Electric wires in Pakistan
Electric wires
Another crucial item required during construction of your house and also as a first step of finishing works are electric wires. Electric wires serve the purpose of supplying current to all your appliances and devices. Electric wire consists of two components, copper conductor and insulation. Copper conductor is the main component that carries current whereas insulation carries the copper conductor in it.
Electric wires used in houses are also known as “General Purpose” wires. This type of wires are manufactured in different sizes and cores however following are only required during house construction:
Single Core 3/.029 or 1.5 mm
Most of the wires used in a residential house are single core 3/.029. Where 3 indicates number of copper conductors inside the insulation and .029 indicates diameter in inches of each conductor. 3/.029 wire is used to supply current to all low voltage appliances and devices.
Single Core 7/.029 or 2.5 mm
7/.029 is the wire that is used as main wires of each room separately where 7 indicates number of copper conductors inside the insulation and .029 indicates diameter in inches of each conductor. A single 7/.029 wire connects respective room with the main DB (Distribution box) hence carrying all load of that particular room excluding air conditioner or any other high current appliance/device that is wired completely separately.
Single Core 7/.036 or 4 mm
Every house consists of many high current appliances such as Air conditioners, electric heaters, electric geezers, ovens etc. Though all these wires can operate on 3/.029 or 7/.029 too, preferred wire for such appliances and devices is 7/.036 electric wires where 7 indicates number of copper conductors inside the insulation and .036 indicates diameter in inches of each conductor.
4 Core 19/.052 or 25mm
A very critical wire used in house construction is 4 core 19/.052 where 19 represents number of strands/conductors in each core and .052 indicates effective cross-section of each core. These wires are used as main wires that connect the main electric supply from high voltage wires to your house. 4 core wires are available both in Copper strands and silver strands, the main supply high voltage wires fixed by the government are made of silver, however it is always recommended to used copper 4 core wires for main connection since it carries all the electric load of a house.
Intercom/telephone cable 1 to 5 pair
All companies manufacturing general cable electric wires for residential or commercial purpose, also make communication cables used for intercoms, telephones and other low voltage devices. These wires are manufactured in different pairs where each pair consists of two separate strands/conductors. 1 pair is generally used throughout the house for telephone connections. Whereas 5 pair is used from Main entrance of house to internal junction box of communication services for connecting intercom, camera, electric locks etc.
Coaxial cable RJ-6/RJ-7
Another important cable that is required nowadays in houses is Coaxial cable that comes in two grades named as RJ-6 or RJ-7 where 6 represents superior quality of signal transmission. Coaxial cables are used for networking, communication dishes, television connections, long range CCTVs etc. Separate conduit/pipes are fixed in walls for coaxial cable where ever connection is required in house for TV/Dish.
There are many brands manufacturing quality general purpose electric wires that claim there wires to be 99% copper and fire proof insulator. Some of them are:
- Pakistan cables
- Fast cables
- FR cables
- GM cables
- Excel cables
Quality check on site for electric wires
Though they might or might not have a conductor that comprises of 99.9% copper, however all these brands are highly recommended. A small fire test can be carried out to test the insulator of wires on site. Take a small piece of wire and light a fire on it, the insulator should not act as a fuel and enhance the fire, it should resist and extinguish the fire quickly. Quality of insulator depends upon the rate at which fire extinguishes. Better the quality, more quickly the fire will extinguish. Secondly copper quality can easily be checked on site by its permanent and ineradicable colour, can be bent and twisted without breaking or stretching. There are many nameless wires available in the market at cheap rates, however most of such wires are of inferior quality. Using such wires in houses or other places is never recommended. Inferior quality wires can cause short circuits resulting in fires and utility bills for electricity consumption can also be on higher sides.
Aoa. How would u rate Pakistan cables, fast cables and GM cables? Is it wise to use Pakistan cables for main, and GM cables for the rest of wiring in terms of quality and cost?
