Similar International Standards
EN 13601:2021CEN (European Committee for Standardization), Europe
HighCurrent
Copper and copper alloys — Copper rod, bar and wire for general electrical purposes
Specifies composition, property requirements, and tolerances for copper rods, bars, and wires for electrical applications.
ASTM B187 / B187M-20ASTM International, USA
HighCurrent
Standard Specification for Copper, Bus Bar, Rod, and Shapes and General Purpose Rod, Bar, and Shapes
Covers copper bus bars, rods, and shapes intended for use as electrical conductors.
JIS H 3250:2022JSA (Japanese Standards Association), Japan
MediumCurrent
Copper and copper alloy rods and bars
Covers a wide range of copper alloy rods and bars, including specific grades (e.g., C1100) for electrical purposes.
BS 2874:1986BSI (British Standards Institution), UK
HighWithdrawn
Specification for copper and copper alloy rods and sections (other than forging stock)
Was the primary British standard for copper rods for various uses, including electrical grade C101 (equivalent to Cu-ETP).
Key Differences
≠The designation and granularity of temper/hardness conditions vary. IS 197 uses 'As manufactured (M)', 'Half Hard (HH)', and 'Hard (H)', while EN 13601 uses a more detailed system based on minimum tensile strength (e.g., R200, R250) or hardness (e.g., H065, H085).
≠Material grade nomenclature is different. IS 197 uses abbreviations like 'ETP' and 'OF', whereas ASTM uses the UNS system (e.g., C11000 for ETP) and EN uses alphanumeric codes (e.g., CW004A for Cu-ETP).
≠International standards like EN 13601 offer multiple classes of dimensional tolerances (e.g., Class A and B for stricter control), a feature not present in IS 197, which specifies a single set of tolerances.
≠The scope of product forms can differ. IS 197 is specific to rods and bars, while EN 13601 also includes 'wire' and ASTM B187 explicitly covers custom extruded 'shapes'.
Key Similarities
≈All standards specify high-purity Electrolytic Tough Pitch (ETP) copper as the primary material for electrical applications, ensuring high conductivity.
≈The maximum specified electrical resistivity for annealed copper is nearly identical across all standards, benchmarked against the International Annealed Copper Standard (100% IACS).
≈The core set of mandatory technical requirements is consistent, including chemical composition, electrical resistivity, tensile strength, and elongation.
≈All standards require products to be free from significant physical defects (e.g., cracks, spills, fins) that would impair their end-use performance, and mandate bend tests to ensure ductility.