Terminating, clipping and segregating FP200 Gold to BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 — the Reg 560.8.1 compliance routes, the one-hour default fire rating, support requirements under Reg 521.10.202, and how it compares to mineral insulated cable.
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Written and reviewed by Andrew Moore, founder of Elec-Mate, against BS 7671:2018+A4:2026, IET Guidance Note 3 and the IET On-Site Guide.
The short answer
FP200 Gold is a fire-resistant cable to BS 7629-1 used for life-safety circuits — fire detection and alarm systems (BS 5839-1) and emergency lighting (BS 5266-1) — where the cable must keep working during a fire. It satisfies BS 7671 Reg 560.8.1(c), terminates with conventional tools rather than the crimping and sealing kit MICC needs, and must be supported on steel or copper clips so it does not collapse in a fire.
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01 · Installation Guide
The figures below are the ones you need on site. Regulation numbers are BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 unless stated otherwise.
| Product specification | BS 7629-1:2015+A1:2019 — 300/500 V fire-resistant, screened, fixed installation cables with low emission of smoke and corrosive gases (multicore) |
|---|---|
| Voltage rating | 300/500 V |
| BS 7671 route | Reg 560.8.1(c) — tested to BS EN 50200, BS 8434 or BS 8491, plus BS EN 60332-1-2 |
| Required fire duration | Reg 560.8 — the time authorised by the building regulations or the relevant British Standard; one hour where neither specifies one |
| Typical applications | Fire detection and alarm (BS 5839-1:2025), emergency lighting (BS 5266-1:2025) |
| Continuous conductor temperature | 105°C per the manufacturer's data — check the data sheet for the size and grade you are installing |
| Termination | Conventional strippers and standard screw terminals; fire-rated gland at every enclosure entry |
| Fixings | Steel or copper clips, saddles or ties (Reg 521.10.202 NOTE 4). Non-metallic clips and cable ties are precluded as the sole support (NOTE 3) |
| Typical clip spacing | 250mm horizontal, 400mm vertical per the manufacturer's installation data |
| Protected escape routes | Permitted by Reg 422.2.1(a) as a cable meeting Reg 560.8.1. Appendix 13 gives the supporting guidance |
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02 · Installation Guide
FP200 Gold is a fire-resistant cable manufactured by Prysmian for fixed wiring in life-safety circuits that must continue to function during a fire. It is one of the most commonly specified fire-resistant cables in the UK for fire alarm systems and emergency lighting, largely because it installs and terminates with ordinary tools.
Unlike standard PVC-insulated cables, FP200 Gold uses an enhanced insulation system beneath a low smoke, zero halogen (LSZH) outer sheath. That construction is what lets the cable hold electrical continuity while exposed to flame — keeping sounders operating and escape route luminaires lit during evacuation.
It is available in 2-core, 3-core and multi-core variants in conductor sizes from 1mm² to 4mm² for fire protection work. Red sheath is the UK convention for fire alarm cabling, with white and cream variants where red is visually unacceptable.
What BS 7671 means by “low smoke, low halogen”
Reg 422.2.1 puts numbers on it for cables in protected escape routes: limited smoke production, a minimum of 60% light transmittance when tested to BS EN 61034-2, and limited halogen acid gas content not exceeding 0.5% when tested to BS EN 60754-1. Those two figures are the objective test of an LSZH claim.
03 · Installation Guide
Three separate things get conflated on data sheets, and it is worth keeping them apart: the cable specification, the fire test methods used to classify circuit integrity, and the reaction-to-fire requirements of the Construction Products Regulation.
