Electrical Cable 3G6mm2 (or 3G10mm2), electrical connection of the hob

When it comes to doing electrical installation, any savings are worth making. It is in this context that a reader questioned me because he had the opportunity to recover electrical cable 3G6mm2.

Electrical Cable 3G6mm2 (or 3G10mm2), electrical connection of the hob

When it comes to doing electrical installation, any savings are worth making. It is in this context that a reader questioned me because he had the opportunity to recover 6mm2 electrical cable. So he simply asked me the following question: “Can I connect my ceramic hob with a 3G6mm2 electrical cable? Do I have to use 3G10mm2?”

Electrical Cable 3G6mm2, what does that mean?

A little reminder that may be useful for the uninitiated: What does the term 3G6mm2 mean?

Initially, it is about a term describing an electric cable (and not an electric wire, I explain in the following link the difference between cable and electric wire ).

In fact, this acronym must be broken down into several parts:

• The “3” indicates that the cable contains 3 insulated electric wires.
• The “G” indicates that one of the electrical wires is green-yellow(the ground wire).
• “6mm2” gives the section of each electric wirethat makes up the cable.

In the end, this 3G6mm2 can be translated as “electric cable 3x6mm2 “or cable 6mm2 to make it shorter.

Obviously, 3G10mm2 translates to “3x10mm2 power cable “.

Electric cable 3G6mm2 or 3x6mm2

What the NF C 15-100 standard says about the connection of a hob:

Before knowing if this 3G6mm2 cable is suitable for connecting the hob, you must check what the NF C 15 100 standard says.

• The hob/stove is plugged into a specialized outlet: the 32A outlet.
• For a 32A socket outlet, the minimum section is 6mm2.

The standard, but above all, a notion of amperage for the ceramic hob:

In the present case, the sole notion of 3G6mm2 cable is not sufficient to answer the question, even based on the recommendations of the NF C 15-100 standard.

What is more needed? Know the amperage of the ceramic hob.

The problem is that the concept of the device’s amperage is rarely given in the manufacturers’ specifications. They rather give power in Watt (unit W) or Kilowatt (unit KW).

It is, therefore, necessary to have a Watt / Ampere correspondence.

For this, we must use the formula P = U x I (simplified formula), which makes it possible to determine the amperage of the ceramic hob from the power and the voltage while knowing that on a single-phase network, the voltage is 230V.

Let’s take an example with a commercial hob – this model in particular.

The amperage of this ceramic hob is less than 32A. The 6mm2 cable is ideal.

The total cumulative power of the lights is 7200 Watts. The maximum amperage consumed is, therefore, 31.3A, at a voltage of 230V. All this is quite theoretical because it would be necessary that all the fires of the hob turn at full speed.

In the end, a 32A circuit breaker will protect this glass-ceramic hob without any problem.

  Is the 3G6mm2 cable good for connecting this hob?

The bottom of the question is whether it is possible to use 3g6mm2 cable with a plate.

And my amperage calculation is not trivial because, with a 6mm2 cable, you must not exceed 32A: the use of 3G6mm2 is, therefore, possible in the specific case of the ceramic glass plate with a power of 7200W that I took as an example.

More powerful ceramic hob, is the 6mm2 cable sufficient?

Granted, manufacturers don’t often exceed 7200W. But in some cases, this happens with 5 or more burners.

An example? This model of 5-burner ceramic hob which can reach a total power of 8500W.

The connection of this glass-ceramic hob must be made in 3G10mm2 with a 40A circuit breaker.

Admittedly, once again, this is theoretical, but the plate alone can consume more than 36A.

The combination of 32A circuit breaker and 6mm2 cable is therefore no longer valid. For this hob, you will need to connect a 40A circuit breaker ( like this Legrand model ) associated with a 3G10mm2 electric cable.

Price of the 3G6mm2 Cable (and 3G10mm2 if necessary)?

Price level, it takes around 5 to 6 euros per meter cut for 3G6 Cable (6mm2 Cable).

But if you choose to take the 3G6mm2 electric cable in a roll, it is obviously cheaper: 2 euros per meter.

Electric Cable 3x 6mm2 flexible or rigid?

Small additional information that could be useful in the choice of the cable 3G6mm2 (or 3G10mm2): Flexible or rigid?

Indeed, the electric cable is differentiated by its section but also by its nature.

The 6mm2 cable can be manufactured:

• With thick interlaced copper “wires,”: the cable is then rigidand bears the letter  Uor R  in its name (for example, H07V U or H07V R ).
• With a multitude of fine copper wires (we speak of a multi-strand electric cable): the cable is flexible and bears the letter  Kin its name (example H07V K).

For a hob, I prefer to work with a flexible 6mm2 cable, which makes it easier to wire the electrical panel.

Work and connection of the 3g6mm2 / 3g10mm2 electric cable:

I am not stopping there, since the work of the 3G6mm2 cable requires a little tool and material including:

•       A Jokari or a cable stripper toolthat allows you to strip the electrical cable and remove the PVC insulating casing that protects the electrical wires. (I suggest you use a cable stripper that I tested: the Knipex Ergostrip model ).
•       A set of electric dominoesor the latest Wagos compatible with 6mm2 wire .
•       6mm2cable end caps if you use flexible cable (to be used with crimping pliers ).