IEC 61537:2023

Cable management - Cable tray systems and cable ladder systems

IEC 61537:2023 specifies requirements and tests for cable tray systems and cable ladder systems intended for the support and accommodation of cables and possibly other electrical equipment in electrical and/or communication systems installations. Where necessary, cable tray systems and cable ladder systems can be used for the arrangement of cables into groups.
This document does not apply to conduit systems, cable trunking systems and cable ducting systems or to any current-carrying parts.
This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition published in 2006. This edition constitutes a technical revision.
This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous edition:
new, repositioned and renumbered figures,
revised classification for corrosion,
revised SWL test types and procedures,
new tests for lengths mounted vertical running horizontal and mounted vertical running vertical,
tests for support devices: cantilevers, pendants, C shape ceiling supports and trapeze systems,
new and revised annexes including use of tray as a protective earth conductor.

Systèmes de câblage - Systèmes de chemin de câbles et systèmes d'échelle à câbles

L'IEC 61537:2023 spécifie les exigences et les essais pour les systèmes de chemin de câbles et les systèmes d'échelle à câbles prévus pour le support, le logement des câbles et éventuellement d'autres équipements électriques dans des installations électriques et/ou des systèmes de communication. Si nécessaire, les systèmes de chemin de câbles et les systèmes d'échelle à câbles peuvent être utilisés pour le regroupement de câbles.
Le présent document ne s'applique pas aux systèmes de conduits, systèmes de goulottes et systèmes de conduits-profilés ou toutes parties transportant le courant.
Cette troisième édition annule et remplace la deuxième édition parue en 2006. Cette édition constitue une révision technique.
Cette édition inclut les modifications techniques majeures suivantes par rapport à l'édition précédente:
des figures ont été ajoutées, déplacées et renumérotées;
la classification pour la corrosion a été révisée;
les types d'essais sous CPS et les procédures d'essai associées ont été révisés;
des essais ont été ajoutés pour les longueurs montées verticalement et cheminant horizontalement et pour les longueurs montées verticalement et cheminant verticalement;
essais des dispositifs de support: cantilevers, pendards, supports de plafond en C et systèmes de trapèze;
des annexes ont été ajoutées et révisées, y compris l'utilisation du chemin comme conducteur de terre de protection.

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 23-Jan-2023
• ICS: 29.120.10 - Conduits for electrical purposes
• Technical Committee: SC 23A - Cable management systems
• Drafting Committee: MT 12 - TC 23/SC 23A/MT 12
• Current Stage: PPUB - Publication issued
• Start Date: 17-Feb-2023
• Completion Date: 24-Jan-2023

Relations

• Revises: IEC 61537:2006 - Cable management - Cable tray systems and cable ladder systems
• Effective Date: 05-Sep-2023

Standards Content (Sample)

IEC 61537
®

Edition 3.0 2023-01
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE


Cable management – Cable tray systems and cable ladder systems

Systèmes de câblage – Systèmes de chemin de câbles et systèmes d'échelle à
câbles

IEC 61537:2023-01(en-fr)

---------------------- Page: 1 ----------------------
THIS PUBLICATION IS COPYRIGHT PROTECTED
Copyright © 2023 IEC, Geneva, Switzerland

All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from
either IEC or IEC's member National Committee in the country of the requester. If you have any questions about IEC
copyright or have an enquiry about obtaining additional rights to this publication, please contact the address below or
your local IEC member National Committee for further information.


Droits de reproduction réservés. Sauf indication contraire, aucune partie de cette publication ne peut être reproduite ni
utilisée sous quelque forme que ce soit et par aucun procédé, électronique ou mécanique, y compris la photocopie et
les microfilms, sans l'accord écrit de l'IEC ou du Comité national de l'IEC du pays du demandeur. Si vous avez des
questions sur le copyright de l'IEC ou si vous désirez obtenir des droits supplémentaires sur cette publication, utilisez
les coordonnées ci-après ou contactez le Comité national de l'IEC de votre pays de résidence.

IEC Secretariat Tel.: [phone]
3, rue de Varembé [e-mail]
CH-1211 Geneva 20 www.iec.ch
Switzerland

About the IEC
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is the leading global organization that prepares and publishes
International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies.

About IEC publications
The technical content of IEC publications is kept under constant review by the IEC. Please make sure that you have the
latest edition, a corrigendum or an amendment might have been published.

IEC publications search - webstore.iec.ch/advsearchform IEC Products & Services Portal - products.iec.ch
The advanced search enables to find IEC publications by a Discover our powerful search engine and read freely all the
variety of criteria (reference number, text, technical publications previews. With a subscription you will always have
committee, …). It also gives information on projects, replaced access to up to date content tailored to your needs.
and withdrawn publications.

