Electrical products are presented today on the market and in stores in a wide range. The number of types and brands of cable and wire products is very large. This allows you to quite successfully and quickly solve problems related to the implementation of electrical work.
When carrying out such work, the quality of cables and wires plays a significant role. The conditions for the production of goods must comply with GOST. Then we can talk about high quality. Deviating from GOST and independently developing technical conditions (TU), enterprises want to save money and get super profits. Due to the manufacture of cable products according to specifications, the market is full of low-quality and cheap wires and cables.
In order not to encounter accidents and unpleasant situations, trust the cable products that are manufactured in accordance with GOST. It is better to bypass the cable made according to TU. For wiring, the use of such a product is fraught with consequences. According to statistics, more than half of household fires occur due to poor-quality wires and cables.
This article is a kind of addition to the topic underestimated cable section. And in this topic, I would like to tell you what you should pay attention to when choosing a cable and how cable made according to GOST differs from the cable made according to specifications.
Cable according to GOST or TU what to choose?
For those who are not in the know, I will talk about the situation that is happening today in the market of cable and wire products. Choosing a cable is a difficult task. After all, it is very difficult or almost impossible to find a quality product, despite the huge number of electrical wires on the counter.
In a specialized or hardware store, you can find electrical products of any section and for every taste. The whole point is that 99 percent of the goods offered are not worth buying. After all, wires of this quality carry a danger.
I wonder if everyone knows what's different GOST cable and a cable produced according to specifications. Many of us have not heard at all that cable products must be produced according to any regulatory standards.
In the USSR, the production of wires and cables was carried out in accordance with GOST - the state standard mandatory for use in areas determined by the preamble of the standard itself. Certain requirements were imposed on the quality of the conductive material, the thickness and quality of the insulating covers. It was impossible to violate the established norms. In Soviet times, if you bought a wire with a cross section of 2.5 square meters. mm., then they could be 100% sure that the cross section in it is 2.5 square meters. mm.
Later, the state and some “interested persons” decided that it was too boring to follow the GOSTs, and there was no place for freedom and maneuvers there. Without thinking twice, these individuals came up with technical conditions (TU). Technical requirements are established in TU. They must be satisfied by a specific substance, material, product or group of them. The specifications also specify procedures that allow you to determine how these requirements are met.
It seems that there is no difference between GOST and TU. After all, this is also a technical document that lists specific requirements. True, they relate only to a specific product for which this specification is issued. But this is only at first glance. TU is far from analogous to GOST. You can write specifications for a specific product (cable, in our case). Therefore, manufacturers have the opportunity to specify anything in the TU.
Thanks to the appearance of technical specifications, the conductor products on the market have become very inferior in quality. The manufacturer decided to reduce the thickness of the insulating covers, both the overall sheath of the wire and the sheath of the current-carrying wires, and to underestimate the cross-section of the current-carrying wire by 10-40 percent. The manufacturer simply indicates all these changes in the technical specifications, so it is believed that he does not violate any norms.
Unscrupulous manufacturers have developed techniques, thanks to which they began to underestimate the cross section of current-carrying conductors. One of these techniques is a reference to paragraph 2.2 in GOST 22483-2012 (previously it was GOST 22483-77 P 1.4. a). In paragraph 2.2 it is said that, subject to the electrical resistance (requirements of this standard) nominal and actual cross-section may differ.
That is, if the manufacturer complies with the standards for resistance, then he can reduce the cross section. It is unfortunate that in practice these rules are not respected. Manufacturers have long set the main goal of reducing the cost of production. By reducing the cost of conductive wire material, the manufacturer achieves this goal admirably.
There is another important drawback in that the wires are produced according to technical specifications, and not according to GOST. The manufacturer reduces the thickness of the core insulation and the “common” sheath. Because of this, the quality of insulation is reduced, and sometimes very significantly. In this case, the electrical insulating material has the same composition. That is, the material has the same characteristics, but its amount in insulation decreases.
Why do cable manufacturers make cables not according to GOST but according to TU?
The answer to this question is very simple. The manufacturer wants to charge competitive prices and make a big profit. It saves on the materials used, thereby reducing the cost of manufacturing products.
