House wires and cables in India are made and certified to a family of Indian Standards (IS). Here are the ones you will see most often.
| Standard | Covers | Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| IS 694 | PVC-insulated cables/wires for working voltages up to 1100 V | The core standard for house wires |
| IS 17048 | Halogen-free flame-retardant (HFFR / LSZH) insulated wires | Low-smoke, zero-halogen wires |
| IS 8130 | Conductors of insulated electric cables | Conductor class & stranding |
| IS 5831 | PVC insulation and sheath of electric cables | Insulation material spec |
| IS 10810 | Methods of test for cables | How cables are tested |
| IS 7098 | Crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) insulated cables | Power / multicore cables |
| IS 9968 | Elastomer-insulated cables | Flexible cables |
The ISI mark printed on a wire, together with a CM/L licence number, shows the product is BIS-certified to the relevant IS. It is the simplest way to confirm you are buying a genuine, standard-compliant wire.
Standard numbers and their exact scope are summarised here for orientation. Always confirm the applicable standard and edition with the APAR datasheet / BIS for a given product.