Electropedia - www.electropedia.org
IEC Just Published - webstore.iec.ch/justpublished
The world's leading online dictionary on electrotechnology,
Stay up to date on all new IEC publications. Just Published
containing more than 22 300 terminological entries in English
details all new publications released. Available online and once
and French, with equivalent terms in 19 additional languages.
a month by email.
Also known as the International Electrotechnical Vocabulary

(IEV) online.
IEC Customer Service Centre - webstore.iec.ch/csc
If you wish to give us your feedback on this publication or need
further assistance, please contact the Customer Service
Centre: [e-mail].


A propos de l'IEC
La Commission Electrotechnique Internationale (IEC) est la première organisation mondiale qui élabore et publie des
Normes internationales pour tout ce qui a trait à l'électricité, à l'électronique et aux technologies apparentées.

A propos des publications IEC
Le contenu technique des publications IEC est constamment revu. Veuillez vous assurer que vous possédez l’édition la
plus récente, un corrigendum ou amendement peut avoir été publié.

Recherche de publications IEC - Découvrez notre puissant moteur de recherche et consultez
webstore.iec.ch/advsearchform gratuitement tous les aperçus des publications. Avec un
La recherche avancée permet de trouver des publications IEC abonnement, vous aurez toujours accès à un contenu à jour
en utilisant différents critères (numéro de référence, texte, adapté à vos besoins.
comité d’études, …). Elle donne aussi des informations sur les
projets et les publications remplacées ou retirées. Electropedia - www.electropedia.org

Le premier dictionnaire d'électrotechnologie en ligne au monde,
IEC Just Published - webstore.iec.ch/justpublished
avec plus de 22 300 articles terminologiques en anglais et en
Restez informé sur les nouvelles publications IEC. Just
français, ainsi que les termes équivalents dans 19 langues
Published détaille les nouvelles publications parues.
additionnelles. Egalement appelé Vocabulaire
Disponible en ligne et une fois par mois par email.
Electrotechnique International (IEV) en ligne.


Service Clients - webstore.iec.ch/csc
Si vous désirez nous donner des commentaires sur cette
publication ou si vous avez des questions contactez-nous:
[e-mail].
IEC Products & Services Portal - products.iec.ch

---------------------- Page: 2 ----------------------
IEC 61537

®


Edition 3.0 2023-01




INTERNATIONAL



STANDARD




NORME


INTERNATIONALE











Cable management – Cable tray systems and cable ladder systems



Systèmes de câblage – Systèmes de chemin de câbles et systèmes d'échelle à

câbles

















INTERNATIONAL

ELECTROTECHNICAL

COMMISSION


COMMISSION

ELECTROTECHNIQUE


INTERNATIONALE




ICS 29.120.10 ISBN 978-2-8322-6364-8




Warning! Make sure that you obtained this publication from an authorized distributor.

Attention! Veuillez vous assurer que vous avez obtenu cette publication via un distributeur agréé.

® Registered trademark of the International Electrotechnical Commission
Marque déposée de la Commission Electrotechnique Internationale

---------------------- Page: 3 ----------------------
– 2 – IEC 61537:2023 © IEC 2023
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 8
1 Scope . 10
2 Normative references . 10
3 Terms and definitions . 11
4 General requirements . 15
5 General conditions for tests . 15
6 Classification . 16
6.1 According to material . 16
6.2 According to resistance to flame propagation . 16
6.3 According to electrical continuity characteristics . 16
6.4 According to electrical conductivity . 17
6.5 According to resistance against corrosion . 17
6.5.1 General . 17
6.5.2 Non-metallic system component . 17
6.5.3 Metallic system component . 17
6.6 According to temperature . 21
6.6.1 Minimum temperature for the system component as given in Table 3 . 21
6.6.2 Maximum temperature for the system component as given in Table 4 . 21
6.7 According to the perforation in the base area of the cable tray length as
given in Table 5 . 21
6.8 According to the free base area of mesh cable tray length or cable ladder
length as given in Table 6 . 22
6.9 According to impact resistance of non-metallic and composite systems . 22
7 Marking and documentation . 22
7.1 Marking . 22
7.1.1 General . 22
7.1.2 Durability of marking . 23
7.2 Documentation . 24
8 Dimensions. 25
9 Construction . 26
10 Mechanical properties. 27
10.1 Mechanical strength . 27
10.2 SWL test procedure . 28
10.2.1 General . 28
10.2.2 General procedure . 28
10.2.3 Alternative test conditions for 10.2.2 . 36
10.3 Test for SWL of cable tray lengths and cable ladder lengths mounted in the
horizontal plane running horizontally on multiple spans . 37
10.3.1 General . 37
10.3.2 Test type I . 37
10.3.3 Test type II . 38
10.3.4 Test type III . 39
10.3.5 Test type IV . 40
10.4 Test for SWL of cable tray systems and cable ladder systems mounted in the
horizontal plane running horizontally on a single span installation . 41
10.5 Test for SWL of cable tray system and cable ladder system mounted in the
vertical plane running horizontally . 42