Quality and price wise rating would be:
1: Pakistan cables
2: Fast cables
3: GM cables.
I have been using GM cables since last 10 years in most of my projects and never faced any issue at all. Yes you can use mix and match cables in house like you are saying you can go for Pak cables for main cables and rest GM
So sir what is the difference in Pakistan cables and GM cables apart from their prices, meaning what is the difference in copper percentage and fire insulation quality?
Both claim 99.99% copper. Only a pcsir lab test can confirm what is the truth. Regarding insulation I have performed flame test on both, in both cases insulation does not ignite the flame, hence insulation quality for me atleast is same.
Asalam o Alikum, Dear Mr. Mohsin , I build standard 5 marla house completely 3 story buliding , and plan to install 3 single phase Wapda meter for each story. I know if i install just single meter 2 core 7/.52 main wire is best option. But in that case can use 2 core 7/.44 wire for each meter and story. I already use GM cables for rooms to DB 7/.29 and for AC.s use seperatlly 7/.36 cable. What is your recommendation about use of 7/.44??
Distance is Wapda meter to D.B 65 feet to 85 feet First to 3rd story.
Go for 2 core 7/0.52
What are your comments about pioneer cables, million supreme and age cables
Pioneer cables is good. Never heard of other names
Please prepare a topic and video on circuit breakers in the house and how to calculate breaker for your house.
Ok
New Age cables is the best manufacturer of all cable and wire in Pakistan. Newage was established in 1956 by Mr. Mir Muhammad Azam with the vision of self reliance of a nascent nation and commitment to contribute country’s development by supplying high quality indigenous products to the electrical and industrial infrastructure at competitive rates.
hello sir.
used ship cables best in home wiring or not?
No idea never experienced such cables 🙂
Hello
what wire should be used to power 6 light poles (50 ft high) and 190 meter away from the power source (35 kva generator)
each pole has lights of 5000 watts.
so total watts = 30000
distance from 35 kva generator = 190 meters
As per your provided data, current that shall pass through the cables is:
P=VI
I=P/V=30000/220=136 AMP
Most probable your 35kva generator will be 3 phase. In that case for 190 meters you will require a minimum of 50 mm2 cable pure copper PAKISTAN CABLE. On website of Paksitan cables you can check their current carrying capacity chart that shows 50mm2 has CCC of maximum 134 amp. To be on safe side you can use 70mm2 that has CCC of 171 amp.
https://electronicbase.net/wire-size-calculator/
I also entered provided data on this website and it tells that 73.1 mm2 wire is required minimum. That comes out to be 70 mm2 since there is no such size as 73.1 mm2
Mohsin Bhai
Please guide me about cables for house wiring. Available brands are GM , Eagle and tj
Go for GM out of these three brands.
Sir, if we use a standard cable like pakistan cables for example, can we use 3/0.029 wire for each room from main switch or necessarily needed 7/0.029? (Having AC wires separate). As 3/0.029 wire has 13 Amperes Capacity and one room comprises of one fan and 6 LED bulbs n one LCD, a maximum current load of 2A. Even if iron is used for pressing it takes 5 to 6 Amperes of current in start then reduces once heated. Suggest please.
There will be no issue at all you can use 3/0.029 as main with respect to the load you mentioned.
Best Circuit Breakers for new home kindly rank 1 – 3
1- Schneider
2- Kingson
For main 3 phase breakers Terasaki only
AOA, what about coppergat cables. Are they equivalent to GM and fast cables or not
Yes coppergat are very good cables!
Aoa, what is your opinion about select cables?
http://www.selectcables.com.pk
Never heard about this cable
hi, which cable size is good from 3phase meter to main breaker for 2 motors of 5hp, 2 motors of 3hp and 3 motors of 2hp? all 3 phase. also 10 tube lights and 6 fans approx.