Sellers in electrical stores do not hide the fact that it is more profitable for them to sell wires produced according to specifications. After all, the price of products manufactured according to GOST is higher. Buyers most often do not pay attention to such a "trifle" as compliance with GOST. They will go to the store where the wire is cheaper, despite the fact that it is made according to specifications.
It turns out that both sellers and manufacturers are not busy supplying our customers with quality goods, albeit more expensive ones. Their main goal is not to lose customers. After all, if they sell expensive high-quality wire, then the buyer will make a purchase from a competitor who sells cheaper.
The policy with technical conditions is aimed at a person who does not understand all the technical aspects of the manufacture of cable and wire products and chooses the cable based on price alone. A simple man in the street naively believes that he is buying a quality product. And these buyers are about a hundred percent.
And what is especially bad is that it is rarely possible to find produced according to GOST wire in a general electrical store. They are simply not for sale. In modern realities, you can buy such a wire only through an organization (if possible).
This can be done by ordering a large batch from the manufacturer. Factories still produce cables and wires in accordance with GOST, but mainly for industrial use. For domestic needs, they produce wires according to specifications.
When buying a pack of "Peasant" in a store, not everyone knows that he is not buying oil at all, but something similar to it in color and smell. And the manufacturer does not hide this, one has only to look at the packaging. How to distinguish real products, what kind of TU is and how it differs from GOST, read on.
Surely each of you paid attention to the mysterious abbreviation TU with a long number, located on the packaging of certain products. Many do not attach importance to this, and in vain. Also on some products you can find GOST with the number. Why does the manufacturer provide this information?
All products sold in stores must comply with either GOST or TU.
GOST
GOST - state industry standard, developed for most types of food. This is a standard approved by the state, in the development of which many different institutions, experts, departments took part. Thus, if the product complies with this GOST, we can say that this product is safe, its composition is known in advance and it is also known that there are no harmful and prohibited substances in the composition. Most of the GOSTs were developed in distant Soviet times when it was not customary to replace meat with soy, use chemical additives and genetically modified foods. Therefore, even today, if a manufacturer claims that his product is produced in accordance with GOST, then we can hope that stew is just stew, and condensed milk is exactly milk, and not an incomprehensible liquid.
For example, let's take stew. It has GOST 5284-84, according to which canned beef stew must be produced according to the recipe:
| name of raw materials | Mass fraction of components, %, by grade | |
| higher | first | |
| Beef I category trimmed with a fat content of not more than 6% | 87,0 | - |
| Beef II category trimmed with a fat content of not more than 6% | - | 87,0 |
| Raw beef fat | 10,5 | 10,5 |
| Peeled chopped onion | 1,33 | 1,33 |
| Salt | 1,14 | 1,14 |
| Ground black pepper | 0,01 | 0,01 |
| Bay leaf | 0,02 | 0,02 |
The same applies to other products - sausages, condensed milk, sour cream, butter, etc. If GOST is written on the package, you can take it and be sure that the jar contains exactly what is written on the package and you can eat it.
THAT
But not all cans of the same stew have GOST. On many copies flaunts TU - technical condition.
Many small and large manufacturers develop their own product standards. And they produce it precisely according to these personally created technical conditions. Tomorrow you can organize the production of any of your products, develop and register specifications for it, and calmly produce goods according to this specification.
As you might guess, almost anything can be included in these specifications - soy, dyes, and preservatives. Therefore, products according to specifications do not always differ in quality and safety.
For some goods, GOSTs become obsolete, and new specifications are being developed for them that meet new trends in the production of a particular product. And a product according to TU can be better and better than a product according to GOST, but this is not always the case. Let's get back to our favorite stew - why develop a new specification for it, if there is an excellent GOST? It’s right to put soybeans in a jar instead of meat, fill it all with preservatives and dyes. Formally, you can’t find fault with the manufacturer - he produced canned food according to his specifications. But the product, to put it mildly, did not quite turn out to be stew ...
Therefore, if you have a choice of what to take - a product in accordance with GOST or TU, take it in accordance with GOST, you will not lose. Yes, there may be cases when, according to GOST, the manufacturer does not comply with the recipe, but this is already a violation and you can complain about it.
