The ONLY UL-2196 Listed Fire-Resistive Data/Communication Cable, in compliance with UL 2196-rev3.

It maintains circuit integrity—without needing metal conduit or wrapping—even during extreme heat and fire hose cooling, ensuring reliable in-building radio communications for emergency and public safety systems.

UL 2196 is the main North American fire-test standard used to verify that critical cables remain operational during a fire. It applies to power, control, instrumentation, and communication cables—including RF coaxial cables like RFS Technologies’ DragonSkin™.

UL 2196 cable is often mandated for life-safety systems like:
• Emergency responder radio systems (ERRCS / DAS)
• Fire alarm systems
• Fire pumps and emergency feeders
• Smoke evacuation systems
• Tunnel and transportation systems

These applications require the cable to continue transmitting signals during a fire, allowing emergency systems to function.

UL 2196 Revision 3

UL 2196 Edition 3 (published June 26 2025) updated the standard to better address modern communication and safety systems.

Revision 3 explicitly covers:
• Power cables
• Instrumentation cables
• Control cables
• Data/communications cables
• RF coaxial and fiber-optic cables
Revision 3 places greater emphasis on testing modern communication infrastructure, rather than focusing solely on power circuits. Maintaining basic circuit integrity alone is no longer sufficient. Equally important is ensuring that RF coaxial systems remain fully operational from a signal transmission perspective during fire exposure.

UL 2196 Fire Test Configuration

DragonSkin™ cable systems were evaluated using representative installation configurations consistent with UL 2196 testing protocols.

Typical configurations included:
• Cable tray installations
• Conduit installations
• Direct support systems

The circuit was energized during testing to simulate real-world operational conditions.

Monitoring systems continuously evaluated:
• Voltage continuity
• Current flow
• Short circuits
• Ground faults
• RF performance

Representative Product Example

• DragonSkin 2HB12-50JPLR
  • ½″ air-dielectric, corrugated-copper coaxial cable
  • Red, plenum-rated jacket
  • Rated for 50 Ω impedance
  • Survives UL 2196 two-hour fire test—maintains communications during severe conditions