Every lift in service has one cable that never gets to sit still. While the fixed wiring in the shaft is clipped down and forgotten about, the elevator travelling cable hangs in a loop between the car and the controller and flexes for every single trip — hundreds of times a day, for fifteen or twenty years. It carries the car light, the alarm, the door operator signals, the intercom and the position data, and when it fails, the lift stops.
The most widely used cable for that job in Europe is H05VVH6-F: a flat, PVC-insulated, PVC-sheathed flexible cable built to EN 50214. This page explains what it is, how to read the size tables, and how to pick the right configuration without over-specifying.
What a travelling cable actually has to survive
A travelling cable is not a control cable that happens to be hanging up. Three things make its life unusual:
- Continuous bending in one plane. The loop rolls up and down as the car moves. A round multicore cable would twist and eventually corkscrew; a flat cable with its cores laid side by side bends along one axis and stays flat.
- Its own weight. The cable hangs freely for the whole travel height. The conductors carry that load, which is why free suspension length is a hard limit, not a suggestion.
- Contact with the shaft. Wall guides, brackets and the occasional draught mean the sheath has to take abrasion without splitting.
That combination is why lift cables have their own standard rather than being covered by general flexible-cable specifications.
Reading the H05VVH6-F designation
The type code is not a model name — each part of it means something under the harmonised European system:
- H – harmonised type, built to a recognised European specification
- 05 – rated voltage 300/500 V
- V – PVC insulation
- V – PVC outer sheath
- H6 – flat cable construction for lift/elevator use
- -F – fine-wire flexible conductor (class 5)
You will also see the higher-voltage sibling H07VVH6-F (450/750 V) where the same flat cable has to carry power as well as control circuits.
What "G" and "×" mean in the size code
This trips people up more often than it should. In 12G0.75, the G means one of the twelve cores is the green/yellow protective conductor. In 24×0.75, the × means there is no green/yellow core — all twenty-four are numbered. If you order a "G" type expecting 24 usable numbered cores, you will be one short.
Construction
| Conductor | Bare copper, flexible stranded (class 5) |
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| Insulation | PVC |
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| Core identification | Colour coded, or black cores with printed numbers; green/yellow earth core carries no number |
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| Outer sheath | PVC, black or grey |
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| Core arrangement | Parallel cores in a flat, non-divisible profile |
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Technical data
| Standard | EN 50214 (JIS C 3408 for selected sizes) |
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| Rated voltage U0/U | 300/500 V (0.75–1 mm²) |
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| Test voltage | 2 kV for 15 minutes |
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| Operating temperature | −15 °C to +70 °C |
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| Maximum car speed | 4 m/s |
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| Minimum bending radius | 10 × cable thickness |
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| Maximum free suspension length | 30 m (0.50 mm²) · 45 m (0.75 and 1 mm²) |
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| Typical application | Elevator control and command circuits; lifts, hoists and similar vertically travelling equipment |
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The temperature range is the cable's own limit, not the shaft's. Unheated shafts in cold climates and machine rooms above +70 °C both push PVC outside its comfort zone — check the extremes before you specify, not after the first winter.
Sizes, dimensions and weights
Flat cables grow sideways. Thickness stays close to 4 mm across the whole range while width increases by roughly 2.6–2.9 mm per core, which is what you need to know when you size the hanging bracket and the shaft clearance.
0.50 mm²
| Cores × mm² | Width × thickness (mm) | Weight (kg/km) | Standard |
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| 12 G 0.50 | 31.5 × 4.1 | 165 | EN 50214 |
| 16 G 0.50 | 42.5 × 4.1 | 289 | EN 50214 |
| 18 G 0.50 | 47.1 × 4.1 | 330 | EN 50214 |
| 20 G 0.50 | 53.0 × 4.1 | 369 | EN 50214 |
| 24 G 0.50 | 63.5 × 4.1 | 441 | EN 50214 |
| 30 G 0.50 | 78.0 × 4.1 | 415 | EN 50214 |
| 32 G 0.50 | 83.0 × 4.1 | 440 | — |
Maximum free suspension length for 0.50 mm² sizes: 30 m. Supply lengths 500 m or 1000 m.
0.75 mm²
| Cores × mm² | Width × thickness (mm) | Weight (kg/km) | Standard |
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| 4 G 0.75 | 12.6 × 4.2 | 91 | EN 50214 |
| 6 G 0.75 | 18.4 × 4.2 | 143 | EN 50214 |
| 8 G 0.75 | 23.2 × 4.2 | 175 | EN 50214 |
| 9 G 0.75 | 26.6 × 4.2 | 201 | EN 50214 |
| 12 G 0.75 | 33.8 × 4.2 | 260 | EN 50214 |
| 14 G 0.75 | 39.6 × 4.2 | 305 | EN 50214 |
| 16 G 0.75 | 44.4 × 4.2 | 337 | EN 50214 |
| 18 G 0.75 | 49.2 × 4.2 | 384 | EN 50214 |
| 20 G 0.75 | 55.0 × 4.2 | 429 | EN 50214 |
| 24 G 0.75 | 65.6 × 4.2 | 513 | EN 50214 |
| 24 × 0.75 | 55.2 × 4.0 | 416 | JIS C 3408 |
| 30 G 0.75 | 81.0 × 4.2 | 610 | EN 50214 |
| 32 G 0.75 | 87.3 × 4.2 | 650 | — |
| 36 G 0.75 | 45.8 × 8.5 | 690 | EN 50214 |
Maximum free suspension length: 45 m. Note the 36-core version — it is built as a double layer, so it is half the width but twice the thickness, which changes the bending radius you have to allow for.
