⚡ Electric and optical fibre cables — hot set test of cross-linked insulating and sheathing materials: dumb-bell or tubular test pieces suspended in an oven with a weight, elongation under load 10 min after the temperature has been regained and permanent elongation after removal of the load and cooling; conditions from the cable standard, recommendation of Annex A: (200 ± 3) °C, (20 ± 0.5) N/cm², 175 % and 15 %; PN-EN 60811-507

Electronics and EMC PN-EN 60811-507

Overview

WHAT THE STANDARD COVERS. According to clause 1 of IEC 60811-507:2012 this part gives the procedure for the hot set test, which typically applies to cross-linkable compounds used for insulating and sheathing materials. The IEC 60811 series (introduction) specifies test methods for non-metallic materials of all types of cables — insulation, sheaths, bedding, fillers and tapes — to be referred to in standards for cable construction and for cable materials; the methods were developed mainly for energy cables and are also used for optical fibre, communication and control cables and for cables for ships and offshore applications. This part is used together with IEC 60811-100 (general part; it also contains the terms). The test conditions — temperature, force and elongation limits — are given in the relevant cable standard; the standard gives the manner of performance. "Scope" field of the PKN card for PN-EN 60811-507:2012 (English version, description in Polish): "The procedure is given for checking the permanent elongation at elevated temperature applied to cross-linked plastic compounds (used for the manufacture of insulation and sheaths). The test is carried out in an oven. The test pieces are suspended in the oven and loaded with a weight. The elongation is measured 10 minutes after the oven has regained the set temperature".

ACCORDING TO THE TEXT OF IEC 60811-507:2012 — EDITION, TEST PIECES, PROCEDURE (forewords, clauses 1–5, Annex A). The standard was prepared by IEC TC 20 (Electric cables); edition 1.0 of 2012-03. It replaced clause 9 of IEC 60811-2-1:1998, which was withdrawn; full details of the replacements are given in Annex A of IEC 60811-100:2012; according to the foreword there are no technical changes with respect to the previous edition. CENELEC approved EN 60811-507:2012 on 17 April 2012 without any modification of the IEC text; national implementation — at the latest by 17.01.2013, withdrawal of conflicting national standards — by 17.04.2015; the EN supersedes clause 9 of EN 60811-2-1:1998 + A1:2001 (partially). According to the European foreword the standard covers the principal elements of the safety objectives of the Low Voltage Directive 2006/95/EC. Normative references: IEC 60811-100:2012 (general part), IEC 60811-201 (insulation thickness), IEC 60811-202 (sheath thickness), IEC 60811-401 (ageing in an air oven) and IEC 60811-501 (mechanical properties of insulating and sheathing compounds). General (4.1): all tests are carried out not less than 16 h after extrusion or cross-linking of the compound. Apparatus (4.2): an oven maintaining the set temperature with the set tolerance; grips — an upper one, from which the test piece hangs in the oven, and a lower one, attached to the test piece, to which the weights are hung; with tubular test pieces the grip should not seal them air-tight — a short metal pin slightly smaller than the bore of the test piece can be inserted at least at one end. Test pieces (4.3): pieces of the cable or cord, of the sheath removed from the cable or of cores, taken preferably close to the place from which the samples for the tensile test without ageing according to IEC 60811-501 were taken; dumb-bell or tubular test pieces prepared according to IEC 60811-501; two test pieces from the sheath and from the insulation of each core, with the cross-section measured according to IEC 60811-201 and/or IEC 60811-202; dumb-bell test pieces are cut from the inner part of the sheath and insulation after removing ridges and semi-conducting layers; thickness from 0.8 mm to 2.0 mm — if 0.8 mm cannot be obtained from the sample, a smaller thickness is permitted, but the greatest possible (according to the note only where the thickness specified in the cable standard is less than 0.8 mm); the central 20 mm (larger dumb-bells) or 10 mm (smaller ones) are marked on each test piece. Procedure (4.4): the conditions are given in the cable standard — in their absence, the recommendation is in Annex A. The test pieces are suspended in the oven and weights giving the force stated for the material in the cable standard are attached to the lower grip — as quickly as possible, so that the oven door is open for the shortest time. When the oven has regained its temperature, the test pieces remain in it for a further 10 min; then the distance between the marker lines is measured and the elongation calculated. If the oven has no window and the door has to be opened for the measurement, the measurement is made not more than 30 s after opening the door; in case of dispute the test is carried out in an oven with a window, and the measurement — without opening the door. Then the force is removed by cutting the test pieces at the lower grip, and they are left in the oven to recover for 5 min or until the set temperature is regained — whichever is longer. Then the test pieces are removed, allowed to cool slowly to ambient temperature, and the distance between the marker lines is measured again. Result (4.5): the mean elongation after 10 min at the set temperature with the weight may not exceed the value from the standard for the type of cable; the mean distance between the marker lines after removal and cooling may not have increased from the distance before insertion into the oven by more than the percentage stated in the cable standard. If one of the two test pieces fails, two more are tested; if both pass, the sample is deemed to have passed the test. Test report (clause 5) — according to IEC 60811-100. Annex A (informative): requirements should be given in the standard for the particular type of cable; in their absence, a temperature of (200 ± 3) °C, a tensile force of (20 ± 0.5) N/cm², a maximum elongation under load of 175 % and a maximum permanent elongation of 15 % are recommended.