---------------------- Page: 4 ----------------------
IEC 61537:2023 © IEC 2023 – 3 –
10.5.1 Multiple span test . 42
10.5.2 Single span test . 45
10.6 Test for SWL of cable tray system and cable ladder system mounted in the
vertical plane running vertically . 51
10.7 Test for SWL of cable tray fittings and cable ladder fittings mounted in the
horizontal plane running horizontally . 56
10.7.1 General . 56
10.7.2 Test for SWL of 90° bend. 57
10.7.3 Test for SWL of equal tee and equal cross . 57
10.8 Test for SWL of support devices . 59
10.8.1 General . 59
10.8.2 Test for SWL of cantilever brackets . 59
10.8.3 Test for SWL of pendants ceiling mounted . 76
10.9 Test for impact resistance . 94
11 Electrical properties . 98
11.1 Electrical continuity . 98
11.1.1 General . 98
11.1.2 Electrical impedance tests . 98
11.2 Electrical non-conductivity . 104
11.2.1 General . 104
11.2.2 Preparation of samples . 105
11.2.3 Preparation of electrodes . 105
11.2.4 Humidity treatment of samples . 105
11.2.5 Mounting of electrodes on samples . 105
11.2.6 Measurement of surface resistance . 106
11.2.7 Calculation of surface resistivity . 106
12 Thermal properties . 107
13 Fire hazards . 107
13.1 Reaction to fire . 107
13.1.1 Initiation of fire . 107
13.1.2 Contribution to fire . 107
13.1.3 Spread of fire . 107
13.1.4 Additional reaction to fire characteristics . 110
13.2 Resistance to fire . 111
14 External influences . 111
14.1 Resistance against environmental forces . 111
14.2 Resistance against corrosion . 111
14.2.1 General . 111
14.2.2 Non-metallic system components . 112
14.2.3 System components made of mild steel with metallic coating or
stainless steel . 112
14.2.4 Salt spray test . 113
14.2.5 System components made from aluminium alloys . 113
14.2.6 System components made of steel with organic coating . 113
15 Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) . 114
Annex A (informative) Sketches of typical types of cable tray lengths and cable ladder
lengths . 115
Annex B (informative) Sketches of typical support devices . 117
Annex C (normative) Protective Earth (PE) function . 120

---------------------- Page: 5 ----------------------
– 4 – IEC 61537:2023 © IEC 2023
C.1 General . 120
C.2 Cable tray system or cable ladder system with electrical continuity
characteristics and with PE function . 120
C.2.1 Construction . 120
C.2.2 Marking and documentation . 121
C.2.3 Requirements for periodic inspection . 121
C.2.4 Electrical properties . 122
C.2.5 Validation test of the calculated equivalent copper cross-sectional area
of the system . 123
Annex D (normative) Methods of applying and distributing a UDL for SWL tests using
load distribution plates . 126
D.1 General . 126
D.2 Dimensions of load distribution plates for cable tray and cable ladder
mounted in the horizontal plane . 126
D.3 Distribution of point loads across the width of cable tray, cable ladder and
support . 126
D.4 Distribution of point loads along the length of cable tray . 127
D.5 Distribution of point loads along the length of the cable ladder . 129
Annex E (informative) Typical methods of applying a UDL for SWL tests . 131
E.1 UDL applied through a mechanical linkage . 131
E.2 UDL applied through individual loads . 132
E.3 UDL applied through load blocks . 132
Annex F (xxx) Not Used . 133
Annex G (informative) Example for clarification of permitted creep. 134
Annex H (informative) Information for a safe installation of pendants with cantilever
brackets . 135
Annex I (informative) Summary of compliance checks . 137
Annex J (normative) Compliance checks to be carried out for cable tray systems and
cable ladder systems already complying with IEC 61537:2006 . 139
Annex K (informative) Number of samples required for tests . 141
Annex L (informative) Illustrative flow chart for the SWL tests . 142
L.1 Lengths . 142
L.2 Fittings . 143
L.3 Supports . 144
L.4 Cantilever brackets . 145
L.5 Pendants for cantilever bracket . 146
L.6 Centrally supported bracket . 146
L.7 Trapeze supports . 147
Annex M (normative) Application of a point load to a support . 148
Bibliography . 149