| Standard | What it covers |
|---|---|
| BS 7629-1:2015+A1:2019 | The cable specification — 300/500 V fire-resistant, screened, fixed installation cables with low emission of smoke and corrosive gases, multicore. This is what FP200 Gold is made to. It is a product spec, not a fire test. |
| BS EN 50200:2015 | Method of test for resistance to fire of unprotected small cables for use in emergency circuits. Named in Reg 560.8.1(c). |
| BS 8434 | Methods of test for assessment of the fire integrity of electric cables. Named in Reg 560.8.1(c). |
| BS 8491:2008 | Method for assessment of fire integrity of large diameter power cables used as components of smoke and heat control systems and certain other active fire safety systems. Named in Reg 560.8.1(c). |
| BS EN 60332-1-2 | Flame propagation of a single vertical cable. Required alongside every one of routes (a), (b) and (c) of Reg 560.8.1. |
The 300/500 V rating in the BS 7629-1 title covers mains-voltage fire alarm power supplies and the extra-low voltage detection circuits that run alongside them. The manufacturer quotes a continuous conductor temperature of 105°C against 70°C for ordinary thermoplastic cable — take the figure from the data sheet for the size and grade you are actually installing, and remember Reg 526.1(e) requires the means of connection to be chosen so that the terminal temperature in normal service does not impair the insulation of the conductors connected to it.
Appendix 2, Item 17 of BS 7671 explains the position. The Construction Products Regulation is administered by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and empowers the UK to set performance levels for particular installations, but MHCLG has not exercised those powers in respect of reaction to fire for cables. The generic reaction-to-fire requirements for all cables sit in BS EN 50575. The NOTE to Reg 527.1.3 and NOTE 1 to Reg 422.2.1 both point readers to that item — and NOTE 1 to Reg 422.2.1 adds that there are no requirements in the CPR for the fire-resisting cables described in Reg 560.8.
So a Cca-s1b,d1,a1 declaration on an FP200 Gold reel is a manufacturer's CPR classification and labelling matter, not a BS 7671 minimum. If a project needs a specific CPR class, the specification and the purchase order have to call it up explicitly.
04 · Installation Guide
The obligation sits in Chapter 56, Safety Services. Reg 560.5.1 recognises that safety services may be required to operate at all relevant times, including during mains and local supply failure and through fire conditions. Where they are required to operate in fire conditions, Reg 560.5.2 requires two things: a source selected to maintain a supply of adequate duration, and all equipment provided — by construction or by erection — with fire-resisting protection of adequate duration.
Reg 560.8.1 — the four permitted wiring systems
| (a) | Mineral insulated cable systems complying with BS EN 60702-1 and BS EN 60702-2 and BS EN 60332-1-2 — MICC / Pyrotenax. |
|---|---|
| (b) | Fire-resistant cables complying with IEC 60331-1, IEC 60331-2 or IEC 60331-3 and with BS EN 60332-1-2. |
| (c) | Fire-resistant cables complying with the test requirements of BS EN 50200, BS 8434 or BS 8491, appropriate for the cable size, and with BS EN 60332-1-2. This is FP200 Gold's route. |
| (d) | A wiring system maintaining the necessary fire and mechanical protection — NOTE 2 gives constructional enclosures, or wiring systems in separate fire compartments giving equivalent protection, as examples. |
Reg 560.8.1 does not stop at the list. It goes on to require that the wiring system selected shall meet the requirements of the relevant code of practice for the application and shall be mounted and installed in such a way that the circuit integrity will not be impaired during a fire. That sentence is why glands, clips and penetrations are compliance items rather than finishing touches.
BS 7629-1 is not one of the four lettered routes, but it is not absent either: NOTE 1 to Reg 560.8.1 records that BS 5266, BS 5839 and BS 8519 specify cables to BS EN 60702-1, BS 7629-1, BS 7846 and BS 8592 (BS 5266 only) as suitable when appropriately selected for the application.
Reg 560.8 sets the duration: cables supplying safety circuits shall have a resistance to fire rating of either the time authorised by regulations for building elements, or by British Standards for the circuits, or one hour in the absence of such a regulation or standard. Confirm the declared classification of the cable and its accessories covers whatever duration the fire strategy calls for.