STATUS (PKN cards as of 09.11.2026). The card for PN-EN 60811-507:2012 (English version) has no withdrawal label: published 01-10-2012, 13 pages, KT 53 for Cables and Wires, "Implements: EN 60811-507:2012 [IDT], IEC 60811-507:2012 [IDT]", "Replaces: PN-EN 60811-2-1:1999 - Polish version, PN-EN 60811-2-1:1999/A1:2002 - Polish version", ICS 29.060.20, 29.035.01. The card for PN-EN 60811-2-1:1999 (Polish version; implemented EN 60811-2-1:1998 and IEC 60811-2-1:1998 — ozone, permanent elongation at elevated temperature and oil for elastomers) — withdrawn 01-10-2012, replaced by PN-EN 60811-507:2012, PN-EN 60811-403:2012, PN-EN 60811-404:2012 and PN-EN 60811-100:2012 (all English versions). In the PKN search results (query "60811-507", 09.11.2026) there is only the card of the English version — there is no Polish version. iTeh catalogue (read 09.11.2026): IEC 60811-507:2012 — published 12.03.2012, stage "PPUB – Publication issued"; EN 60811-507:2012 — published 14.06.2012, CLC/TC 20, stage 6060; the relations on the cards show no newer edition or amendment. According to the iTeh catalogue EN 60811-507 is referred to by, among others, EN 50618:2014 (cables for photovoltaic systems), EN 50397-1:2020 (covered conductors for overhead lines above 1 kV up to 36 kV) and EN 50214:2024 (flat flexible cables) — we have not read these standards.

HOW MANY LABORATORIES AND IN WHAT FORM (copy of the accreditation scope database, read 09.11.2026; "Laboratories" tab on labcoda.pl, 09.11.2026). The number 60811-507 appears in 6 records at 6 Polish laboratories, 1 record each: AB 044 ("PN-EN 60811-507:2012 | EN 60811-507:2012 | IEC 60811-507:2012"), AB 261 ("PN-EN 60811-507:2012" together with the withdrawn PN-EN 60811-2-1:1999 and its amendment A1:2002), AB 1776 and AB 1974 (both "DIN EN 60811-507:2012-12" together with DIN EN 60811-2-1:2002-09 and more than thirty automotive industry specifications), AB 1814 ("IEC 60811-507:2012-03" together with automotive industry specifications) and AB 1917 ("IEC 60811-507:2012" among more than twenty documents — including HD 620, IEC 60502-2, IEC 60840, IEC 62067 and other parts of IEC 60811 — in one item). Outside Poland the notation "ČSN EN 60811-507" appears in 3 records at 3 Czech laboratories (1056, 1754, 1773). Not included in the set is 1 record of AB 261 with PN-EN 60811-2-1:1999 alone (mechanical properties in static tension). The "Laboratories" tab ("PN-EN 60811-507", matching from the start of the notation with recognition of the standard family) shows 9 laboratories — these 6 Polish and 3 Czech ones — with the same number of items as the copy (9); the same for the query "PN-EN IEC 60811-507" (tab query on labcoda.pl, 09.11.2026). We have not compared the current PCA scope documents of these laboratories with the copy.

