Can I Paint FP cables?

While it might be tempting for an occupier to paint a fire performance cable to match a wall or ceiling colour, or to contrast with some other interior finish, by applying paint to the cable they could be painting the building's occupants into danger.

Our fire performance cables which have been painted will not be in the same condition as when they were tested. As a result, we cannot guarantee the longer-term fire resistance properties regardless of whether or not the paint will have any material reaction with the sheath, either short or long term.

Intumescent Paints

Intumescent paints should provide improved fire performance compared to normal paint, however the previous statements still apply. It should also be noted that intumescent paints can be either water or oil/organic solvent based and may include chlorine-containing compounds.

The oil/organic solvent based intumescent paints are not recommended for use with our LSOH cables.

Other Precautions & Considerations

• Ensure that pools of paint do not collect where they are in contact with the cable.

• Ventilate the space thoroughly so that the paint may dry as quickly as possible.

• Avoid applying standard paint too thickly on the cable.

• It is also worth considering that the marking on the cable sheath, which contains information such as the manufacturer, cable standard, size, voltage, 3rd party approvals and so on, would most likely be obscured should it be painted over – especially if it is printed on rather than embossed.

If it is absolutely necessary to paint the cable, then this information should be reliably recorded for traceability purposes.

Sheath Colours

Standard FP cable sheath colours are white and red, which are suitable for most applications. However, if you really do want to get creative then bespoke colours are available from Prysmian to special order.