| 422.2.1 | Only cables meeting Reg 560.8.1, bunched cables to the relevant part of BS EN 60332-3, or single cables in the listed non-flame-propagating containment may be installed in protected escape routes. Cables there must be as short as practicable and not within arm's reach unless protected against mechanical damage. |
|---|---|
| 422.2.201 | Nothing may be installed in a firefighting shaft or protected stairway unless it is part of an essential fire safety or related safety system, general needs lighting, or socket-outlets for cleaning and maintenance. |
| 422.6(b) | In locations of national, commercial, industrial or public significance, cables with improved fire-resisting characteristics such as those to BS 7629-1, BS 7846 or BS 8592 are among the measures that may be considered. |
| 560.9 / 560.10 | Emergency lighting systems shall comply with BS 5266-1, BS EN 1838 and BS EN 50172. Fire detection and fire alarm systems shall comply with the relevant parts of the BS 5839 series. |
| 560.11 | Power and control cable systems required to maintain circuit integrity for life safety and firefighting applications shall comply with the relevant parts of BS 8519:2020. |
05 · Installation Guide
BS 7671 hands the detail to two codes of practice. Reg 560.10 requires fire detection and fire alarm systems to comply with the relevant parts of the BS 5839 series; Reg 560.9 requires emergency lighting systems to comply with BS 5266-1, BS EN 1838 and BS EN 50172. The current dated references in BS 7671 Appendix 1 are BS 5839-1:2025 and BS 5266-1:2025.
| Standard | Scope and effect on cable choice |
|---|---|
| BS 5839-1:2025 | Design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of fire detection and fire alarm systems in non-domestic premises. Cables to BS EN 60702-1, BS 7629-1 or BS 7846 are the accepted types per NOTE 1 to Reg 560.8.1 — covering detection circuits, sounder circuits, power supplies and panel interconnects. System category (Category L or Category M) and the fire risk assessment set the extent of coverage. |
| BS 5266-1:2025 | Code of practice for the emergency lighting of premises. NOTE 1 to Reg 560.8.1 adds BS 8592 to the accepted cable list for BS 5266 work. Routes must be designed to minimise fire exposure and circuits separated from one another. |
| BS 8519:2020 | Selection and installation of fire-resistant power and control cable systems for life safety and firefighting applications. Reg 560.11 makes this the governing code for firefighting lifts, smoke control and similar systems. |
| Approved Document B | England's Building Regulations fire safety guidance references the BS 5839 and BS 5266 series. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own equivalent technical guidance. |
For dwellings, the relevant part is the domestic part of the BS 5839 series rather than BS 5839-1, which covers non-domestic premises. Grade D domestic systems are commonly wired in standard cable; higher grades and any commercial or institutional building will call for fire-resistant cable. Work to the current edition of the applicable part and to the specific project risk assessment.
06 · Installation Guide
FP200 Gold is terminated with conventional tools — that is its main practical advantage over MICC. There is no crimping tool, no pot, no sealing compound and no moisture window to work within. What does need care is the gland, the strip length and the screen.
Termination sequence
The most common termination failure
Correct cable, correct clips, standard glands. Fire performance is a property of the whole cable system, not the drum it came off. If the gland, the enclosure and the fixings are not rated for the same duration as the cable, the circuit fails at the termination and the cable's classification counts for nothing.
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07 · Installation Guide
Support is a BS 7671 requirement in its own right. Reg 521.10.202 states that wiring systems shall be supported such that they will not be liable to premature collapse in the event of a fire, and it applies throughout the installation — not just in escape routes as the superseded Reg 521.11.201 did.
| Reg 521.10.202 | What it says |
|---|---|
| NOTE 2 | Cables installed in or on steel cable containment systems are deemed to meet the regulation. |
| NOTE 3 | Precludes non-metallic cable clips or cable ties as the sole means of support where cables are clipped direct to exposed surfaces or suspended under cable tray, and non-metallic trunking as the sole support of the cables within it. |
| NOTE 4 | Suitably spaced steel or copper clips, saddles or ties are examples that meet the regulation. |
| NOTE 5 | The intent is to stop wiring systems collapsing and hindering evacuation or firefighter access. It is not intended to maintain circuit integrity for life safety or firefighting — that is Chapter 56 and the codes of practice BS 5266, BS 5839 and BS 8519. |
That last note matters on fire alarm work. Meeting Reg 521.10.202 with steel clips is the floor, not the ceiling — the fixing also has to hold the cable in place for the duration the fire strategy requires, which is a manufacturer and BS 5839-1 question.
| Run | Typical maximum spacing | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Horizontal, 1.5mm² and 2.5mm² | 250mm centres | Keeps unsupported spans short enough that a softened cable does not sag out of its designed route |
| Vertical | 400mm centres | Gravity loading on a vertical drop is higher, so each clip must grip rather than merely locate the cable |
These are the manufacturer's typical figures for FP200 Gold — larger sizes and specific grades vary, so confirm against the current Prysmian installation data for the cable on the drum. Standard oval or round white PVC clips, nylon ties used as the sole fixing, and self-adhesive clips are all ruled out by Reg 521.10.202 NOTE 3.