Regards
Can we use Pakistan cable for main wires ( 7/29 , 7/44) and other house wiring with fast cables is it ok
Yes perfectly ok
Great content. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Hello there, Could you please advise about the rates of these brands ( Pakistan cables, Fast cables and GM cables )
Thank you in advance
Will post latest rates on monday
Which cable should I use from single phase meter wire to DB, 7/45, 7/56,7/64 or same wapda single wire which is coming from wapda pool to meter. My single phase meter is 80feet away from House, and it’s hanging on pool and wapda wire is inside my house now. I have to attach that cable with my db. One 1.5 ton split AC, 1 fridge and two rooms attached with it.
7/45 is more than enough
Mid range better Cable for House wiring
Gm cable, english cable , excel cable
Sir can we use 3/29 wire for iron and oven ?
Better use 7/.029
Mohsin! I want to have a DC cabelling as well in my house. So, what cable you recommend to use in DC or Solar cablling.
Moreover, which cable you will recommend between Fast and Newage cables to use in house cabelling. Please do reply.
I have no experience regarding Dc cabling hence can not comment.
Hello Muhsin!
Can you please ftom top to less among Pakistan Cable, Newage and Fast Cable
Pakistan cables on top definitely. Remaining two same.
please let me know your opinion about copper gate cables
A.a i am constructing a new house can you suggest me best cable for home
Pakistan cables,N.S cables,fast cables,GM cables,newage cables etc
Pakistan cables
What is the quality difference between Pakistan cable and GM cable ???
Dear in comparison fast is good or gm cable
Fast
Please suggest that how much cable of 3/29 , 7/29 and 4mm required for a 10 Marla single story house with false ceilings and 4 points of ACs. Waiting for your kind response
It is not possible to estimate in this way. Electric wires requirement can be estimated only after physical checking on site. Ask your electrician who has fixed the conduit to calculate required wires.
Dear brother
Do you recoment fotina cable of Lahore or fast cable.if none of the above kindly tell me the good cable
Never heard of recoment fotina cable. Fast cable is very good
What are your suggestions regarding AGE Cables?
Never used.
Hello Mohsin Munir,
What’s your reviews about united cables??
Never used united cables 😕
That is unfortunate.
But thank you for your kind reply.
I also have another question if you know, which cable brand in Pakistan provides best value for money.
And if there is any cable without electrician token ?
Pakistan cables
No there is no brand without token
Wow the response is so quick thanks a lot dear sir.
Also can you mention how much maximum load can a 7/29 wire bear at 45 Celsius temperature.
18-20 amp of current can easily be carried by 7/.29 pure copper
Can I use 7/29 wire for 1.5 ton Inverter AC
Yes you can use without any worries!
Asslam-o-Alaikum, Mohsin bhai your articles are always helpful for me. You really resolve many problems and confusions of a layman. I need ur assistance in wiring.
Is it recommended to use 25mm 4 core silver wire from society dB to meters and 7/64 16 mm 4 core copper wire from two meters to main dbs of separate portions of house?
For 3/29, 7/29, 7/36 and 4mm what is ur recommended brand newage or GM,, regards
Yes 25 mm in silver or 16 mm in copper both are recommended.
Newage or GM both are equally good you can use either of these.
Dear Mohsin,
Many thanks! You’re creating great awareness.
I’ve two questions.
How do you rate Eagle Cables?
How about the Korean cables available in Bilal Gunj Lahore? Can the 7 strand 1.5mm be used instead of 3/29? Also shed some light on flexible cables.
Thanks for such kind words of appreciation Khawaja Khurram shb.
Eagle cables are good cables I have used quite a few times. You can adopt the testing method as mentioned in my article to check the insulation and copper quality of wire.
I have no experience of Korean cables, from Bilal gunj we only purchase imported copper 16 mm or 25 mm cables that are really good in quality.
Your prompt reply and guidance is highly appreciated.
Stay blessed!
