Hazardous areas
There is no ATEX certificate for an ordinary power or control cable; the requirements for cables in Zone 1 and Zone 2 come from the installation standard instead. The European Commission’s ATEX Guidelines state that cables are covered by the ATEX product directive neither as equipment nor as components, and that cables should bear no ATEX marking. What is certified in a Zone 1 or Zone 2 installation is the Ex equipment and the cable glands or entries that connect to it. The cable itself is selected under the installation standard, IEC 60079-14: a sheathed, robust construction for fixed wiring, a heavy rubber or polychloroprene sheath for portable equipment, and a flame-propagation test where the cable runs exposed.
Do cables need ATEX certification?
No, not ordinary cables. Directive 2014/34/EU covers equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres, and the Commission’s ATEX 2014/34/EU Guidelines (sixth edition, January 2026) answer the cable question directly in section 247. Cables are not covered, neither as equipment nor as components, because they belong to the installation, and a properly protected cable has never been regarded as an ignition source of considerable risk. Cables that meet the Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU are considered adequate, and cables should therefore bear no ATEX marking.
The same guidelines list a few cable products that are treated as ATEX equipment, because they contain a potential ignition source of their own. The difference is whether the product does more than carry current.
| Product | ATEX equipment? | Reason given |
|---|---|---|
| Power, control and instrumentation cables | No | No autonomous function; installation material |
| Cable lugs and cable ladders | No | No autonomous function and no ignition source of their own |
| Heating cables and trace heating systems | Yes | They turn electricity into heat, while ordinary cables only carry it |
| Extension cord with plug | Yes | Electrical equipment with possible sparks or heat; temporary use |
| Cable reel | Yes | Electrical equipment with possible sparks or heat; temporary use |
So a supplier offering an “ATEX certified” or “Ex rated” power cable is describing the cable’s intended use, not a certificate issued under the Directive. Ask which construction and which test standards the claim rests on.
What is the difference between Zone 0, Zone 1 and Zone 2?
Zones grade how likely an explosive gas atmosphere is. The definitions below are those of the IEC 60079 series as adopted in IS 5571:2009; dust areas use Zones 20, 21 and 22 in the same way.
| Zone | Explosive gas atmosphere | Equipment protection level |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 0 | Present continuously, for long periods or frequently | EPL Ga |
| Zone 1 | Likely to occur occasionally in normal operation | EPL Gb (or Ga) |
| Zone 2 | Not likely in normal operation; if it occurs, only for a short period | EPL Gc (or Gb, Ga) |
The zone decides what protection the equipment needs: flameproof, increased safety, intrinsic safety and so on. The cable rules that follow apply to cables in hazardous areas generally; the zone mainly changes the equipment, the cable entries and how strictly gas paths through a cable have to be sealed.
How IEC 60079-14 selects cables for hazardous areas
IEC 60079-14 is the installation standard for electrical equipment in explosive atmospheres. Its cable clause sets construction requirements rather than a list of approved products. The requirements below are quoted from the clause as written in the 2002 edition and its national adoption IS 5571:2009 (clause 9.3). The 2024 sixth edition restructured the standard, so check the clause numbers against the edition your project specification names.
| Cable use | Requirement | What it means for the order |
|---|---|---|
| Any cable in the hazardous area | No low-tensile “easy tear” sheaths unless installed in conduit | Specify a tough extruded sheath, not a thin tear-off jacket |
| Fixed wiring | Sheathed with thermoplastic, thermosetting or elastomeric material, circular, with extruded bedding and non-hygroscopic fillers; or mineral-insulated metal-sheathed | Armour or braid is optional; an overall outer sheath is not |
| Portable and transportable equipment | Heavy polychloroprene or equivalent synthetic elastomer sheath, heavy tough rubber sheath, or equally robust construction; conductors at least 1.0 mm² | A heavy-duty rubber flexible cable; light cords are allowed only for small equipment |
| Small portable equipment, up to 250 V to earth and 6 A | Ordinary polychloroprene or ordinary tough rubber sheath allowed | Not for equipment under heavy mechanical stress, such as hand-lamps or foot-switches |
| Protective conductor in a flexible cable | Separately insulated inside the sheath; a metallic armour or screen must not be the only protective conductor | Count the earth core in the core count |
| Non-sheathed single cores | Not for live conductors unless inside switchboards, enclosures or conduit | Use sheathed cable for every run outside an enclosure |
| External fixed wiring | Flame-propagation characteristics that pass the referenced flame test, unless buried or otherwise protected | Ask for the single-cable flame test report |
For moving machinery the “heavy tough rubber” and “heavy polychloroprene” types are the familiar rubber cables. H07RN-F heavy-duty rubber flexible cable has a polychloroprene sheath, and our guide to rubber and PVC cables explains why a PVC cord is the wrong choice for this duty. Whether a particular installation accepts a particular cable still depends on the site’s own rules and its verification dossier, not on the cable designation alone.
