Aluminum Alloy Cable

Aluminum alloy cables can replace most copper-core power cables, significantly reducing cable weight while also lowering installation costs. This leads to reduced losses in both equipment and cables, making the installation process much easier. Particularly as China advances its urbanization efforts and undertakes large-scale grid upgrades in both urban and rural areas—especially at a time when copper resources are dwindling and demand for cables continues to rise—adopting aluminum alloy cables could result in annual cost savings exceeding 100 billion yuan.

Safety Performance

Pure aluminum has poor creep resistance; during long-term use, cold-and-heat cycling can lead to gaps forming at cable joints, increasing contact resistance between conductors and causing the connection points to heat up—posing safety risks over time. High-conductivity aluminum alloy conductors effectively address this systemic challenge:

1. Thanks to the unique conductor formulation and heat treatment process, the conductor material exhibits significantly reduced creep tendencies caused by heat and pressure, ensuring that the cable maintains stable connections even under prolonged overheating or overload conditions. This has been thoroughly validated through extensive laboratory testing as well as long-term field performance in Europe and North America.
2. The uniquely designed arched interlocking armor structure of the interlocked armored cable offers exceptional lateral pressure distribution. Made from high-strength, non-magnetic aluminum alloy material, it eliminates eddy current losses while providing excellent heat dissipation, superior corrosion resistance, and outstanding durability—remaining both strong and flexible. Additionally, the smooth interior of the armor prevents damage to the insulation, while delivering outstanding shielding and flame-retardant properties.
3. Aluminum alloy cables come with a full range of connection solutions, along with complementary services such as copper/aluminum accessories. This eliminates system issues like electrochemical corrosion caused by connections between dissimilar metals, as well as high resistance resulting from oxidation or corrosion on metal surfaces—ensuring simpler installation and safer operation.
4. Aluminum alloy cables are lightweight, weighing about 50% less than equivalent copper cables. At the same weight, aluminum alloy cables can be nearly twice as long as copper cables. For large-span structures, this material helps reduce steel usage by up to 15%, while its lower additional load also enhances the overall safety of the building.

Conductive performance

When compared using conductors of the same specifications, aluminum alloy conductors exhibit a conductivity rate exceeding 61% of the commonly used International Annealed Copper Standard (IACS). Moreover, for the same volume, aluminum alloy actually weighs about one-third as much as copper. Calculations show that, under conditions where both materials provide identical electrical performance, an aluminum alloy cable with high conductivity—weighing the same as a copper cable—can be up to twice as long. Therefore, aluminum alloy cables are fully capable of replacing copper cables in terms of electrical performance.

Corrosion resistance

Aluminum alloy conductors that have undergone alloying treatment feature a dense, thin, yet robust oxide layer on their surface. This oxide layer exhibits exceptional resistance to various forms of corrosion, effectively preventing further oxidation of the metal and protecting it from chemical degradation. Aluminum’s inherent ability to withstand even the harshest environmental conditions makes aluminum alloys a popular choice for use as conductors in power cables. In sulfur-rich environments—such as railway tunnels and other similar settings—aluminum alloy conductor cables demonstrate significantly superior corrosion resistance compared to copper-core cables.

Creep resistance performance

The special alloy formulation and heat-treatment process of the aluminum alloy significantly reduce the metal's tendency to "creep" under heat and pressure. Cable connections made with aluminum alloy conductors are just as stable as those created using copper conductors.

Coefficient of expansion

The coefficient of thermal expansion is used to calculate how a material’s dimensions change with temperature variations. High-conductivity aluminum alloy has a slightly higher coefficient of thermal expansion than copper, meaning it expands or contracts more noticeably compared to copper. We recommend using copper-aluminum transition connectors, which have successfully passed the GB/T9327 (IEC61238) 1000-cycle thermal cycling test when connected to high-conductivity aluminum alloy conductors—demonstrating, through rigorous testing, the reliable electrical performance of these connectors for high-conductivity aluminum alloy cables.

