CCCA Study- Offshore Cat 5e and Cat 6 still pose fire risk
Posted by Brian Brown on Tue, Nov 03, 2009
Full disclosure: Accu-Tech is a member of the Communications Cable Connectivity Association, CCCA.
UPDATE 11/10/2009: Cabling Installation & Maintenance has reported on the study as well. Their article can be found here.
Just over a year ago, the CCCA released their findings of nine randomly selected offshore-manufactured cables. Each of the cable samples were rated for either Cat 5e or Cat 6 performance, typically used in local area networks (LAN). Additionally, each sample had plenum certification printed directly on the jacket. The cables were tested to determine if they met the minimum standards of fire safety codes and minimum requirements for their performance rating (Cat 5e or Cat 6). The results of this 2008 study sent shock waves throughout the industry.
Of the nine samples randomly selected:
- 8 of 9 samples failed to meet National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) minimum code requirements for low flame spread and/or smoke safety requirements
- Many of the samples failed the flame spread and smoke test catastrophically
- 9 of 9 samples, Cat 5e and Cat 6, did not fully comply with TIA 568-B industry minimum requirements for physical and electrical performance
The CCCA didn't stop there. In July 2009, CCCA conducted a second round of testing offshore-manufactured plenum-rated Cat 5e and Cat 6 cable. This time 8 samples were taken for testing, 5 of which came from companies who's products failed the initial 2008 study.
- 6 of 8 failed to meet the minimum NFPA code requirements for low flame spread and/or smoke generation for installation in commercial buildings, schools and multi-tenant residences.
- All of the 6 failing samples exhibited catastrophic results.
- 3 of 8 failed to meet the minimum electrical performance required by industry standards for Category 5e and 6 cables, to which they also claimed independent test certifications.
- 4 of the 5 repeat companies' samples failed the fire safety tests for a second year in a row.
How can these complete failures happen? During a phone interview this past summer, I had the opportunity to ask Kevin St. Cyr, founding chairman of the Communications Cable and Connectivity Association, this very question and he had this response: "Either these manufacturers are trying to cheat the system or they made a mistake. It's the CCCA's feeling they're trying to cheat."
I believe the 2009 results confirm the CCCA's suspicion.
But, how do these offshore-manufactured cables receive certification? The key to this entire equation is what's known as a golden sample, a sample product which is near perfect in every way. These manufacturers ‘cherry pick' the material they know will pass certification and send it off for testing. These golden samples are often created in a laboratory setting and initially pass the strict certification process. When full scale manufacturing begins, the product and materials used to create it are cheapened to cut costs. Without a re-testing procedure, these practices go unchecked and unnoticed. This is where the CCCA has stepped in.
St. Cyr explains, "Plenum cable is a robust design when properly made. These import cables were obiviously not made properly. We (the CCCA) want to make sure the industry, customers, and contractors purchasing this stuff are aware of what they're buying."
When you look at manufacturers' costs for producing plenum cable, they're all relatively similar. As mentioned above, Cat 5e and Cat 6 plenum cables are robust products and are fairly expensive to produce. When an alternative is offered at a significantly cheaper price, you have to ask yourself how is this possible? What corners have been cut to arrive at this price point?
These studies bring to light the true costs of purchasing and installing low quality material. As an industry, we must police ourselves and demand proper certification and testing. With so much at risk, it's not an option, but a necessity.
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