TK 120	120	19x2.9	125.5	14.5	985	138000

5. Practical applications of electric cable weight tables

Below are the main practical applications of electric cable weight tables, which help us clearly see the importance of this tool:

Helps engineers choose appropriate materials and dimensions, especially calculating mechanical loads for supports, cable trays, and installation structures in electrical systems.
Balances and plans costs such as transportation, labor requirements, and support equipment needed for installation.
Controls material costs through calculating the amount of copper or aluminum in cables.
Determines safe load capacity when using cables for force-bearing applications.

6. Notes when using electric cable weight tables

Note the following when using electric cable weight tables to ensure accurate calculations and cost savings:

Identify the correct cable type: Each type of cable has a different structure leading to different weights. Correctly identifying the right cable type helps with accurate reference, avoiding errors in calculation and material selection.
Pay attention to standard length units: Reference tables are usually calculated based on 100 meters of cable; if using a different length unit, convert accordingly.
Allow for manufacturing tolerance: Actual weight may vary slightly due to manufacturing tolerance or changes in additive materials, so note this for contingency in design and construction.
Consider for transportation and construction: Cable weight directly affects transportation costs as well as installation, so make detailed plans to balance costs.
Use information from genuine sources: Always reference from manufacturers or reputable suppliers to ensure accurate information that complies with current technical standards.

7. Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

7.1 Are electric cable weight tables absolutely accurate?

No, electric cable weight tables are not absolutely accurate. The values in the tables are standard or average values and may have deviations compared to actual weights.

The acceptable tolerance is typically ±5% compared to the values in the reference table. This deviation arises from the manufacturing process, accuracy of measuring equipment, and other factors such as thickness of the insulation layer.

7.2 Does cable weight affect installation costs?

Yes, cable weight significantly affects installation costs through many aspects such as:

Transportation costs
Lifting equipment costs
Labor costs and installation time
Cable support infrastructure costs
Cable reel handling costs

7.3 How does cable weight affect sag calculation?

Sag is the vertical distance that a conductor droops between two suspension points (for example: between two power poles). When a conductor is suspended between two points, it sags downward under the effect of gravity (the weight of the conductor itself).

Simple sag calculation formula (applies to short spans and constant tension):

d ≈ (w * L^2) / (8 * T)

Where:

d: Sag
w: Weight of conductor per unit length (this is the value you look up from the weight table)
L: Span length (distance between two suspension points)
T: Tension force

From this formula, it can be clearly seen that sag (d) is directly proportional to the weight of the conductor per unit length (w); heavier cables will have greater sag when suspended on the same span and subjected to the same tension force.

8. Conclusion

Electric cable weight tables have become essential tools for engineers, contractors, and project managers in the electrical industry. Through the above article, we hope that newcomers to the industry can understand the correct way to read and reference electric cable weight tables, thereby applying them effectively to real projects.

Finally, it’s important to remember that reference tables only provide reference values. In applications requiring high accuracy, actual measurement or referencing data from specific manufacturers is still the most reliable method to determine electrical cable weight.