Why it is ok to like SWA cable

Read the headlines and you could be mistaken for thinking the world has gone off cable. Take Intel, for example, who only last month revealed we are now one step closer to being able to power computers and electronic gadgets wirelessly. Its research into magnetic induction technology does suggest we might one day be able work in an office free from the tangle of wires. What it doesn’t say, however, is that if we lived in a world without cables, we wouldn’t get a whole lot done.

As a cable supplier, we obviously have a soft spot for anything with a conductor, a bit of insulation and a protective sheath. And that’s because, for us, cable isn’t so much about the spaghetti junction quietly forming under our desks. It’s about problem solving and working with materials that are actually rather clever.

One such cable is SWA or Steel Wire Armoured Cable. Ok, so you won’t find this robust mains electricity cable to BS5467 or BS6724 (in the case of the LSZH version) with copper conductors, XLPE insulation, steel wire armour and a PVC sheath under your desk. It also won’t light up Glastonbury or allow you to watch the UEFA Champions League final. But we think it’s pretty special – and tough.

The mechanical protection provided by its steel wire armour (aluminium wire armour if single core) makes it particularly handy in external or underground projects. Building and construction companies like it, the rail industry likes it and automation and process control systems can’t seem to get enough of it.

Of course, you don’t just have to take our word for it. In fact, over the last three years we have supplied 11,215,622m of quality cable all over the world. This includes 11,270m to the Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works for the construction of a multi-million dollar water treatment plant in Iraq. The cables, ranging in size from 1.5mm² to 240mm² are being used for mains power and pump supply in the Al Afak – Al Badire Water Project.

So next time you wish for a world without cables, spare a thought for SWA – underground, underestimated and available now. 

11,270m in real life

End to end the amount of SWA Cable used in the water treatment plant:

1)    would stretch higher than 34 Eiffel Towers.

2)    would run the length of more than 112 football pitches.

3)    would work out longer than 339 double decker buses.

And over three years we’ve sold enough cable to circle the Earth 280 times

Featured Downloads

• SWA Cable - BS5467 Steel Wire Armoured PVC
• SWA Cable - BS6724 Steel Wire Armoured LSZH