Non-Standard Wires: 50% Fire Risks & How to Avoid Them

1. Blood and tears warning: non-standard cables are invisible fire bombs

Statistics from the Ministry of Emergency Management show that cable problems have become the primary cause of fire. In the past ten years, major fire accidents caused by cables in the country accounted for more than 50% of the total number of fires, of which non-standard cables were the culprit.

In 2020, a fire at the Chengguan Trade Market in Nandan County, Guangxi, killed one firefighter and injured six people; in 2013, a fire at the Rongjian Agricultural Wholesale Market in Shenzhen caused 16 deaths and direct economic losses of 17.81 million yuan – the direct cause of both accidents was electrical line short circuit.

Poor-quality cables are like “gunpowder barrels” buried in the wall. Once overloaded or short-circuited, the insulation layer instantly melts and catches fire, and the toxic gases such as hydrogen chloride released by the combustion will block the escape route.

2. “Core Stealing Technique” Driven by Profits: The Counterfeiting Methods of Non-standard Cables Revealed

Illegal manufacturers use four major means to reduce costs to less than 60% of the national standard cable:

• Cutting corners on copper core: The actual cross-sectional area of the nominal 4mm² copper core is only 2.5mm², and the increased resistance causes the heat to soar;
• Profit-making by doping with impurities: Recycled copper containing iron and zinc is used to replace oxygen-free copper, accelerating oxidation corrosion;
• Insulation layer is inferior: “Second-generation materials” (recycled PVC) are used to replace virgin materials, with a price difference of 2,000 yuan per ton, which is prone to aging and cracking;
• Protection function castration: The number of mica tape layers of fire-resistant cables is reduced from the national standard to 1-2 layers, and the flame retardant barrier is lost in fire.

The “2.5 square millimeter cable” purchased by Mr. Liu in Changsha, Hunan was tested by Shaanxi Xiecheng Testing Technology Company. The copper core diameter is less than 80% of the national standard 1.78mm, and the resistance value is seriously exceeded.

3. Public safety collapse: How inferior cables threaten social systems

When non-standard cables infiltrate public works, the harm is exponentially magnified. Hunan Fengxu Cable Co., Ltd. was exposed to sell inferior cables. Its bidding records show that the company’s products have entered the weak current systems of 5 schools, including Changsha Mingde Middle School and Yuhua District Huahou Primary School.

Potential disaster chains include:

• Campus fire risk: There are limited escape routes in crowded places, and inferior cables ignite the ceiling and spread rapidly;
• Emergency system paralysis: If the command center cable fails in advance in a fire, the interruption of monitoring will delay the golden rescue time;
• Financial funds evaporate: The rework cost caused by breaking the wall and changing the line far exceeds the cable itself. The budget for the power grid transformation in a certain place was overspent by 300% due to unqualified cables.

4. The triple protection shield of national standard cables: certification, technology and responsibility

1. Compulsory certification system builds a strong firewall National standard cables must pass CCC certification (China Compulsory Product Certification). The new regulations in 2025 require:

• The insulation layer thickness error is ≤0.02mm, and the flame-retardant cable must pass the GA 306.1-2025 smoke density test;
• Each meter of cable is permanently marked with the CCC mark + factory number (such as 123456) to achieve quality traceability.

2. Technological innovation improves safety thresholds Take the 110 kV polypropylene cable developed by Baosheng High Voltage as an example:

• Temperature resistance reaches 110℃ (20℃ higher than traditional cables), and the current carrying capacity increases by 10%;
• The production cycle is shortened by 30%, carbon emissions are reduced by 35%, and it can be recycled throughout the life cycle.

3. Institutionalization of corporate responsibility Far East Cable has established a “double zero” (zero defect, zero complaint) quality standard, opened up third-party on-site supervision, and became the company with the most equipment connected to the State Grid supervision platform. Its supplier dynamic evaluation mechanism ensures that the purity of copper materials is ≥99.99%, blocking impurity doping from the source.

5. Three tricks to identify non-standard traps: Consumer self-protection guide

1. Certification verification

• Look for the CCC mark + factory code printed every 500mm on the wire;
• Scan the QR code of the certificate to check the validity of the certification (the Certification and Accreditation Administration will be mandatory to connect to the Internet from 2025).

2. Physical testing method

• Copper core identification: High-quality copper core is purple-red and not easy to break when bent; inferior products are dark and spotted, and break after 3 folds;
• Insulation layer test: White marks left by scratching with fingernails or whitening by squeezing are mostly recycled plastics;
• Size verification: The diameter of 2.5mm² copper core should be 1.78mm, and the caliper measurement deviation is >5% is suspicious.

3. Channel selection

• Stay away from “40-50% off low-priced wires”. The price of non-standard wires in a certain hardware market is only 40% of the national standard wires, which hides huge risks;
• Ask for invoices and keep samples. Mr. Liu in Changsha locked Fengxu Cable’s responsibility based on the test report.

6. Industry breakthrough: standard upgrade and technological revolution

The new national standard GB/T 5054.1-2024 implemented in 2025 will increase the oil resistance and bending radius of automotive cables by 30%, forcing companies to upgrade their technology.

Baosheng High Voltage and Tsinghua University jointly developed a polypropylene cable. Through COMSOL simulation, the production process was optimized, and the cross-linking link was eliminated to eliminate the pollution of cross-linking by-products. The industry-university-research team of State Grid Liaoning Company has helped my country break through the dependence on imports for high-voltage cable insulation materials.

Leading companies such as Far East Cable have participated in the formulation of more than 150 international and domestic standards, promoting the transparency of key parameters such as the number of mica tape layers and the amount of flame retardant added.

Using a caliper to measure the diameter of the copper core is also measuring the thickness of conscience; using an insulating layer to isolate the current is also isolating greed from life. When the general manager of Hunan Fengxu Cable smashed the camera, he smashed the company’s responsibility contract to the society; when Baosheng High Voltage’s polypropylene cable passed the 110℃ temperature resistance test, it lit the spark of industry self-discipline.

Choosing national standard wires is to choose to bury a safe Great Wall in the wall – it will not compromise thickness due to discounts, and will not burn life due to low prices. The peace of thousands of lights is always built on a good “core” that can withstand measurement.

Extended authoritative reading: State Administration for Market Regulation “Wire and Cable CCC Certification Rules”: [http://www.cqc-3c.com/case/1616.html] Ministry of Emergency Management Electrical Fire Report: [www.bzs.gov.cn/info/1103/43919.htm] State Grid Polypropylene Cable Technology White Paper: [https://www.cannews.com.cn/chanye/2025/07-17/XkJOY7b1.html]