Bottom line: map UK BS cables to Chinese GB standards by application and standard family — never by type number. PVC building wire maps to GB/T 5023 (BV/BVV), rubber-insulated flexible cable to GB/T 5013 (YZ), flexible cord to GB/T 5023 (RVV), mining trailing cable to GB/T 12972, overhead insulated cable to GB/T 14049 / GB/T 12527, while rail signalling and defence types fall under special approval that ordinary commercial production cannot simply stand in for.

Data source: cabledatasheet.com CableHub public cable directory. Important: the "Chinese equivalent" column is a standard-family level mapping (e.g. IEC 60227 ↔ GB/T 5023), not a type-by-type 1:1 substitution. Any real substitution must follow the design institute or purchasing specification and require the target-country approvals and tests.

1. Family-level quick table (start here)

Application UK standard family Representative types Chinese equivalent Common Chinese type
Building wire (PVC) BS 6004 6242Y, 6241Y, 6181Y, 3192A GB/T 5023 BV, BVV, BVVB
Rubber-insulated wiring BS 6007 H05G-K, H07G-R, H05SJ-K GB/T 5013 YZ, YC
Appliance / equipment cord BS 6195 Type 4A~5F GB/T 5023 RV, RVV
Switchgear wiring (600V PVC) BS 6231 Type AK, BK, CK, CR GB/T 5023 BV, BVR
Flexible cord BS 6500 H03RT-F, H05SJ-K GB/T 5023 RVV
Overhead insulated cable BS 6485 Type 8, Type 16 GB/T 14049 / GB/T 12527 JKYJ, JKTRYJ
Mining flexible / trailing BS 6708 Type 7/7M/7S, 307, 321, 631 and 32 types in total GB/T 12972 Mining rubber-sheathed (MCP, MY)
Alarm / intrusion detection BS 4737-3.30 Type 1 (LSHF), Type 2/3 (PVC) GB/T alarm cable Per project specification
Aircraft cable BS 3G 210 Type A, Type CSM GJB (aircraft cable) Military system
Defence standard cable DEF STAN 61-012 / 61-12 Type 1~5, 1SB, 2SBM etc. GJB equivalent Military system
Rail signalling cable NR/PS/SIG/00005 Type A1~E3 (13 types) GB/T (signalling cable) Railway signalling cable

2. Full type comparison (97 records, grouped by standard family)

Application UK standard Types Chinese equivalent
Aircraft cable BS 3G 210 Type A, Type CSM GJB (aircraft cable)
Alarm / intrusion detection BS 4737-3.30 Type 1 (LSHF), Type 2 (PVC), Type 3 (higher resistance PVC) GB/T alarm cable
Building wire (PVC, non-armoured) BS 6004 3192A, 3182A, 3183A, 3184A, 3185A; 6181Y, 6192Y, 6193Y; 6241Y, 6242Y, 6243Y GB/T 5023 (BV/BVV class)
Rubber-insulated wiring BS 6007 H05G-K, H05G-U, H05S-K, H05S-U, H05SJ-K, H07G-K, H07G-R, H07G-U GB/T 5013 (YZ class)
Appliance / equipment cord BS 6195 Type 4A, 4C, 4D, 4E, 4F, 5A, 5C, 5D, 5E, 5F GB/T 5023
Switchgear wiring (600V PVC) BS 6231 Type AK, AU, BK, BR, BU, CK, CR, CU GB/T 5023
Overhead insulated cable BS 6485 Type 8, Type 16 GB/T 14049 / GB/T 12527
Flexible cord BS 6500 H03RT-F, H05SJ-K GB/T 5023 (RVV class)
Mining flexible cable BS 6708 Type 7, 7M, 7S, 11, 14, 16, 20, 21, 43, 44, 62, 63, 64, 70, 71, 201, 211, 307, 307M, 307S, 321, 331, 506, 512, 518, 524, 621, 630, 631, 730, 830, FS4 (32 types) GB/T 12972 (mining rubber-sheathed)
UK defence standard cable DEF STAN 61-012: PART 6 Type 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 25B, 2SBM, 4SB GJB equivalent (military system)
UK military standard cable DEF STAN 61-12: PART 18 Type 1, 1SB, 1SBM, 2, 2SB, 2SBM GJB equivalent (military system)
Rail signalling cable NR/PS/SIG/00005 Type A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, C1, C2, C3, D1, D2, E1, E2, E3 GB/T (signalling cable)

3. Four substitutions that most often go wrong

1. Building wire: 6242Y is not "BV"

6242Y under BS 6004 is Twin & Earth flat cable — phase, neutral and a bare circuit protective conductor in one flat sheath. Chinese BV is a single round core and BVV is round sheathed; there is no structurally identical off-the-shelf Chinese type. Both may sit under "PVC building wire → GB/T 5023", but an order for 6242Y means building a flat construction to order. 6181Y (single-core PVC) is the one that maps cleanly to BV/BVV.