Connection Performance

The alloy composition in the aluminum alloy-core power cable conductor significantly enhances the connection performance compared to traditional aluminum cables, which is the fundamental reason it’s approved for use as an alloy conductor material. In particular, when the conductor heats up, the added iron element provides exceptional high-strength creep resistance, ensuring stable connections even under prolonged overloading and overheating conditions.

Note: Connections for aluminum alloy cables do not need to—and should not—be tightened frequently, as this could actually compromise their connection performance.

Mechanical Properties

1. Aluminum alloy cables exhibit 40% less resilience compared to copper cables.
2. Aluminum alloy cables have 20% greater flexibility than copper cables.
3. Aluminum alloy cables offer excellent flexibility, making terminal connections much easier.
4. The special alloy formulation and heat treatment process of aluminum alloy cables significantly reduce the metal's tendency to "creep" under heat and pressure, ensuring that electrical connections made with aluminum conductor cables are just as stable as those using copper conductors.
5. Aluminum alloy cables have a slightly higher coefficient of thermal expansion compared to copper cables, meaning they expand or contract more noticeably than copper. As a result, the conductors of aluminum alloy cables cannot be connected using copper connectors.

Economic Performance

Using aluminum alloy cables can replace most copper-core power cables, significantly reducing cable weight while also lowering installation costs. This leads to reduced losses in both equipment and cables, making the installation process much easier.

To achieve the same electrical performance, the direct procurement cost of aluminum alloy cables is approximately 50% lower than that of copper cables. Additionally, general building installation and construction costs can be reduced by more than 15%, while large-span structures may see savings exceeding 20%. Particularly during China's urbanization efforts and rural-urban grid upgrades—periods when copper resources are dwindling and cable demand continues to surge—adopting aluminum alloy cables could lead to annual cost savings exceeding 100 billion yuan. This not only helps governments and businesses significantly reduce their investment but also plays a crucial role in fostering a resource-efficient society and economy, with far-reaching benefits for the nation as a whole.

Aluminum alloy cables, which deliver the same performance as copper cables, weigh only 50% of their copper counterparts. This lighter weight significantly reduces the structural load on buildings, making them particularly well-suited for large-span steel structures—where they can even help cut steel structure costs by up to 15%. Compared to copper cables laid in cable trays, interlocked-armored aluminum alloy cables can be installed using direct support methods, eliminating the need for costly cable tray systems. As a result, this approach not only eases construction efforts but also lowers both installation and transportation expenses, ultimately boosting overall installation efficiency.

Highly flexible interlocked armored aluminum alloy cable that meets halogen-free, low-smoke, and flame-retardant requirements. Currently, in the domestic market, halogen-free, low-smoke, flame-retardant Class A cables are priced more than 15% higher than standard cables. However, our company’s interlocked armored aluminum alloy cable achieves the same high standards—halogen-free, low-smoke, and flame-retardant Class A performance—while significantly reducing procurement costs.

Energy-saving and environmentally friendly performance

Promoting energy conservation and emission reduction to drive economic structural adjustments is the inevitable path toward transforming our growth model—and it’s also the natural choice for building a resource-efficient, eco-friendly society. When compared under identical conditions, cables made from a new type of aluminum alloy conductor material weigh only half as much as copper cables, significantly reducing carbon emissions during transportation and installation.

Aluminum alloys boast an exceptionally high recycling rate when it comes to energy conservation and regeneration. Recycled aluminum is a highly energy-efficient, environmentally friendly industry—its overall energy consumption is just 5% of that required for primary aluminum production via electrolysis, while recycled copper uses only 18% of the energy needed to smelt virgin copper.

Product Execution Standard

This product is manufactured in accordance with the GB/T 31840.1-2015 standard, "Aluminum Alloy Core Extruded Insulated Power Cables Rated from 1 kV (Um = 1.2 kV) to 35 kV (Um = 40.5 kV), Part 1: Cables Rated at 1 kV (Um = 1.2 kV) and 3 kV (Um = 3.6 kV)."

We can manufacture according to standards such as IEC, IS, AS/NZS, JIS, BS, ASTM, DIN, and more—and we also accommodate customers' specific requirements.

Common product models and names