WHAT THE LABORATORIES TEST (copy of the database, complete items — 6). AB 044 — power cables and wires: permanent elongation of insulation and sheaths, up to 250 °C. AB 261 — cables and wires with a rated voltage up to 18/30 kV and an outer diameter up to 100 mm: permanent elongation at elevated temperature, range up to 150 °C. AB 1814 — cables: hot set test of cross-linked materials (permanent elongation at elevated temperature), oven up to 250 °C (± 4 °C). AB 1776 and AB 1974 — cables: determination of the degree of cross-linking, oven up to 200 °C (± 2 °C). AB 1917 — cables and cable accessories with Un = (3.6–500) kV: hot set test of insulation as one of twelve properties in the item "testing of mechanical properties of materials". Czech items: test of the dimensional change of cross-linked materials under load and after unloading at high temperature — hot set (1754) and two items described in the copy as a pressure test at high temperature (1056, 1773) — such a name does not correspond to the content of IEC 60811-507; we do not decide whether this is an error of description or of translation.

WHERE AN APPARENTLY CORRECT RESULT IS EASY TO GET. Sampling: a test earlier than 16 h after extrusion or cross-linking does not meet 4.1; a dumb-bell test piece from the outer part of the sheath or with the semi-conducting layer not removed, thicker than 2.0 mm or thinner than 0.8 mm without a reason in the cable standard — a different test piece than in the standard; the weight is chosen for the cross-section measured according to IEC 60811-201/202 — a wrong cross-section gives a different force per unit area. Measurement: the 10 min are counted from the moment when the oven REGAINS its temperature after the door has been opened, not from insertion of the test pieces — descriptions of the procedure outside the standard state the time differently (e.g. "15 minutes at 200 °C" by a cable manufacturer); a measurement with the door open later than after 30 s measures a test piece that is already cooling; in case of dispute an oven with a window decides. A tubular test piece may not be sealed air-tight in the grips (note to 4.2). Recovery lasts 5 min or until the temperature is regained — whichever is longer — and the final measurement follows SLOW cooling. Conditions: the temperature, force and limits come from the cable standard; the values of Annex A — (200 ± 3) °C, (20 ± 0.5) N/cm², 175 %, 15 % — are only a recommendation in case requirements are absent; the scope of AB 261 reaches 150 °C, so the recommended 200 °C lies outside it — the condition has to be taken from the standard of the cable tested. Assessment: the result consists of TWO numbers — elongation under load and permanent elongation after cooling (the Polish title mentions only "permanent elongation"); the mean of two test pieces is assessed, and with one non-conforming test piece two more are tested and both have to pass. The standard gives no numerical measure of the "degree of cross-linking" (as the items of AB 1776 and AB 1974 call the test) — the result is the elongations compared with the limits of the cable standard. In the scopes, next to PN-EN 60811-507 stands the withdrawn PN-EN 60811-2-1:1999 (AB 261) and its counterpart DIN EN 60811-2-1:2002-09 (AB 1776, AB 1974) — according to the foreword the content of the test has not changed, but a reference to a withdrawn document has to be read as history.

WHAT WE DO NOT GIVE. Parts read: the iTeh sample of IEC 60811-507:2012 (full English text: foreword, introduction, clauses 1–5 and Annex A) and the iTeh sample of SIST EN 60811-507:2012 (title page, European foreword, Annex ZA, IEC foreword). We do not give the terms and requirements of the general part IEC 60811-100 (including the test temperature and tolerances, the test report), the dimensions of dumb-bell and tubular test pieces from IEC 60811-501 or the method of measuring the cross-section according to IEC 60811-201/202 — we have not read these parts for this entry (the thickness of insulation and sheaths is described in separate entries of this database on PN-EN 60811-201 and PN-EN 60811-202). We do not give the requirements of cable standards (HD 620, HD 605, IEC 60502-2, EN 50618 and others) — they contain the relevant temperatures, forces and limits. We cite the entry of a cable manufacturer on the hot set test (read 09.11.2026) only as an example of a different description of the time; we do not carry its numbers over. Referenced standards (PKN cards, 09.11.2026): PN-EN 60811-100:2012 (English version, published 01-10-2012, implements EN 60811-100:2012 and IEC 60811-100:2012) — no withdrawal label; we have not checked the status of PN-EN 60811-201, -202, -401 and -501 on the cards (the PKN search results include, among others, the amendments PN-EN 60811-401:2012/A1:2018-02 and PN-EN 60811-501:2012/A1:2019-01 and /A2:2024-03). We have not established whether EN 60811-507 is listed among the standards harmonised with the Low Voltage Directive in the Official Journal of the EU.