Wordplay
Pay attention to the counter butter in the shop. The choice is huge: "Peasant", "Creamy", "Smolensk". Now take a closer look - on which of the packs is the word OIL written on it?
Everything is very simple, there is a play on words - when you see the name “Peasant” on the package, resembling a pack of butter, you think that this is oil and you buy it. But no, turn the pack over and you will see that this is a vegetable-fat spread produced according to TU. This is usually written in small letters on the back. There is no smell of oil here, as they say. Just the name is "Peasant". No matter how it sounds (vegetable-fat spread "Smolenskoe" for example), it will not become oil.
The same tricks with mayonnaise. "Salad" says the package, shaped like mayonnaise. Excuse me, what is this? The word "mayonnaise" is not on the package. Well, it's not mayonnaise at all - with reverse side all the same TU. And the composition is full of chemistry ... GOST does not allow chemistry, therefore they do not write the word "mayonnaise" - because then you need to comply with the requirements of GOST.
Many more examples can be given:
“Homemade stew” - turn over the jar - canned food according to TU, and not necessarily with meat.
"Milk condensed milk" - we turn over the jar - it is produced according to technical specifications from powdered milk with an admixture of dyes and preservatives.
The need to choose cable products with the required properties is faced by specialists from design organizations, employees of the energy services of enterprises servicing industrial electrical installations, as well as owners of private houses and apartments during the installation of electrical wiring. For a preliminary assessment of product quality, first you need to familiarize yourself with the certificates confirming the compliance of the cable characteristics with certain standards, and also figure out what is the difference between them. Such information should be available on the manufacturer's website. Next, we will tell you what the GOST and TU cable is, as well as which option is better to choose for home wiring.
What's the Difference?
A regulatory document containing a list of technical requirements for any product (in particular, for wire and cable products) can be GOST (state standard) or TU (technical specifications). What is the difference between these documents and which is better to choose?
The State Standard (GOST) is developed by government agencies and is currently being approved by the Interstate Council for Standardization, Metrology and Certification. The subject of state standardization is usually products of intersectoral purpose. Specifications (TS) are created by the manufacturer of products and approved by the ministry of the relevant industry.
The heyday of standardization of production fell on the Soviet period, when all enterprises were state-owned. Any product had to meet the standard. There was a hierarchy at the head of which were state standards (GOST), industry standards (OST) ranked lower, technical specifications (TU) were the youngest in this structure. With the collapse of the USSR and the emergence a large number cable manufacturers with private ownership, the old system of quality control has collapsed.
Certification of any product (including conductors) for compliance with GOST is a costly undertaking and requires compliance with a number of bureaucratic procedures. Of course, all costs incurred in this case are included in the cost of the cable. The difference between the TU certification procedure is that it is much simpler and cheaper, which is better for the manufacturer. On the one hand, it can be assumed that a cable certified according to TU should be cheaper than a cable according to GOST. But the difference lies in the fact that the specifications are made by the manufacturer himself, which most often leads to a decrease in product quality. From this point of view, it seems that it is better to choose a cable that is certified according to GOST, since uninterested people took part in the development of this document, in contrast to the technical specifications. government bodies, although in the current conditions, the presence of a state certificate, unfortunately, does not guarantee the high quality of the product.
Standardization received a new impetus after the creation Customs Union, with the creation of which the technical regulation "On the safety of low-voltage equipment" appeared. In accordance with this document, at present, all manufactured cable products are subject to certification for compliance with GOST. This applies to manufacturers of all forms of ownership of the EAEU member countries.
What is better to choose?
From a practical point of view, if you want, it is completely insufficient to focus only on which regulatory document (standard or technical specifications) its technical parameters correspond to. Let's single out the most important points this process:
- before buying a conductor product, you must obtain information about its manufacturer;
- on the manufacturer's website, make sure that there are certificates confirming the compliance of the goods with GOST or TU;
- request a certificate of conformity from the seller of the product;
- it is better if the coil or drum on which the conductor products are supplied has the manufacturer's branded labels;
With these simple steps, you can easily distinguish a GOST cable from a specification. If it is not possible to determine when and by whom this conductor was released, it is better to refrain from buying. As a last resort, you can do the following:
- Visually assess the condition of the wire insulation. If there are traces of long-term storage, especially in the sun, which is best determined by the presence of fragmentary changes in the color and texture of the insulation (for example, it has become rough and brightened in places), it is strongly not recommended to purchase the cable.