2. Mining: BS 6708 type numbers cannot be matched one by one

BS 6708 carries 32 types (7, 7M, 7S, 307, 307M, 307S, 321, 331, 506…) distinguishing shearers, trailing reels, transport vehicles, lighting and other duties. Chinese GB/T 12972 is also selected by duty and application, not by type number, and mining products additionally need the national safety mark for mining products (MA) plus whatever the mine owner requires. Quoting "Type 321 = model X" is a recipe for rejection at inspection.

3. Rail: NR/PS/SIG/00005 is a Network Rail owner specification

These 13 types (A1~E3) are Network Rail's dedicated signalling cable specification, not a generic national standard. A Chinese alternative must respond clause by clause to the owner specification and go through railway product approval — a generic "GB/T signalling cable" is not equivalent to compliance.

4. Defence and aircraft: DEF STAN and BS 3G 210 sit in the military system

DEF STAN 61-012, 61-12 and BS 3G 210 map to the GJB military system. These are not supplied off an ordinary commercial line: they involve confidentiality, qualification and military approval. If these type numbers appear in an enquiry, confirm your own qualification before promising anything.

4. What else you need to export to the UK

Item Requirement
Third-party approval UK projects commonly require BASEC (6181B, for example, is BASEC approved) or LPCB; system level looks to BSI
Routine test evidence BS EN 60754 (halogen / acid gas), BS EN 61034 (smoke density), BS EN 60332 (flame propagation); fire survival to BS EN 50200 / BS 6387
Wiring regulations BS 7671 — burial shallower than 50 mm calls for BS 8436 with metallic screen and nail penetration testing
Sector approval Mining: mine owner approval; Rail: Network Rail; Defence: DEF STAN qualification

For the BS system itself, start with BS Series Cable Guide.

Once the type and approval list for your project is settled, check it against Hualan's product catalogue to see whether an existing line covers it, then have the cable built to the project specification.

FAQ

Q1: Can UK 6242Y be replaced by Chinese BV cable? A: Not directly. 6242Y is Twin & Earth flat construction with a bare protective conductor, while Chinese BV is a single round core — the constructions do not match, so substitution means building the flat design to order. Single-core PVC types such as 6181Y are the ones that map cleanly to BV/BVV under GB/T 5023.

Q2: What approvals does Chinese GB/T 5023 wire need for the UK market? A: Meeting the standard is only the threshold. UK projects usually want third-party product approval — most often BASEC, with LPCB for fire-related work and Lloyd's Register for marine. Have test evidence ready for BS EN 60754 (halogen/acid gas), BS EN 61034 (smoke density) and BS EN 60332 (flame propagation).

Q3: Can BS 6708 type numbers be matched directly to Chinese mining cable models? A: No. The 32 types under BS 6708 are distinguished by duty — shearer, trailing, transport, lighting — and Chinese GB/T 12972 is likewise selected by application, so the numbering does not correspond one to one. Mining product safety marking and owner approval also have to be settled per project.

Q4: Can we supply defence and aircraft types such as DEF STAN or BS 3G 210? A: These map to the GJB military system and involve confidentiality and military qualification; they are not supplied from an ordinary commercial cable line. If such types appear in an enquiry, check your own qualification before quoting as if it were a standard cable.

Q5: Is this comparison table a type-by-type 1:1 substitution? A: No. The "Chinese equivalent" column is a standard-family level mapping (IEC 60227 ↔ GB/T 5023, mining ↔ GB/T 12972): it says the material system and application sit in the same family, not that one UK type can be swapped for one Chinese type. Real substitution must follow the design institute or purchasing specification, with the target-country approvals and tests completed.

Chinese version: 英国电缆型号对照表（中文）

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