General Information

Abstract

Status
Not Published
Public Enquiry End Date
30-Sep-2026
Technical Committee
IEKA - Electric cables
Current Stage
4020 - Public enquire (PE) (Adopted Project)
Start Date
23-Jul-2026
Due Date
10-Dec-2026

Buy Documents

Draft

oSIST prEN IEC 61138:2026

English language (23 pages)
Preview
Preview
e-Library read for
1 day

Overview

oSIST prEN IEC 61138:2026 defines the international requirements for cables used in portable earthing and short-circuiting equipment. Developed by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Technical Committee 20 and adopted by the Slovenian Institute for Standardization (SIST), this standard specifies key construction, testing, and marking criteria for cables intended to ensure electrical safety during temporary earthing and protection against short-circuit incidents in electricity transmission and distribution networks.

This standard covers flexible cables with coverings based on:

  • Ethylene propylene rubber (EPR)
  • Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
  • Silicone rubber (SiR)

The document addresses both copper and aluminium conductors and aligns with relevant test methods and product identification requirements to assure consistent safety and performance in live working environments.

Key Topics

oSIST prEN IEC 61138:2026 addresses several critical areas for cables used in portable earthing and short-circuiting, including:

  • Materials and Construction

    • Specifies requirements for conductor material (annealed copper, aluminium, aluminium alloy)
    • Outlines coverings using EPR, PVC (general purpose and cold-resistant), and SiR
    • Details minimum and maximum thickness, flexibility, and overall dimensions
  • Testing and Quality Assurance

    • Prescribes type, sample, and routine tests for mechanical properties, electrical resistance, and dielectric strength
    • Includes specific tests such as voltage, spark, flexibility, impact at low temperature, and optional clashing tests
    • Points to harmonized test procedures from standards like IEC 63294, IEC 60811, and IEC 62230
  • Marking and Identification

    • Requirements for manufacturer identification and cable coding
    • Specifies code designations for each type of cable and covering
    • Legibility, durability, and maximum spacing between markings
  • Use Guidelines

    • Recommendations for application temperature ranges and operational considerations
    • Guidance for maintenance and identification in service conditions

Applications

Cables conforming to oSIST prEN IEC 61138:2026 are essential in a variety of electrical safety applications, particularly where temporary earthing and short-circuiting are required to protect personnel and infrastructure during live line work or maintenance activities. Typical environments and applications include:

  • Electricity Transmission and Distribution Networks

    • Connecting portable earthing devices to high-voltage lines and substations
    • Ensuring a reliable connection to ground under various environmental conditions
  • Industrial Electrical Safety

    • Temporary short-circuiting in maintenance or repair situations to provide protective equipotentials and mitigate risks of accidental energization
  • Utility and Field Service Operations

    • Deploying in compact, portable configurations for quick installation and removal
    • Flexible use in routine and emergency scenarios where effective earthing is vital

Related Standards

Compliance with oSIST prEN IEC 61138:2026 is supported by reference to several IEC international standards, ensuring compatibility and comprehensive safety:

  • IEC 60228 (Conductors of insulated cables)
  • IEC 60227-1 (PVC insulated cables - general requirements)
  • IEC 60502-1 (Power cables with extruded insulation)
  • IEC 60811 series (Test methods for non-metallic materials)
  • IEC 61230 (Live working - Portable equipment for earthing or earthing and short-circuiting)
  • IEC 62230 (Spark-test method)
  • IEC 63294 (Test methods for electric cables up to 450/750 V)

Adherence to these related standards ensures that the cables used in portable earthing and short-circuiting equipment meet rigorous international expectations for quality, safety, and interoperability.


By following oSIST prEN IEC 61138:2026, manufacturers and operators can optimize safety, reliability, and regulatory compliance in environments where portable earthing and short-circuiting cables are essential. This standard provides a robust framework to support safer live working practices throughout European and global electrical networks.

Relations

Effective Date
08-Apr-2025

Buy Documents

Draft

oSIST prEN IEC 61138:2026

English language (23 pages)
Preview
Preview
e-Library read for
1 day

Get Certified

Connect with accredited certification bodies for this standard

IMQ S.p.A. (Certification)

Italian electrical product certification.

ACCREDIA Italy Verified

SLG Prüf- und Zertifizierungs GmbH

German testing and certification body.

DAKKS Germany Verified

UL Solutions

Global safety science company with testing, inspection and certification.

