Wire and Cable What do the models BV, BLV, VV, VLV, BYJ, BVR, RV, RVV, BVVB, YJV, YC, YQ, KVV22, KYJVP, and GNH represent?

According to GB/T2900.10 "Electrotechnical Terminology Cables", wires and cables are defined as wire products used to transmit electrical energy, information, and achieve electromagnetic energy conversion. This document focuses on wires and cables, starting with a definition, followed by an introduction to common single-letter codes, such as R representing soft structure, V representing polyvinyl chloride, etc.; listing commonly used models, such as BV (copper core polyvinyl chloride insulated wire), YJV (cross-linked polyethylene insulated polyvinyl chloride sheathed power cable), etc., and their scope of use; explaining the model representation method of special cables, such as adding ZR (flame retardant) and other symbols before the conventional model; and also expounding on the terminology and nomenclature of wires and cables, covering various aspects from structure (such as soft cables, single-core cables) to processes (such as twisting and cross-linking), systematically and comprehensively presenting the knowledge related to wire and cable models. A summary diagram is as follows:

Specifically:

I. General Cable and Wire Code System     

II. Cable and Wire Models and Scope of Use

Category	Model	Full Name	Core Characteristics	Scope of Use
Wiring	BV	Copper Core Polyvinyl Chloride Insulated Wire	Rigid structure, commonly used daily	Indoor wiring
	BVR	Copper Core Polyvinyl Chloride Insulated Flexible Wire	Soft structure, slightly harder than RV	Scenes requiring bending
	RV	Copper Core Polyvinyl Chloride Insulated Connecting Flexible Wire	Softer, multi-strand thin conductors	Appliance connection, mobile devices
Power Cable	VV	Polyvinyl Chloride Insulated Polyvinyl Chloride Sheathed Power Cable	Economical and durable, temperature resistant ≤70℃	Indoor, tunnels, cannot withstand mechanical external force
	YJV	Cross-linked Polyethylene Insulated Polyvinyl Chloride Sheathed Cable	Temperature resistant ≤90℃, excellent insulation performance	Indoor, tunnels, pipelines, weak mechanical external force resistance
	YC	Heavy-duty General-purpose Rubber-sheathed Flexible Cable	Abrasion resistant, soft	Mobile devices, outdoor heavy machinery
Control Cable	KVV	Polyvinyl Chloride Sheathed Control Cable	Multi-core, signal transmission	Indoor, cable trenches, underground
	KYJVP	Cross-linked Polyethylene Insulated Shielded Control Cable	Anti-interference	Control scenarios requiring anti-interference
Overhead Cable	JKLYJ	Aluminum Core Cross-linked Polyethylene Insulated Overhead Cable	Strong weather resistance	Overhead power transmission
	JKLGYJ	Steel Core Aluminum Strand Cross-linked Polyethylene Insulated Cable	High strength	Overhead transmission, can withstand large tensile force

III. Special Cable Models and Characteristics

Type	Model Example	Core Identifier	Special Performance	Typical Application
Flame Retardant Cable	ZR-YJV	ZR- (Before conventional model)	Slows down flame spread	Places with flame retardant requirements
Oxygen Barrier Flame Retardant Cable	GZR-YJV	GZR-	High flame retardancy, oxygen barrier design	Places with extremely high flame retardant requirements
Low Smoke Halogen-free Flame Retardant Cable	WDZR-BYJ	WDZR-	Low smoke, halogen-free, flame retardant	Buildings with high environmental protection requirements
Fire-resistant Cable	NH-KVV	NH-	Maintain power supply during fire	Fire-resistant locations (such as fire systems)
Waterproof Cable	FS-YJV	FS-	Waterproof sealing	Areas with high groundwater levels
Anti-termite cable	FYS-ZR-YJV	FYSZR-	Anti-termite and rodent + Flame retardant	Areas with severe insect infestation and requiring flame retardancy

IV. Common names, models and application ranges of cables and wires

    

    

The following table lists special cable models. In the table, X- represents conventional cable models. The designation of special cable models is to add the symbol of the special cable before the conventional cable model, for example: Special low-smoke halogen-free flame-retardant cross-linked polyethylene insulated power cable is represented as WDZR-YJV.

    

V. Key Terms and Definitions

Structure related

Flexible cables: Requires flexibility during use, composed of multiple strands of thin conductors (such as RV, BVR).

Armor layer: Metal strip / wire, protecting the cable from external mechanical forces (such as steel tape armor of VV22).

Shielding layer: Limits electromagnetic fields, prevents interference (such as braided copper shielding of KVVP).

Process related

Stranding: Multiple single wires are spirally stranded (such as stranded wires, bundled conductors).

Cross-linking: The plastic changes from a linear to a network structure, improving temperature resistance (such as cross-linked polyethylene insulation of YJV).

Extrusion: Plastic is uniformly extruded around the conductor (such as sheath processing).

Performance related

Current carrying capacity: Long-term full-load current at the allowed operating temperature, determining the cable's conductivity.

Filling factor: The ratio of the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the single conductors to the outline cross-sectional area, affecting the conductivity efficiency.

Pitch ratio: The ratio of the stranding pitch of the stranding element to the spiral diameter, affecting the structural stability.

Key issues

Questions 1: What is the main difference between RV and BVR models?

Answer:

Structure: RV is a copper-core polyvinyl chloride insulated connecting flexible wire, composed of finer and more strands of conductors, making it more flexible than BVR; BVR is a copper-core polyvinyl chloride insulated flexible wire, with less flexibility.

Application: RV is suitable for mobile device connections requiring ultimate flexibility; BVR is suitable for indoor wiring applications requiring bending (such as lamp connections).

Questions 2: What are the core differences in the application ranges of YJV and VV cables?

Answer:     

Insulation material: YJV uses cross-linked polyethylene insulation (90℃ temperature resistance), VV uses polyvinyl chloride insulation (70℃ temperature resistance).

Mechanical properties: Both cannot withstand large external mechanical forces, but if higher temperature resistance or insulation performance is required, priority is given to YJV; VV is more economical and suitable for conventional indoor applications.

Questions 3: How are special cable models represented? Please provide an example to illustrate the difference in marking between flame-retardant and fire-resistant cables.

Answer:

Representation: Special cables are marked with special symbols before the conventional model (such as ZR-, NH-).

Difference:

Flame-retardant cable (such as ZR-VV): Marked as ZR-, slows down flame spread, suitable for general flame-retardant locations.

Fire-resistant cable (such as NH-YJV): Marked as NH-, keeps the circuit open during a fire, suitable for locations with high fire resistance requirements (such as power supply for fire-fighting equipment).