Power Cable
- Used for higher voltage transmission
- Typically up to 400 A and 32KVAC
- Used for energy transfer
- Thicker and have a larger conductor size (1.5 mm – 630 mm)
- Do not require shielding, as they do not transfer any signal
- Used for power transmission and distribution, overhead equipment, and other high-power applications
- Power cable mostly come in a single core
- The sheathing is strong and sturdy and is resistant to different external factors, including corrosion and temperatures.
- Power cables deal in high power, a large electromagnetic field is generated around the cables every time.
Instrument Cable
- Smaller amount of voltage and current
- Typically up to 24VDC and 20 mA
- Used for signal transfer
- Thinner cables (0.5 mm – 1.5 mm).
- Require shielding, as they transfer signal
- Used for industrial automation and other signal control applications.
- Instrument cable is mostly a multicore cable
- Control wires do not require the same sheathing and often have regular PVC
- Designed to only carry low power, they do not generate any electromagnetic field and apart from this, they are also protected from noise and other electromagnetic radiation