ANAB United States Verified

Sponsored listings

Frequently Asked Questions

oSIST prEN IEC 61138:2026 is a draft published by the Slovenian Institute for Standardization (SIST). Its full title is "Cables for portable earthing and short-circuiting equipment". This standard covers: Cables for portable earthing and short-circuiting equipment

Cables for portable earthing and short-circuiting equipment

oSIST prEN IEC 61138:2026 is classified under the following ICS (International Classification for Standards) categories: 29.060.20 - Cables. The ICS classification helps identify the subject area and facilitates finding related standards.

oSIST prEN IEC 61138:2026 has the following relationships with other standards: It is inter standard links to SIST EN 61138:2008. Understanding these relationships helps ensure you are using the most current and applicable version of the standard.

oSIST prEN IEC 61138:2026 is associated with the following European legislation: EU Directives/Regulations: 2014/35/EU. When a standard is cited in the Official Journal of the European Union, products manufactured in conformity with it benefit from a presumption of conformity with the essential requirements of the corresponding EU directive or regulation.

oSIST prEN IEC 61138:2026 is available in PDF format for immediate download after purchase. The document can be added to your cart and obtained through the secure checkout process. Digital delivery ensures instant access to the complete standard document.

Standards Content (Sample)


SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-september-2026
Kabli za prenosno ozemljilno in kratkostično opremo
Cables for portable earthing and short-circuiting equipment
Leitungen für ortsveränderliche Erdungs- und Kurzschließ-Einrichtungen
Câbles d'équipements portables de mise à la terre et de court-circuit
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN IEC 61138:2026
ICS:
29.060.20 Kabli Cables
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

20/2297/CDV
COMMITTEE DRAFT FOR VOTE (CDV)
PROJECT NUMBER:
IEC 61138 ED4
DATE OF CIRCULATION: CLOSING DATE FOR VOTING:
2026-07-10 2026-10-02
SUPERSEDES DOCUMENTS:
20/2242/CD, 20/2262A/CC
IEC TC 20 : ELECTRIC CABLES
SECRETARIAT: SECRETARY:
Germany Mr Walter Winkelbauer
OF INTEREST TO THE FOLLOWING COMMITTEES: HORIZONTAL FUNCTION(S):

TC 78
ASPECTS CONCERNED:
Electricity transmission and distribution,Safety
SUBMITTED FOR CENELEC PARALLEL VOTING NOT SUBMITTED FOR CENELEC PARALLEL VOTING
Attention IEC-CENELEC parallel voting
The attention of IEC National Committees, members of
CENELEC, is drawn to the fact that this Committee Draft
for Vote (CDV) is submitted for parallel voting.
The CENELEC members are invited to vote through the
CENELEC online voting system.
This document is still under study and subject to change. It should not be used for reference purposes.
Recipients of this document are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of
which they are aware and to provide supporting documentation.
Recipients of this document are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant “In Some
Countries” clauses to be included should this proposal proceed. Recipients are reminded that the CDV stage is
the final stage for submitting ISC clauses. (SEE AC/22/2007 OR NEW GUIDANCE DOC).

TITLE:
Cables for portable earthing and short-circuiting equipment

PROPOSED STABILITY DATE: 2033
NOTE FROM TC/SC OFFICERS:
download this electronic file, to make a copy and to print out the content for the sole purpose of preparing National
Committee positions. You may not copy or "mirror" the file or printed version of the document, o r any part of it,
for any other purpose without permission in writing from IEC.

Link to Committee Draft for Vote (CDV) online document:
Click here
How to access
This link leads you to the Online Standards Development (OSD) platform for National Mirror
Committee’s (NMC) comments. The project draft may be found further down this document.

Resource materials
We recommend NCs to review the available materials to better understand the member commenting
on the OSD platform. This includes the:
• OSD NC roles overview
• How to add and submit comments to the IEC

Contact
Should you require any assistance, please contact the IEC IT Helpdesk.

IEC CDV 61138 © IEC 2026
CONTENTS
Contact . 2
CONTENTS . 1
FOREWORD . 3
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms and definitions . 6
4 General requirements for the construction of cables . 6
4.1 Conductors . 6
4.1.1 Material . 6
4.1.2 Construction . 7
4.1.3 Check of construction . 7
4.1.4 Electrical resistance . 7
4.2 Separator between conductor and covering . 7
4.3 Covering . 7
4.3.1 Material . 7
4.3.2 Colour of covering . 7
4.3.3 Application to the conductor . 7
4.3.4 Thickness . 8
4.3.5 Tests . 8
4.3.6 Requirements for non-electrical tests of covering . 9
5 Marking . 12
5.1 Indication of origin . 12
5.2 Indication of code designation and cross-sectional area of the conductor . 12
5.3 Continuity of marks . 12
5.4 Durability . 12
5.5 Legibility . 12
6 Tests on completed cables . 13
6.1 General . 13
6.2 Electrical properties . 13
6.2.1 General . 13
6.2.2 Voltage test . 13
6.2.3 Spark test . 13
6.3 Overall dimensions and ovality . 13
6.4 Flexibility test . 14
6.4.1 General . 14
6.4.2 Test for cables with copper conductors . 14
6.4.3 Test for cables with aluminium conductors . 14
6.5 Optional clashing test . 14
7 Guide to the use of the cables . 17
Annex A (normative) Clashing test . 19
A.1 Preparation of test pieces . 19
A.2 Apparatus and test conditions . 19
A.3 Procedure . 19
A.4 Expression of results . 19
Bibliography . 21

