Türkiye is one of the leading cable producers serving Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia. Its manufacturers build to IEC, EN, BS and many national standards, and the country’s location keeps delivery times short. Buying well still takes preparation. This guide covers what to settle before you ask for a price, which approvals to check, how offers work, and how to protect quality and delivery.
1. Prepare a complete specification
Most delays and wrong quotations start with an incomplete enquiry. A manufacturer can only quote accurately when it knows exactly what you need. Before sending a request, gather:
- Standard and type designation, for example IEC 60502-1, BS 6724 or a type code such as N2XH or NYY.
- Construction: number of cores and cross-section, conductor material (copper or aluminium) and class, insulation, armour and outer sheath.
- Rated voltage and any special requirements, such as UV resistance, oil resistance, low smoke and zero halogen (LSZH) or flame retardancy.
- Fire performance: for cables installed in buildings in the EU, the required CPR (Construction Products Regulation) Euroclass.
- Quantities and drum lengths, core colours, sheath colour and printing or marking requirements.
- Approvals and documents the project or authority requires.
- Delivery terms: destination, preferred Incoterm and required delivery date.
Our cable library and configurator help you put this information together, and the RFQ form asks for each item in turn.
2. Check standards and approvals early
A cable that meets the right standard can still be rejected if it lacks the mark or certificate your market expects. Agree the required evidence before production starts:
- European Union: CE marking, and for building cables a CPR Euroclass with a Declaration of Performance (DoP).
- United Kingdom: the relevant British Standard, and UKCA marking where it applies.
- Third-party marks such as HAR, VDE or BASEC, when a client or authority asks for them.
- Special applications: marine type approvals for ships and offshore units, and approvals such as MSHA for mining cables.
Not every manufacturer holds every approval for every cable type. Our standards and compliance page explains how we match your requirements to manufacturers that hold the right certification.
3. Understand how offers and prices work
Copper and aluminium make up a large part of a cable’s cost, and their prices change daily on the metal markets. Offers are therefore short-lived:
- Our offers are valid for 3 calendar days and are subject to price escalation if metal prices move before the order is confirmed.
- Check the order confirmation carefully: errors must be reported within 1 calendar day of receiving it.
- Compare offers on the same basis: identical specification, packaging, Incoterm and payment terms.
The full terms are set out in our General Conditions of Services.
4. Plan inspection and testing
Manufacturers carry out routine tests to the applicable standard. For independent assurance, buyers appoint their own third-party inspection company to witness tests and confirm that the cables match their technical specification before shipment.
- Agree the inspection and test plan, including which type, routine and sample tests are witnessed, when you place the order.
- Book your inspector early. When goods are reported ready, the inspection should take place within 2 calendar days; after that, storage costs may apply.
- Ask for the test reports and certificates to be included with the shipping documents.
5. Get the shipping documents right
- Commercial invoice, packing list with drum numbers, lengths and weights, and the bill of lading or CMR.
- Certificate of origin. For shipments to the EU, the A.TR movement certificate supports preferential treatment under the EU–Türkiye customs union for industrial goods.
- Test reports, the DoP for CPR cables, and any approval certificates required at destination.
6. Know how warranty works
The warranty for supplied cables is given by the manufacturer that produced them. When you buy through Turkish Cables, the manufacturer’s warranty is passed on to you, and we help you with any claim.
How Turkish Cables helps
As a sourcing and expediting office in Istanbul, we match your specification with suitable Turkish manufacturers, collect and compare offers, follow production and coordinate inspection and shipment, so you have one point of contact from enquiry to delivery. See how we work, or send us your request for quotation.