There are five basic types of Fire Alarm Cable that are identifiable by the areas where they are approved for use by the National Electric Code.
FPL— Power Limited for general purposes. This designation indicates that this fire alarm cable is non-plenum rated, and may not be installed in risers, ducts, plenums, or other spaces used for environmental air unless first installed in conduit. Although FPL cables resist the spread of fire, they are not typically as fire-resistant as plenum and riser-rated cables.
FPLR— Power Limited Suitable for the floor to floor, or “riser-rated.” Risers are the spaces that run vertically from floor to floor in a building. The National Electric Code requires FPLR cable to be fire-resistant to prevent fires from spreading through multiple floors of a building.
FPLP— Power Limited Suitable for use in ducts, plenums, and other spaces dedicated to air circulation because of the extra safety features incorporated into its design. This Cable is plenum-rated, fire-resistant, and produces little smoke in the case of a fire.
NPLF— Non-Power Limited for general purpose.
NPLFP— Non-Power Limited Suitable for use in ducts, plenums, and other spaces.
Fire alarm cable selection depends on the circuit design, building environment and applicable electrical codes. FPL, FPLR and FPLP cables serve different installation requirements, while non-power-limited circuits may require other appropriately rated cable constructions.
Xingfa is among the fire alarm cable manufacturers supplying UL 1424 power-limited cable options for building fire detection and signaling systems.
For procurement enquiries, contact Xingfa with your required cable rating, conductor size, shielding requirements and order quantity.