And regarding your 7 strand question, it is my personal opinion that there should be no issue at all if whole wiring in 3/.29 is replaced with 7 strand 1.5 mm cable provided both are in pure copper. But flexible cables can not be used as general wiring in house because per meter cost of flexible/core wires is more as compared to general wires and neutral wire can not be separated at various point as required in general house wiring system.
@Mohsin, Thanks a lot for sharing the info, it’s very helpful. Do you have any idea about Azmat cables? If so, would you recommend it to someone who is not able to get Pakistan Cables due to strike/etc?
I have never heard about Azmat cables in Lahore and Islamabad region.
Is Pakistan Cable is approved from PWD for their projects?
Only Pakistan cables can give you the answer of this question.
Dear Mohsin Sab,
Your article is very helpful for people like us.
Will appreciate If U can advise an estimated electrical cables requirement for my newly constructed house which is 5 Marla (Double story) – in each floor there are total 2 Bed rooms, 1 draining room, 1 Hall, 1 kitchen and 2 bath rooms (2 A.C points on each floor). Please advice Type / size & quantity of cables required. Jazak ALLAH.
Thanks Farhan sb for appreciating
Wiring cables requirement can not be estimated in this way. It has to be checked on site and calculated as per route distance and other requirements
dear mohsin munir ; please advice me which cable is batter from WAPDA meter to main board of home
25 mm 4 core or 35mm 3 core
25 mm 4 core.
Very Good Article. Can Any one here please guide me how much estimate roughly be required to put overground electrical wiring of a house into underground? I can provide further detail if required
What is the size of your house in marlas?
It is not recommended, it should be replaced. Best would be copper into meter and copper into db. However if not possible than it should remain silver throught upto db.
Gauge depends upon the total elec load for your house.
IS there a chart on which I can correlate the power with gauge ?for example if I have three ac working with ups and normal 3 room
Load what would be the gauge I am looking for ?becur I was told a 16 mm gauge should be fine?and should the gauge of the wire that is entering the meter and exiting the meter into db be of same gauge ?or it could vary ?
Dear Usman,
There are plenty of charts available online where you can correlate the load of your house with gauge that you tentatively require. If you have 1.5 ton 3 inverter acs and 3 rooms with standard appliances such as fans, lights, light plugs etc your approximate load will be 3.8 to 4 kwh, for which 16 mm copper is more than enough.
In ideal scenario gauge should be same both input and output of the meter. But if due to whatsoever reasons there is a difference, it wont harm your house or your electric bill to a significant effect.
THANK you so much for the timely responses and I appreciate the good work you are doing .thank you once again
Welcome Usman, looking forward for your contribution on our website in future too. If you have expertise in any field regarding house construction and you can pen it down in form of article, we will post it on our website for the guidance of others with your name.
They say that there shouldn’t be silver and Copper joint ,Is that true ?
True, there must be a bus bar or other method for joining copper and silver, direct joint should be avoided. Causes resistance hence resulting in loss.
if copper wire is coming from wapda into meter and the from meter to DB it is silver ,is it going to cause problem ?and if so would it be better if the copper is turned into silver so that a silver is going thorughout ?or copper into meter and copper from meter into DB ,
and if silver wire is throughout does it cause any problem ?and what gauge should be used ?
sir kindly guide about solar panel cable
Your post is very helpful for me. Thanks
Thanks Hafiz
Dear article writer..please suggest best cable for house..pakistan cables or newage or pioneer or fast..please give sincere advice
Pakistan cables
Can you please comment, which is the 2nd best cable in the market as Pakistan Cables is expensive than all others
Coppergat, excel, allied, gm
Jazakalah for your response,
what is your opinion on Newage and Fast cables, can they be considered as 2nd best?
Yes very good brands!
Aoa sir wapda pole is 800feet faraway from My house which wire is best for electric supply connection.764/772
7/64 is fine
primetrade.pk is best for purchase electric wires cable and cable accessories in pakistan
Thanks for sharing. Will definitely check it out.