Cable glands, entries and sealing
The Ex certificate that matters at the cable end is the gland’s or the equipment’s. The ATEX Directive requires equipment to be fitted with suitable cable and conduit entries, and IEC 60079-14 requires the cable connection to follow the type of protection of the equipment. For a flameproof Ex d enclosure that means a certified cable entry selected for the actual cable, including its sheath diameter and whether the cable is substantially compact. Any “X” condition on the gland certificate has to be met in the installation.
Cable construction matters here too. A cable whose core assembly is not compact can let gas travel along the inside of the sheath, and temperature cycling in an enclosure can “pump” that gas into a safe-area control room. The standard calls the risk most acute for equipment in Zone 0 or Zone 1 and recommends a sealing device between the inner sheath and the conductors where it applies. Where a data link crosses the boundary, a longitudinally gas-blocked construction such as our gas-blocked marine Ethernet cable for runs between hazardous and safe areas addresses the same problem inside the cable.
A Zone 2 cable enquiry, worked through
A typical enquiry reads: a heavy-duty rubber reeling cable for a hydraulic power unit in a Zone 2 area, moving in service, “please propose an Ex rated cable with certificate”. Taken apart, it asks three different things.
- The movement duty decides the cable type. A unit that moves needs a flexible heavy-duty rubber cable, for example an NSHTÖU-J rubber reeling cable for hoisting and hauling equipment or H07RN-F for lighter portable use, with the earth core inside the sheath.
- The Zone 2 classification applies to the motor, the junction boxes and the glands. They need equipment protection level Gc or better and their own certificates. It does not create an “Ex” version of the cable.
- A “fire resistant” request is a separate requirement for circuits that must keep working in a fire, tested to the IEC 60331 series. It is not part of Zone 2 classification, and it usually applies to fixed wiring such as an IEC 60331 fire-resistant shipboard power cable rather than to a moving reeling cable.
Answering the three separately avoids the common dead end, where the buyer waits for an ATEX cable certificate that no cable manufacturer can issue.
What documents to ask for instead of an “ATEX certificate”
For the cable, the useful evidence is the construction and the test reports for the standards the project names. For the connection, it is the gland certificate.
| Item | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Construction | Datasheet with sheath material and thickness, core count including the earth core, filler and armour or screen |
| Cable standard | The product standard of the designation, for example EN 50525-2-21 for H07RN-F |
| Flame propagation | Single-cable vertical flame test report, usually IEC 60332-1-2, where the cable runs exposed |
| Fire resistance, if specified | IEC 60331 series test report for the construction offered |
| Halogen-free or low-smoke, if specified | IEC 60754 and IEC 61034 series results as named in the specification |
| Cable entry | The gland maker’s Ex certificate, checked against the measured cable diameter |
Offshore and marine fixed wiring is often specified to NEK 606, such as RFOU marine and offshore power cable and BFOU power and instrumentation cable. A classification society’s approval, where a vessel requires one, is a separate document from anything under ATEX.
How North American projects differ
In the United States and Canada, hazardous locations are classified as Class I Division 1 and 2 or as Zones under the NEC (Articles 500 to 505) and the Canadian Electrical Code. Those codes name the wiring methods and cable types allowed in each location, and they rely on listed products rather than the IEC cable clause above. A cable that suits an IEC Zone 2 installation is therefore not automatically an accepted wiring method in a US Class I Division 2 location; check the code edition that applies to the site.
To have a construction proposed, send the zone and the equipment it connects to, whether the cable is fixed or moving, the conductor sizes and core count, the gland type, and the standards and test reports your specification names. As of August 2026, the minimum order is 50 m for standard and customised constructions alike, and lead time runs from 7 to 45 working days depending on product type, stock position and customisation. Send the zone, duty and gland details with your enquiry; the written quotation states the construction and the test documents supplied.
Questions
Is there an ATEX certified cable?
Not for ordinary power, control or instrumentation cables. The European Commission’s ATEX Guidelines say cables are not covered by the ATEX product directive and should bear no ATEX marking. Heating cables, cable reels and extension cords with plugs are the exceptions treated as equipment.
Can H07RN-F be used in Zone 2?
H07RN-F is a heavy-duty rubber cable with a polychloroprene sheath, which matches the heavy polychloroprene type IEC 60079-14 lists for flexible and portable-equipment cables. The installation still has to meet the rest of the standard, including certified glands and the site’s own rules.
Do cable glands need ATEX certification?
Yes, when they form the entry to Ex equipment. The gland must suit the equipment’s type of protection and the actual cable, and any conditions on its certificate apply to the installation.
What does “Ex rated cable” mean?
“Ex rated cable” is a sales description of a cable intended for hazardous areas, not a certificate under the ATEX Directive. Ask for the construction, the cable standard and the test reports behind the claim.
Is a Zone 2 cable different from a Zone 1 cable?
The IEC 60079-14 cable clause applies to cables in hazardous areas generally. The zone changes the equipment protection level, the cable entries and how strictly gas paths through the cable have to be sealed.