Also on the list
Fire stop every penetration of a fire-rated wall, floor or ceiling with an approved system. Reg 422.2.202 is the related point: cables are only deemed to be outside a protected escape route where they are in a fire-resisting enclosure with a fire resistance at least equal to that of the compartment they pass through, or as specified by the fire engineer.
08 · Installation Guide
Segregation comes from two directions. BS 7671 Reg 528.1 deals with the proximity of Band I and Band II circuits and sets out the conditions (a) to (f) under which they may share a wiring system — insulation to the highest voltage present, separate compartments, a partitioned tray, separate conduit or trunking, or an earthed metal screen of equivalent current-carrying capacity in a multicore cable. NOTE 2 to that regulation then points to BS 5266, BS 5839 and BS 8519 for separation and segregation in relation to safety services.
The IET On-Site Guide restates it plainly at 7.4.1: fire alarm and emergency lighting circuits must be separated from other cables and from each other, in compliance with BS 5839 and BS 5266 respectively. So a detection loop and an emergency lighting sub-main sharing an unpartitioned trunking is not acceptable simply because both cables are fire-rated.
What this means on site
09 · Installation Guide
Both are accepted by BS 7671 — MICC under Reg 560.8.1(a), FP200 Gold under Reg 560.8.1(c) — so the choice is practical rather than regulatory. The trade is installation speed against fire performance headroom.
| FP200 Gold | MICC | |
|---|---|---|
| BS 7671 route | 560.8.1(c) — BS EN 50200 / BS 8434 / BS 8491 | 560.8.1(a) — BS EN 60702-1 and -2 |
| Termination | Conventional strippers, standard screw terminals, fire-rated glands | Pot, seal and crimping tool; termination must be completed before moisture ingress |
| Labour cost | Lower — no specialist kit, faster per termination | Higher — skilled terminations, more time per gland |
| Material cost | Lower per metre; inexpensive accessories | Higher per metre; termination kits add significantly |
| Routing | Flexible — suits congested ceiling voids and risers | Stiff; larger sizes need a bending former |
| Fire performance headroom | Adequate for the great majority of alarm and emergency lighting circuits | Higher — the usual choice where the fire strategy demands extended duration or severe exposure |
| Mechanical damage | Polymer sheath — needs protection where impact is likely | Copper sheath — inherently robust |
For most fire alarm and emergency lighting projects in commercial and residential buildings FP200 Gold is the sensible choice. MICC earns its cost where the exposure is severe or the required duration is long — plant and generator rooms, tunnels, and firefighting systems under BS 8519. See the MICC cable guide for termination detail on mineral insulated cable.
10 · Installation Guide
Fire alarm and emergency lighting installations are certified by a competent person working to BS 5839-1 and BS 5266-1. The electrical certification should record that a cable meeting one of the Reg 560.8.1 routes has been used, and that the fixings, glands and penetrations support the duration the fire strategy requires.
Insulation resistance on fire alarm circuits
The NOTE to BS 7671 Reg 643.3.2 is explicit: more specific requirements are applicable for the wiring of fire detection and fire alarm systems in buildings — see BS 5839-1. The Table 64 regime (500 V DC and a minimum 1.0 MΩ for circuits up to and including 500 V) is the BS 7671 baseline, not a substitute for the commissioning tests BS 5839-1 calls for. Where connected equipment could influence or be damaged by the test, Reg 643.3.3 requires the Table 64 test before connection and then a 250 V DC test between live conductors and the protective conductor after connection, with a minimum of 1 MΩ.
A note on batteries
Chapter 57 (Stationary secondary batteries) is new at A4:2026, but Reg 570.1 excludes secondary batteries wholly within fire detection and fire alarm systems conforming to the BS 5839 series, and within emergency lighting conforming to the BS 5266 series. A standard panel battery or luminaire battery pack is therefore outside Chapter 57 — a separate battery installation supplying the wider system is not.
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