IEC CDV 61138 © IEC 2026
Figure A.1 – Impact test apparatus (vertical impact) . 20

Table 1 – General data for Types 61138 IEC 60110, 60150, 60155 and 60165 . 8
Table 2 – General data for Types 61138 IEC 60210, 60250, 60255 and 60265 . 8
Table 3 – Requirements for the non-electrical tests for PVC/ST11 and SiR covering . 9
Table 4 – Code designation . 12
Table 5 – Requirement for test voltages . 13
Table 6 – Requirements for the static flexibility test . 14
Table 7 – Tests for Types 61138 IEC 60110 and 60210 (EPR covering) . 15
Table 8 – Tests for Types 61138 IEC 60150, 60155, 60250 and 60255 (PVC covering) . 16
Table 9 – Tests for Types 61138 IEC 60165 and 60265 (SiR insulation) . 17
Table A.1 – Height of fall . 19

IEC CDV 61138 © IEC 2026
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
Cables for portable earthing and short-circuiting equipment

FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for
standardization comprising all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees).
The object of IEC is to promote international co-operation on all questions concerning
standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To this end and in addition to other
activities, IEC publishes International Standards, Technical Specifications, Technical Reports,
Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) and Guides (hereafter referred to as “IEC
Publication(s)”). Their preparation is entrusted to technical committees; any IEC National
Committee interested in the subject dealt with may participate in this preparatory work.
International, governmental and non-governmental organizations liaising with the IEC also
participate in this preparation. IEC collaborates closely with the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by agreement between the two
organizations.
2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as
possible, an international consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical
committee has representation from all interested IEC National Committees.
3) IEC Publications have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted
by IEC National Committees in that sense. While all reasonable efforts are made to ensure that
the technical content of IEC Publications is accurate, IEC cannot be held responsible for the
way in which they are used or for any misinterpretation by any end user.
4) In order to promote international uniformity, IEC National Committees undertake to apply IEC
Publications transparently to the maximum extent possible in their national and regional
publications. Any divergence between any IEC Publication and the corres ponding national or
regional publication shall be clearly indicated in the latter.
5) IEC itself does not provide any attestation of conformity. Independent certification bodies
provide conformity assessment services and, in some areas, access to IEC marks of conformity.
IEC is not responsible for any services carried out by independent certification bodies.
6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this publication.
7) No liability shall attach to IEC or its directors, employees, servants or agents including
individual experts and members of its technical committees and IEC National Committees for
any personal injury, property damage or other damage of any nature whatsoever, whether direct
or indirect, or for costs (including legal fees) and expenses arising out of the publication, use
of, or reliance upon, this IEC Publication or any other IEC Publications.
8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced
publications is indispensable for the correct application of this publication.
9) IEC draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve
the use of (a) patent(s). IEC takes no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability
of any claimed patent rights in respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document,
IEC had not received notice of (a) patent(s), which may be required to implement this document.
However, implementers are cautioned that this may not represent the latest information, which
may be obtained from the patent database available at https://patents.iec.ch and 9) IEC draws
IEC CDV 61138 © IEC 2026
attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the use of (a)
patent(s). IEC takes no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability of any claimed
patent rights in respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, IEC had not
received notice of (a) patent(s), which may be required to implement this document. However,
implementers are cautioned that this may not represent the latest information, which may be
obtained from the patent database available at https://patents.iec.ch and www.iso.org/patents.
IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. . IEC shall not be
held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
IEC 61138 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 20, Electric cables. It is an
International Standard.
This fourth edition cancels and replaces the third edition published in 2007. This edition
constitutes a technical revision.
This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous
edition:
a) Maximum diameter of wires in auminium class 5 conductors has been changed.
b) The term insulation has been changed to covering due to use of either insulating or
sheathing materials.
c) Lower limit of mean overall diameter has been changed for SiR insulated cables.
d) General layout has been reorganised.
