§01 — THE CODE
A Chinese cable designation reads left to right, and every letter changes something physical.
Most export buyers meet Chinese designations through a tender: YJV22 8.7/15 kV 3×240. The number part is easy. The letters carry the construction, and they are not decorative — each one changes what is inside the cable and how it behaves on site.
§02 — LETTER BY LETTER
The four positions that matter most.
| Position | Letter | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Aislamiento | Y / V / Z | Y = XLPE, V = PVC, Z = flame-retardant (usually with a following code for the compound) |
| Conductor / filler | (none) / T | Copper is normally omitted; L = aluminium conductor |
| Inner covering / screen | V / F | V = PVC sheath over the laid-up core; F = flexible variant for specific ranges |
| Armadura | 22 / 23 / 32 / 42 | 2 = steel tape, 3 = steel wire, 4 = non-magnetic; the second digit is the outer sheath (2 = PVC, 3 = PE) |
So YJV22 is XLPE insulated, PVC sheathed, steel-tape armoured. YJV23 is the same cable with a PE sheath — the right choice where the cable is buried in wet soil, because PE resists moisture better than PVC.
§03 — CONTROL AND LSZH
KVV and WDZC-KYJY decode differently.
Control cable uses K for control, then insulation, then shielding and armour: KVV is PVC/PVC, KVVP adds a braid screen (P for screened), KVVP2 a tape screen, KVV22 steel-tape armour.
Low-smoke halogen-free control cable reads as a sentence: W (no halogen) D (low smoke) Z (flame-retardant) C (C category per the bunched test) — then K control, YJ XLPE insulated, Y PE sheath. That is WDZC-KYJY, the cable our type-test report covers.
The designation never tells you the voltage class — that is always written separately as U₀/U, e.g. 8.7/15 kV.
§04 — FAQ
Is YJV22 the same as SWA cable?
Not exactly. YJV22 is steel-tape armour (STA), which is what most buyers actually need for direct burial. Steel-wire armour (SWA) is YJV32 or YJV33. Many enquiries ask for SWA when the specification really describes STA.
What does the second digit in 22 / 23 mean?
The outer sheath material: 2 = PVC, 3 = polyethylene. PE sheathing is the better choice in wet or termite-prone ground.
Where does the aluminium conductor show up?
As an L after the insulation letter: YJLV22 is the aluminium version of YJV22. Copper is the default and is left out of the code.
