Wiring is the one part of a house you cannot inspect once it is built. Run these twelve checks before the wire goes in.
Before you buy
- Decide the grade first. FR, FR-LSH, HR-FR-LSH or HFFR. Everything else follows from this. For a new home, HR-FR-LSH or HFFR is the sensible baseline.
- Ask for the datasheet — not the brochure. If a manufacturer will not publish specifications, that is the answer.
- Check the standard. IS 694:2010 for PVC grades. IS 17048:2018 for genuine HFFR. They are not interchangeable.
- Check conductor resistance in Ω/km against the IS 694 maximum for that size. This reveals how much copper is really there.
- Get the four fire numbers: oxygen index (≥ 29%), temperature index (≥ 250°C), smoke density, halogen content (≤ 0.5% for halogen-free).
- Confirm the conductor is electrolytic-grade copper (99.97% pure), annealed and bare.
At the shop
- Read the printing on the wire itself. It should show grade, size, voltage (1100 V), the standard, and a BIS licence number in CM/L-XXXXXXX format.
- Check the licence is on the insulation, not only the drum. Stickers are easy to fake; continuous printing is not.
- Verify the drum length. Standard coils are 90 m. Short coils are a common way price is quietly reduced.
Sizing
- Size against real load, not habit. Typical domestic use: 1.5 sq mm lighting; 2.5 sq mm general power; 4 sq mm geyser or small AC; 6 sq mm large AC or EV charger.
- Use the right current column. A wire in conduit carries less than the same wire clipped to a surface. Datasheets publish both — use the one matching your installation.
- Plan for the future. EV chargers, inverter ACs and induction cooking all arrived after most Indian homes were wired. Slightly oversizing key circuits is far cheaper now than rewiring later.
Perspective on cost
Wiring is roughly 1–2% of the cost of building a house. Upgrading the whole house to a fire-safety grade typically adds a few thousand rupees. Rewiring later means breaking walls, replastering and repainting — a job measured in lakhs.
Red flags
- No published datasheet, or specifications available only “on request”
- No BIS licence number printed along the wire
- “Halogen-free” claimed with no measured halogen figure
- A price far below comparable wire of the same stated grade
- Coil weight noticeably lighter than an equivalent from a known manufacturer
Not sure what size each circuit needs? The APAR Wire-Size Calculator sizes a circuit in seconds, and the guides and charts library has ampacity, derating and conduit-fill tables.
Compare the specifications yourself
Every APAR house wire publishes its full specification — conductor construction, resistance in Ω/km, fire-performance figures, applicable standards and current ratings for both conduit and clipped installation:
- Anushakti Fire Protekt EBXL HFFR — halogen-free, e-beam cross-linked, 120°C
- Anushakti HR-FR-LSH — e-beam, heat-resistant to 105°C, low smoke
- Green Wire HR-FR-LSH — eco-friendly compound, rodent and termite resistant
- Shakti FR-LSH — flame-retardant, low smoke, low halogen
Use the comparison to judge APAR against any other manufacturer. If a competitor cannot supply the same figures, that itself tells you something.
Compare cables side by side → | Size your circuits with the wire calculator →