Method principle

Two dumb-bell or tubular test pieces each from the insulation of each core and from the sheath (thickness 0.8–2.0 mm, central 20 or 10 mm marked) are suspended in an oven with a weight giving the force from the cable standard; 10 min after the oven has regained its temperature the elongation under load is measured, then the weight is cut off, the test pieces recover in the oven (5 min or until the temperature returns), cool slowly and the permanent elongation is measured; the means are compared with the limits of the cable standard, and in their absence with the recommendation of Annex A: (200 ± 3) °C, (20 ± 0.5) N/cm², 175 % and 15 % (IEC 60811-507:2012, clause 4 and Annex A).

Applications

• Cross-linked insulating and sheathing compounds of electric and optical fibre cables and wires (IEC 60811-507:2012, clause 1 and introduction)
• Method referred to in cable standards, which give the temperature, force and limits — according to the iTeh catalogue, among others EN 50618:2014 (photovoltaic cables) and EN 50397-1:2020
• Replaced clause 9 of PN-EN 60811-2-1:1999 without technical changes (IEC and EN forewords)
• In accreditation scopes: 6 Polish laboratories — power cables up to 500 kV, cables according to automotive industry specifications, insulation and sheaths; ovens up to 150, 200 and 250 °C

Key parameters

Standard

Standard number

PN-EN 60811-507:2012 (English version; implements EN 60811-507:2012 and IEC 60811-507:2012 [IDT])

Title (PL)

Kable i przewody elektryczne oraz światłowodowe — Metody badań materiałów niemetalowych — Część 507: Badania mechaniczne — Sprawdzenie wydłużenia trwałego w podwyższonej temperaturze tworzyw usieciowanych

Title (EN)

Electric and optical fibre cables — Test methods for non-metallic materials — Part 507: Mechanical tests — Hot set test for cross-linked materials

Step-by-step procedure

1. Test pieces

   Not earlier than 16 h after extrusion or cross-linking; two dumb-bell or tubular test pieces each from the sheath and from the insulation of each core (IEC 60811-501), from the inner part, without ridges and semi-conducting layers; thickness 0.8–2.0 mm; cross-section according to IEC 60811-201/202; marking of the central 20 or 10 mm (4.1, 4.3).

2. Suspension and loading

   Temperature and force from the cable standard (in their absence — Annex A: (200 ± 3) °C, (20 ± 0.5) N/cm²); test pieces in the oven, weights on the lower grip, door open for the shortest time (4.4).

3. Measurement under load

   After the temperature has been regained a further 10 min, then measurement of the distance between the markers and calculation of the elongation; without a window — measurement not more than 30 s after opening the door; in a dispute — oven with a window (4.4).

4. Unloading and measurement of permanent elongation

   Cutting of the test pieces at the lower grip; recovery in the oven for 5 min or until the temperature is regained (the longer time); removal, slow cooling to ambient temperature, repeated measurement of the distance between the markers (4.4).

5. Assessment and test report

   Mean elongation under load and mean increase of the distance after cooling compared with the limits of the cable standard (in their absence — 175 % and 15 % from Annex A); with one non-conforming test piece two more; test report according to IEC 60811-100 (4.5, clause 5). PN-EN 60811-507:2012 — current (PKN card as of 09.11.2026; English version).

Required equipment and apparatus

Health and safety (OHS)

• Hot grips, weights and test pieces — the standard (note 2 to 4.4) recommends precautions against hazards when handling them
• Work at an open oven at a temperature of about 200 °C — short door openings, protection against burns
• TECHNICAL NOTE: the conditions and limits are given by the cable standard; the values of Annex A are only a recommendation when requirements are absent

Frequently asked questions