1 mm²
| Cores × mm² | Width × thickness (mm) | Weight (kg/km) | Standard |
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| 7 G 1 | 23.2 × 4.3 | 198 | EN 50214 |
| 9 G 1 | 27.8 × 4.3 | 226 | EN 50214 |
| 12 G 1 | 35.0 × 4.3 | 295 | EN 50214 |
| 18 G 1 | 51.0 × 4.3 | 435 | EN 50214 |
| 20 G 1 | 57.0 × 4.3 | 487 | EN 50214 |
| 24 G 1 | 68.0 × 4.3 | 583 | EN 50214 |
Maximum free suspension length: 45 m. Supply lengths 500 m or 1000 m.
Dimensions and weights are nominal and differ slightly between manufacturers. Confirm against the datasheet for the reel you are actually buying.
How to choose the right configuration
1. Start with travel height, not core count
Free suspension length is the first filter and the least forgiving one. If the car travels more than 45 m, plain H05VVH6-F is out — you need a version with an integrated supporting element, or a mid-shaft support arrangement. Below that, 0.50 mm² covers up to 30 m and 0.75 mm² up to 45 m.
2. Count the cores, then add spares
Add up what the car actually needs — door operator, car light, alarm, intercom, load weighing, inspection box, position sensors — and then add 10–20% spare cores. Replacing a travelling cable is a shaft job with the lift out of service; adding four spare cores at order time costs almost nothing by comparison. This is why 18G and 24G are the sizes that move fastest.
3. Pick the cross-section from current and length
Most command and signal circuits are happy on 0.50 mm². Move up to 0.75 or 1 mm² where you have a real load (car lighting, a door motor, a fan) or where volt drop over the full loop starts to matter. Remember the loop is roughly one and a half times the travel height, not the travel height itself.
4. Check the environment
PVC is the default and it is fine for the vast majority of installations. Buildings with public-safety fire requirements — hospitals, airports, metro stations, high-rise residential in many jurisdictions — often call for a halogen-free type instead, so check the fire specification before you settle on PVC.
Installation and handling
- Let the cable hang naturally. Pay it out from the reel and give it time to settle before you cut to length. Cable that is forced into a loop keeps the memory of the twist.
- Respect the bending radius. Minimum 10 × the cable thickness — about 42 mm for a 4.2 mm thick cable. The natural hanging loop is usually far larger; the risk is at the fixing points and inside the car apron, where cable gets pushed into a tight corner.
- Take the strain at the hanger, not the terminals. Use proper wedge-type hangers at both the car and shaft ends. A cable carrying its own weight through the terminal screws will fail at the terminal screws.
- Bend flatwise only. The cable is designed to flex across its thickness. Twisting it on its edge shortens its life dramatically.
- Keep clear of the counterweight path. Obvious, but still the most common cause of shredded travelling cables.
When to specify something else
| Type | Use it when |
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| H05VVD3H6-F | Travel height exceeds the free suspension limit of plain PVC flat cable. It carries an integrated supporting element that takes the mechanical load off the conductors. |
| 05Z1Z1H6-F (halogen-free) | The building's fire specification requires low smoke and zero halogen — typical in hospitals, transport hubs, data centres and tall buildings. |
| H07VVH6-F | The same flat cable is needed at 450/750 V for power circuits rather than 300/500 V control circuits. |
| Flat cable with data cores | The installation needs screened pairs or coax in the same profile, for CCTV, intercom or bus systems on the car. |
Frequently asked questions
What does H05VVH6-F stand for?
A harmonised (H), 300/500 V (05), PVC-insulated and PVC-sheathed (VV), flat lift cable (H6) with fine-stranded flexible conductors (F), manufactured to EN 50214.
How long can an H05VVH6-F travelling cable hang?
30 m of free suspension for 0.50 mm² sizes and 45 m for 0.75 and 1 mm². Beyond that, use a type with an integrated supporting element.
Why is elevator travelling cable flat instead of round?
A flat profile bends in one plane and does not twist as it rolls through the hanging loop. It also lets the cores be identical in length, which keeps them equally loaded, and it packs neatly against the shaft wall.
What is the difference between 24G0.75 and 24×0.75?
"G" means one core is the green/yellow protective conductor, leaving 23 numbered cores. "×" means all 24 cores are numbered and there is no earth core.
What maximum lift speed is H05VVH6-F rated for?
4 m/s. Faster installations need a cable specifically rated for high-speed travel.
Can it be used outdoors or in an unheated shaft?
The rated range is −15 °C to +70 °C. PVC stiffens as it gets cold, so for shafts that regularly go below −15 °C, or for outdoor and UV-exposed runs, a cable specified for those conditions is the better choice.
Summary
H05VVH6-F is the default flat elevator travelling cable for standard passenger and goods lifts: 300/500 V, EN 50214, −15 °C to +70 °C, up to 4 m/s, and available from 4 cores up to 36. Get the travel height and the core count right at the specification stage, allow a few spare cores, hang it properly, and it will outlast most of the equipment around it.
