CCA, CCS and now CCC - Why You Should Care

Copper can be up to 80% of the cost of a cable. It is no surprise then that alternatives to copper are constantly being sought.

The most common alternative to copper used in the electrical industry is aluminium. Widely used in power distribution, many aluminium cables are buried under the road as power cables.

Aluminium offers significant advantages over copper – it’s lighter, less prone to theft and is considerably cheaper. The main disadvantages are its lack of flexibility, higher resistance and lower conductivity compared with copper.

This means you have to use more of it to carry the same current or amps. In a power cable this is not normally a problem as you only have to go up a size or two. It results in a bigger overall cable using more insulation, sheathing and armouring, but the savings made over an equivalent copper cable are considerable.

Aluminium is also used in some high frequency coaxial cables where aluminium can perform better than copper at very high frequencies (GHz).

In both these cases the aluminium is bare (silvery in colour) and is easily spotted. It is not being disguised to look like copper. Increasingly, the practice of substituting solid copper with CCA (Copper Clad Aluminium) is reaching the UK. Here, it appears the primary reason for cladding the aluminium in copper is to deceive.

CCA Cables

CCA cables are made by forging aluminium into an 8mm diameter rod with a copper foil wrapped longitudinally around it. The seam is welded to perfectly enclose the aluminium in copper.

The rod is then drawn through a series of die that reduce its diameter by up to 0.2mm at a time until eventually it reaches the size required – normally between 0.6mm and 0.12mm.

The foil is reduced in the same proportion to the aluminium and can form 10-15% of the thickness of the conductor but up to 30% of the weight depending on the thickness of the foil to start with.

Although this may sound like a lot of work the cost savings are massive. The main cables currently being produced like this are Cat-5E, burglar alarm and security cables, coaxes and in the worst cases fire alarm cable.

Unlike power cables the main reason to clad an aluminium cable with copper is to deceive. The cores look like copper but are in fact mainly aluminium. Often these cables will be described as network or data cables because the standards for Cat-5E specify copper.

At one end of the scale it is cheating customers, at the other it is highly dangerous. The resistance of aluminium is significantly higher than copper which means the signal will not carry over long runs.

Aluminium is much more brittle so it may fracture if used in an IDC (Insulation Displacement Connector) or screw down terminal. Also, galvanic corrosion can easily occur at point of termination if the metal contact is not matched to the conductor material. CCC Cables Another significant problem just coming to light is the use of recycled copper as a conductor material. Known as CCC (Copper Clad Copper), these conductors use low grade copper alloys made from mixing recycled copper with impurities such as brass, tin and other contaminants and forming them into 8mm rod. This

CCC Cables

Another significant problem just coming to light is the use of recycled copper as a conductor material.

Known as CCC (Copper Clad Copper), these conductors use low grade copper alloys made from mixing recycled copper with impurities such as brass, tin and other contaminants and forming them into 8mm rod.

This is then clad in copper foil and reduced using the same process as CCA resulting in a conductor full of impurities with a very high oxygen content and resistance that may be even higher than aluminium.

This can be very difficult to spot as the conductor looks ‘yellow-ish’ (much like copper when cut through). The best way to check is to measure the resistance of the conductor if you have the right equipment.

CCS Cables

CCS (Copper Clad Steel) has been around for many years but until recently was only used in specific applications such as in some coaxial cables. In RG59 B/U for example it is used correctly and in accordance with the standard for the central conductor. Unfortunately it is now being used for braids and even conductors. The good news is this is very easy to detect with a magnet.

Good quality cables normally use pure electrolytic copper. This is produced by dissolving copper plates in an acidic solution and reforming them through the electrolysis process. This removes most of the impurities and oxygen leaving a highly conductive, workable material.

The annealing process uses heat to soften the pure copper wire enabling it to then be drawn into the fine strands used in flexible cables.

Some suppliers clearly state CCA or CCS in their description but if in doubt ask for a technical datasheet. If you are being offered cheap cable you should be cautious. You should be very careful if the description or spec sheet mentions CCA, CCS or Copper Alloy.

Generally the extra cost of installing a good quality product made from the correct materials is small compared with the cost of fault finding and possible remedial action at a later date.