- After bending the cable, inspect the bend for microcracks that may occur on a poor-quality dried sheath.
- Measure the diameter of the conductor. To do this, you can use a caliper. Based on the value obtained, we calculate the cross section of the core using the circle area formula. If the core is multi-wire, the diameter of one wire is measured, the cross section is calculated and multiplied by the number of wires in the core. Learn more about that, we told in a separate article.
Production in our country today is regulated by two types of standards: GOST and TU. The goals and objectives of both of these standards are the same - the creation of a framework that the manufacturer must adhere to when manufacturing products. But to achieve these goals, each standard uses its own set of levers and methods of influence.
Consider how GOST differs from TU, and what are the specifics of each standard.
GOST (State standard)
The GOST system was developed and launched back in the USSR. GOST is a system of standards governing the production of goods. It was assumed that absolutely all goods and services must comply with GOSTs, and each type of product would be regulated by a separate standard. The requirements of state standards were mandatory for compliance. After 1996, state standards become mandatory only after registration with the Ministry of Justice. Otherwise - to produce goods in accordance with GOST or in accordance with other normative documents, only the manufacturer decides.
TU (Specifications)
During the transition of the economy to market relations, it became obvious that GOSTs no longer keep up with dynamic development. Then TUs were introduced, the purpose of which was to regulate the production of goods that did not have the “happiness” to fall under the action of GOST. Moreover, the manufacturer himself should deal with the development and monitoring of compliance with the specifications. Actually, this is the main point, in terms of how GOST differs from TU. In fact, specifications are the property of the person to whom they are registered.
Find four differences
1. Development and approval
State standards, as the name suggests, are developed exclusively by the state. GOSTs are registered in the Ministry of Justice. A package of technical specifications documents is prepared by order of the manufacturer in a commercial structure, or by the manufacturer, if possible. Mandatory registration of technical conditions is not provided, but you can do it if you wish. True, you need to carry the documents not to the Ministry of Justice, but to the State Standard. And, in its essence, it will be only an act of securing the ownership of a particular technical specification.
2. Legislative support
GOSTs, in fact, are a legislative act in terms of regulatory regulation. TUs are not. Moreover, no one except the state can have rights to the state standard, but the technical specifications have an owner who can transfer them, including for a fee.
At the same time, TU is recognized as a lower standard, since its provisions cannot contradict similar provisions of GOST.
3. Guarantees of compliance with the regulations
What is the difference between GOST and TU? The most popular answer to this question will be concise: "rigidity." It is the rigidity of the norms, and not the quality of the goods produced according to certain standards. The reasons are quite clear - GOSTs are developed by the state, for which the profitability of production and the simplification of technology are not a priority. the main objective GOST - quality and safety. The manufacturer, when developing specifications, is guided by economic feasibility and profit. At the same time, in terms of quality, he is not inclined to lay an excessive margin of safety - this is fraught with an increase in cost.
And, most importantly, most GOSTs are mandatory standards, and goods that fall under their action must be produced only in accordance with GOST. The application of TS is simplified.
4. Object of regulation and details of the regulation
As a rule, GOST regulates the process of production, storage, labeling and transportation of a certain product. The state standard is detailed description the path of a product from raw material to consumer. Specifications do not regulate the process of labeling and selling goods in such detail. Often, the provisions of the technical specifications contain marketing tricks, the main task of which is to help sell the product.
This is perhaps full list what is the difference between GOST and TU. It may be believed that the state standard is definitely best indicator quality than TU, but not everything is so simple. Often, the manufacturer is placed by the market in such a framework in which it is necessary to produce goods that exceed the requirements of GOSTs. As a rule, these are industries subject to fierce competition. And vice versa, the vagueness and ill-conceivedness of GOSTs leaves a huge room for maneuver for an unscrupulous manufacturer.
