भूमिगत केबल डेप्थ कैलकुलेटर

How this is calculated#

The tool gives the rules for a buried cable. It reads Section 3 of AS/NZS 3000:2018. It does not size the conductor.

1. Category. You pick the cable type and the enclosure. The tool finds the wiring system category from Table 3.5.
2. Depth of cover. It reads the minimum depth of cover for the category, the location and any concrete covering from Table 3.6.
3. Marker tape. It gives the depth for the marker tape (Cl 3.11.4.5).
4. Bedding. It gives the bedding below and the cover material above the cable (Cl 3.11.4.2).
5. Separation. It gives the spacing from other services (Table 3.7). You can pick a gas, water, drainage or telecommunications service.
6. Protection. For category B it names the additional mechanical protection (Cl 3.11.4.3).

Worked example#

• Insulated and sheathed cable buried direct, outside a building. The tool gives category B. The minimum depth of cover is 500 mm. The marker tape sits at 250 mm. The bedding and cover is 50 mm. Category B also needs mechanical protection above the cable.

Limits#

• The tool reads AS/NZS 3000. It does not read the rules of the network company or the council.
• It does not size the cable. Use the cable size calculator for the conductor.
• The form has a field for a cable near an earth electrode. Read the clause for that case.

See also: Underground cables and civil interfaces, Voltage rise on a long rural PV run and Voltage drop.