What is SWA Cable?

Essentially, any cable with a layer of aluminium wire armour (AWA) or steel wire armour (SWA) is called
armoured cable. It’s commonly found outside as it gives the internal conductor extra protection, but
armoured cable is also used to provide protection against pulling loads.

In the cross section below you can see the five different layers of an SWA cable. The copper conductor
sits in the middle, surrounded by insulation, bedding, a layer of steel wires, and in this case, a black PVC
sheath. The number of cores simply refers to the number of conductors that run through the middle – in
the image below you can see a two core SWA cable. Low smoke and fume cables (LSF) are used in public
buildings, as these emit non-toxic fumes in the event of a fire.

You should consider buying some SWA cable if you need something tough that will withstand the
unpredictable British weather. If you do ever need to pull this kind of cable up, just be aware of the
bend radius as it is pulled around corners. Generally, the bend radius is around eight times the overall
cable diameter.

Check out our range of SWA Cable or give us a call and we can discuss what’s best.