Figure 1 – Flame propagating symbol . 22
Figure 2 – Piston for durability of marking test . 23
Figure 3 – Safe working load test – General arrangement . 30
Figure 4 – Load and temperature diagrams with respect to time for test 10.2.2.4 . 34
Figure 5 – Test type I . 38
Figure 6 – Test type II . 39
Figure 7 – Test type III . 40

---------------------- Page: 6 ----------------------
IEC 61537:2023 © IEC 2023 – 5 –
Figure 8 – Test type IV . 40
Figure 9 – Safe working load for single span test . 42
Figure 10 – Test conditions: Multi-span cable tray mounted in the vertical plane
running horizontally . 43
Figure 11 – Test conditions: Multi-span cable ladder mounted in the vertical plane
running horizontally . 44
Figure 12 – Test conditions: Single span cable tray mounted in the vertical plane
running horizontally . 46
Figure 13 – Test conditions: Single span cable ladder mounted in the vertical plane
running horizontally . 47
Figure 14 – Measurement example of the resultant deflection for Figure 10, Figure 11,
Figure 12 and Figure 13 . 48
Figure 15 – Load position for cable tray or cable ladder mounted in the vertical plane
running horizontal . 49
Figure 16 – Example of applying the test load for cable tray or cable ladder mounted in
the vertical plane running horizontally . 51
Figure 17 – Examples of test arrangements for systems mounted vertically running
vertically . 55
Figure 18 – Safe working load test for 90° bend . 57
Figure 19 – Safe working load test for equal tee . 58
Figure 20 – Safe working load test for equal cross . 58
Figure 21 – Typical examples of length and position of the mid-line of fittings . 59
Figure 22 – Test set-up for cantilever brackets intended for use with unspecified cable
tray of widths at least 80 % of the useable length of the cantilever bracket . 61
Figure 23 – Test set-up for cantilever brackets intended for use with unspecified cable
tray of widths less than 80 % of the useable length of the cantilever bracket . 62
Figure 24 – Test set-up for cantilever brackets intended for use with unspecified cable
ladder systems . 63
Figure 25 – Test set-up for cantilever brackets intended for use with a specified cable
tray system . 65
Figure 26 – Example of test set-up for cantilever brackets intended for use with a
specified cable tray system – Positioning of load . 66
Figure 27 – Test set-up for cantilever brackets intended for use with a specified cable
ladder system only, or with both cable tray systems and cable ladder systems . 67
Figure 28 – Example of test set-up for cantilever brackets intended for use with
specified cable ladder systems . 68
Figure 29 – Test set-up for cantilever brackets: end view showing measurement of
deflection when the bracket twists . 68
Figure 30 – Test set-up for cantilever brackets: end view showing alternative weight
positioning . 69
Figure 31 – Test set-up for cantilever brackets for use with unspecified cable tray
mounted vertically running vertically with widths at least 80 % of the useable length of
the cantilever bracket . 70
Figure 32 – Test set-up for cantilever brackets for use with unspecified cable tray or
cable ladder mounted vertically running vertically with widths less than 80 % of the
useable length of the cantilever bracket . 71
Figure 33 – Test set-up for cantilever brackets for use with unspecified cable ladder
mounted vertically running vertically with widths at least 80 % of the useable length of
the cantilever bracket . 72
Figure 34 – Example of test arrangement on cantilever bracket with a cable tray length . 74

---------------------- Page: 7 ----------------------
– 6 – IEC 61537:2023 © IEC 2023
Figure 35 – Example of test arrangement on cantilever bracket with a cable ladder
length . 76
Figure 36 – Test set-up – Pendants for cantilever brackets . 78
Figure 37 – Example test set-up for pendant with centrally supported bracket for evenly
and unevenly loaded specified cable ladder systems . 80
Figure 38 – Example test set-up for pendant with centrally supported bracket for evenly
and unevenly loaded specified cable tray systems . 81
Figure 39 – Load positioning for centrally supported bracket for unevenly loaded
specified cable tray or cable ladder systems . 82
Figure 40 – Deflection of a centrally supported bracket for unevenly loaded specified
cable tray or cable ladder systems . 83
Figure 41 – Load positioning and deflection for a centrally supported bracket for evenly
loaded specified cable tray or cable ladder systems . 84
Figure 42 – Test set up for unevenly loaded centrally supported brackets intended for
unspecified use . 86
Figure 43 – Deflection and alternative method of unevenly loading a centrally
supported bracket for use with unspecified cable ladder and cable tray systems .
...