Electrical Lighting Cables - Chosing the one for you

Are you a little daunted by choosing electrical cable?  Has your electrician asked you to source the electrical cable for a lighting project or chandelier restoration but not specified which cable you are to purchase?

In this blog we aim to give you some information that will assist with your choice and help you avoid ordering an incorrect item.

There are a few questions you need to ask yourself or your electrician before you start.

1. Do you need 2 core electric cable or 3 core electric cable?  2 core electrical cable does NOT have an earth and so is suitable for plastic lamp holders only - 3 core electrical cable HAS an earth and so is suitable for using with metal lamp holders
2. What is the amp requirements of your light fitting/chandelier? Light-Fix supply both 0.75mm and 0.50mm INNER core cables and as the core size suggests they have different amp suitability.  0.50mm inner core cables available from Light-Fix.co.uk have a maximum 3 amp rating and 0.75mm inner core cables available from our website have a maximum 6 amp rating.
3. In addition to the amps look at the wattage your light fitting/chandelier will be using - if in doubt check with your electrician or contact us at info@light-fix.co.uk
4. If using 2 core electrical cable do you need to earth your light fitting - this is going to depend on your lighting project and if it includes any metal components.  Earth tags are available from our website, your electrician can advise on the appropriate use of earth tags.
5. You will also need to take into account the outer width of the electrical cable and the space you have too thread the cable through on your light fitting.  Please note the outer diameter of the cable is NOT the 0.75mm and 0.50mm dimensions referred to in the main cable descriptions, as previously advised these are the inner cores not outer dimensions.  As a general rule the 0.50mm inner core cable available from our website is approx. 5-6mm outer diameter and the 0.75mm inner core is approx. 6-7mm however there are a couple of variants to these measurements including a mini clear cable which is the thinnest and strongest lighting cable that we have come across - if you need a thin cable for your lighting project this is the only one we would recommend.

You will find a comprehensive range of colours, styles and finishes in our electrical cable section including clear cables, vintage styles and colours, pvc finishes etc with minimum order levels of just one metre up to bulk orders by the 50 and 100 metre spools.