As always, the last word remains with the consumer. We provide assistance in
What do you personally pay attention to when choosing a product in a store? Let's guess! First of all, probably, on the price, expiration date, composition, and then look for the treasured four letters on the package GOST. And if you see mean instead of them THAT? Many buyers in your position will put the product back on the shelf in disappointment. After all, we are sure that GOST is some kind of gold standard, time-tested. And since TU is written, it means that it doesn’t reach the GOST, sheer chemistry. But is everything so clear? Let's figure it out.
We will tell you what the consumer needs to know about these abbreviations in order to be confident in the quality of the purchased products. And also, what explains the fact that in GOST, for example, there are preservatives and dyes for cheese (including non-natural ones). And why the cherished badge does not always indicate the quality of the product itself.
The main difference between GOST and TU
System GOSTs (state industry standards) It was also developed as a regulation of the production of goods. Her demands were mandatory. Violation of these entailed the withdrawal of goods from stores and a ban on production.
There was a separate standard for each type of product. But during the transition of the economy to market relations, it became obvious: GOSTs no longer keep up with dynamic development. Then they introduced TU (technical conditions), whose task is to regulate the release of goods that do not fall under GOST. TU had a limited validity period, not more than 5 years. Then on new product developed GOST.
The manufacturer himself had to deal with the development and monitoring of compliance with the specifications. Such a scheme in the countries of the former CIS is still valid today: technical conditions - own the one to whom they are registered. It would seem that the conclusion is that products according to TU are worse than according to GOST, suggests itself. But experts explain that this is not so. Although each of these types of standards has its own specifics, goals and objectives they have one.
Food quality standards
So what is the best standard? Perhaps there is no single answer.
One side, GOSTs are regulated raw materials that should be used for the production of a particular product, additives used, approved recipe. It is not always profitable for manufacturers to produce food according to these requirements. And the very ill-conceivedness of state standards leaves huge room for maneuver. Because of this, some food businesses go for more easy way: change the recipe, use substitute ingredients, and then release such goods according to specifications.
On the other hand, the manufacturer is often placed by the market in such conditions under which it is necessary to produce goods, exceeding the requirements of GOSTs. This applies most of all to industries subject to rigid competition. Therefore, manufacturers, even conscientious ones, begin to produce food according to specifications.
Now let's look at the situations with the products that we most often buy.
Meat products
According to the standards, it is necessary to distinguish between actual meat, meat-containing products and analogues of meat products:
- in meat products meat should be at least 60% (previously it was 100%)
- meat-containing products are divided into: meat and vegetable (30–60%) and vegetable and meat (5–30%)
- in products-analogues meat no more than 5%
Only meat products are produced according to GOST, the rest - according to TU. Therefore, when buying meat products, pay attention to what technical documentation they were produced, as well as what and in what quantity is included in their composition.
Milk products
The picture is similar to the previous one: they produce dairy, dairy compound and milk-containing products.
AT dairy compound products manufacturers add non-dairy raw materials, but not for the purpose of replacement, but to expand the range (for example, yogurt with fruit pieces, curd mass with raisins).
The composition of m organic products may include various non-dairy components that replace dairy raw materials. Often it is soy protein, Palm oil and modified fats. In the final product, milk must be at least 20%, and milk fat - at least 50%. It is clear that this type of production is most profitable.
Oil and fat products
Along with butter and margarine, on store shelves you can find another product - spread. The latter is creamy-vegetable, vegetable-creamy and vegetable-fatty. And these products are different groups goods:
- creamy-vegetable - to dairy (milk fat content 50–95%)
- vegetable-creamy (milk fat 15-49%)
- vegetable fat (maybe without milk fat at all, although the spread is still referred to as oil and fat products).
How to protect yourself from substandard products
There were cases when GOST was indicated on a fake product, but not the one that regulates the quality of the product itself, but the one according to which packaging is produced. Therefore, we recommend checking what kind of standard is indicated on the products. Just go in Internet and enter the specified GOST in the search engine. And everything will become clear! If a specific product name, "technical specifications" or "general specifications" is indicated, this is evidence that the product is manufactured according to the standard.
Very often, "wrong" GOSTs and those whose validity period has expired are used by scammers for. Pay attention to this, be vigilant! After all, the consumer has the last word, right? Share our article on social networks!