The text of this International Standard is based on the following documents:
Draft Report on voting
Full information on the voting for its approval can be found in the report on voting indicated in
the above table.
The language used for the development of this International Standard is English [change
language if necessary].
This document was drafted in accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2, and developed in
accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 and ISO/IEC Directives, IEC Supplement, available
at www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs. The main document types developed by IEC are
described in greater detail at www.iec.ch/publications.
The committee has decided that the contents of this document will remain unchanged until the
stability date indicated on the IEC website under webstore.iec.ch in the data related to the
specific document. At this date, the document will be
– reconfirmed,
– withdrawn, or
– revised.
IEC CDV 61138 © IEC 2026
1 Scope
This International Standard applies to flexible cables with covering based on ethylene propylene
rubber (EPR), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or silicone rubber (SiR) for portable earthing and short -
circuiting equipment.
For this type of cable no rated voltage is given as such cables are exclusively intended for
earthing and short-circuiting equipment.
The particular types of cable and their code designations are specified in Table 4 of this
standard.
The test methods specified in this standard are given in ,IEC 63294:2021 , IEC 60811 and IEC
62230.
NOTE In addition to the requirements given in this standard, mechanical requirements and requirements for the
marking for the complete equipment should be taken into account. These requirements can be found in IEC 61230.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies.
For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any
amendments) applies.
IEC 60227-1:2024, Polyvinyl chloride insulated cables of rated voltages up to and including
450/750 V - Part 1: General requirements
IEC 60228, Conductors of insulated cables
IEC 60502-1:2021, Power cables with extruded insulation and their accessories for rated
voltages from 1 kV (Um = 1,2 kV) up to 30 kV (Um = 36 kV) - Part 1: Cables for rated voltages
of 1 kV (Um = 1,2 kV) and 3 kV (Um = 3,6 kV)
IEC 60811-401, Electric and optical fibre cables - Test methods for non-metallic materials - Part
401: Miscellaneous tests - Thermal ageing methods - Ageing in an air oven
IEC 60811-402, Electric and optical fibre cables - Test methods for non-metallic materials - Part
402: Miscellaneous tests - Water absorption tests
IEC 60811-403, Electric and optical fibre cables - Test methods for non-metallic materials - Part
403: Miscellaneous tests - Ozone resistance test on cross-linked compounds
IEC 60811-409, Electric and optical fibre cables - Test methods for non-metallic materials - Part
409: Miscellaneous tests - Loss of mass test for thermoplastic insulations and sheaths
IEC 60811-501, Electric and optical fibre cables - Test methods for non-metallic materials - Part
501: Mechanical tests - Tests for determining the mechanical properties of insulating and
sheathing compounds
IEC 60811-504, Electric and optical fibre cables - Test methods for non-metallic materials - Part
504: Mechanical tests - Bending tests at low temperature for insulation and sheaths
IEC 60811-505, Electric and optical fibre cables - Test methods for non-metallic materials - Part
505: Mechanical tests - Elongation at low temperature for insulations and sheaths
IEC CDV 61138 © IEC 2026
IEC 60811-506, Electric and optical fibre cables - Test methods for non-metallic materials - Part
506: Mechanical tests - Impact test at low temperature for insulations and sheaths
IEC 60811-507, Electric and optical fibre cables - Test methods for non-metallic materials - Part
507: Mechanical tests - Hot set test for cross-linked materials
IEC 60811-508, Electric and optical fibre cables - Test methods for non-metallic materials - Part
508: Mechanical tests - Pressure test at high temperature for insulation and sheaths
IEC 60811-509, Electric and optical fibre cables - Test methods for non-metallic materials - Part
509: Mechanical tests - Test for resistance of insulations and sheaths to cracking (heat shock
test)
IEC 61230, Live working – Portable equipment for earthing or earthing and short-circuiting
IEC 62230, Electrical cables – Spark-test method
IEC 63294:2021, Test methods for electric cables with rated voltages up to and including
450/750 V
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following definitions apply.
3.1
type tests
symbol T
tests required to be made before supplying a type of cable covered by this standard on a general
commercial basis in order to demonstrate satisfactory performance characteristics to meet the
intended application
Note 1 to entry: These tests are of such a nature that, after they have been made, they need not be repeated unless
changes are made in the cable materials, design or type of manufacturing process which might change the
performance characteristics.
3.2
sample tests
symbol S
tests made on samples of completed cable, or components taken from a completed cable,
adequate to verify that the finished product meets the design specifications
3.3
routine tests
symbol R
tests made on all production cable lengths to demonstrate their integrity
4 General requirements for the construction of cables
4.1 Conductors
4.1.1 Material
The conductor shall consist of anne
...