EPLAN Electric P8 — Wire vs Cable in Schematic Drawing
A comprehensive reference guide to the standard report and form structure of an EPLAN Electric P8 project, including form types, purposes, examples, and applicable standards.
EPLAN Electric P8 — Wire vs Cable in Schematic Drawing
Software: EPLAN Electric P8 Topic: The fundamental difference between wires and cables in schematics — definition, behavior, documentation, and form output Level: Beginner to Intermediate
The Core Concept
In everyday speech, “wire” and “cable” are used interchangeably. In EPLAN P8, they are two completely different engineering objects with different data, different behavior in reports, and different purposes in the schematic.
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┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ EPLAN DEFINITION │
│ │
│ WIRE = a single conductor connection between two points │
│ (one connection, one potential, drawn as a line) │
│ │
│ CABLE = a physical multi-core cable that groups multiple │
│ wires together inside one outer jacket/sheath │
│ (a container object assigned to wires) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
A wire is always a child of a connection. A cable is always a parent that owns one or more wires/conductors.
Wire — Full Definition
What is a Wire?
A wire in EPLAN is the graphical line you draw between two device connection points on a schematic page. Every line you draw in a circuit diagram IS a wire. It represents a single electrical conductor.
Wire Properties
| Property | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Connection color | Wire conductor color | BK (Black), BU (Blue), RD (Red) |
| Cross-section | Conductor area in mm² | 1.5 mm², 2.5 mm², 0.75 mm² |
| Potential | Electrical potential assigned | L1, 24VDC, GND, PE |
| Signal name | Logical signal identifier | Emergency_Stop, Motor_Run |
| From (source) | Device:pin at start of wire | =GB1+ET1-K1:13 |
| To (destination) | Device:pin at end of wire | =GB1+ET1-K3:A1 |
| Wire number | Auto-generated or manual ID | W001, 001 |
| Connection type | Type of connection | Conductor, Shield, PE |
How Wires Look in a Schematic
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-K1 -K3
[13]──────────[A1]
wire
BK 1.5mm²
Potential: 24VDC
A single horizontal or vertical line connecting two component pins. EPLAN automatically:
- Assigns potential from connected symbols
- Propagates color and cross-section from connection settings
- Generates a unique wire number
Where Wires Appear in Reports
| Report | Form | What is shown |
|---|---|---|
| Connection list | .f17 | Every wire as one row — from, to, color, cross-section, potential |
| Terminal diagram | .f11 | Wires arriving at terminals — internal connections |
| Terminal-strip overview | .f10 | Wire color and cross-section at each terminal |
| PLC diagram | .f22 | Wire from terminal to PLC I/O channel |
Cable — Full Definition
What is a Cable?
A cable in EPLAN is a physical object — a multi-core cable with an outer jacket that groups multiple conductors together. It is NOT drawn as a line. Instead, it is assigned to existing wires to tell EPLAN that those wires physically run inside the same cable.
A cable is a logical grouping and procurement object. It has a type (article number), length, and routing path — but it does not create connections by itself.
Cable Properties
| Property | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Cable designation | Unique cable ID | W1, W2, C-101 |
| Cable type | Article/type string | NYCWY 3×1.5mm² |
| Number of conductors | How many cores inside | 3, 5, 7 |
| Cross-section | Core cross-section | 1.5 mm² |
| Voltage level | Rated voltage | 0.6/1 kV, 300/500 V |
| Length (manual) | Planned cable length | 15 m |
| Length (routed) | EPLAN topology-calculated | 16.2 m |
| From | Source end location | =GB1+ET1-X1:1 |
| To | Destination end location | =GB2+MCC-X2:3 |
| Shielded | Shield flag | Yes / No |
| Jacket color | Outer jacket color | Black, Grey |
| Outer diameter | Physical OD in mm | 12.4 mm |
| ATEX identifier | Explosion protection class | Ex e IIC T4 |
| Reel reference | Cable drum/reel number | Reel-07 |
How a Cable Looks in a Schematic
A cable is represented by a cable definition line — a special symbol placed across the wires that belong to it:
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Panel A Panel B
-X1:1 ──────────────────────────── -X2:1
-X1:2 ──────────────────────────── -X2:2 ← individual wires
-X1:3 ──────────────────────────── -X2:3
┌──────────────────────┐
│ W1 NYCWY 3×1.5 │ ← cable definition line
│ L=15m │
└──────────────────────┘
The cable definition line crosses the wires graphically and “owns” them. In EPLAN this is inserted via Insert → Cable definition.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Aspect | Wire | Cable |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Single electrical conductor | Physical multi-core cable grouping |
| Drawn as | A line between two pins | A cable definition line across wires |
| Creates a connection | ✅ Yes | ❌ No — groups existing connections |
| Has a potential | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Has a length | ❌ No | ✅ Yes (manual + routed) |
| Has a type/article | ❌ No | ✅ Yes (from parts management) |
| Appears in connection list | ✅ Yes — as a row | Referenced by name in rows |
| Appears in cable diagram | ❌ No | ✅ Yes — .f04 |
| Appears in BOM | ❌ No | ✅ Yes — .f05 (by meter) |
| Has color | ✅ Yes (conductor color) | ✅ Yes (jacket color — different property) |
| Has cross-section | ✅ Yes (conductor area) | ✅ Yes (individual core area) |
| Can be shielded | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Assigned to potential | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| EPLAN object type | Connection | Cable |
| Inserted via | Drawing a line | Insert → Cable definition |
The Relationship Between Wire and Cable
A cable contains wires. The wires define the electrical connections. The cable defines the physical routing object.
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CABLE W1 — NYCWY 3×1.5mm², 15m
│
├── Conductor 1 (BN / Brown) → wire: -X1:1 → -X2:1 (L1, 1.5mm²)
├── Conductor 2 (BK / Black) → wire: -X1:2 → -X2:2 (L2, 1.5mm²)
└── Conductor 3 (GY / Grey) → wire: -X1:3 → -X2:3 (L3, 1.5mm²)
- Each wire has its own color, potential, and connection points
- The cable has the type, length, shielding, and article number
- When you assign a cable to a wire, the wire gets a
Cable nameandConductor numberproperty
Real-World Example
Scenario: Motor starter cabinet connected to a motor in the field.
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Control Panel Motor Terminal Box
-X1:1 (U1) ─────────────────────────── Motor U1
-X1:2 (V1) ─────────────────────────── Motor V1
-X1:3 (W1) ─────────────────────────── Motor W1
-X1:PE (PE) ────────────────────────── Motor PE
┌──────────────────────┐
│ W5 NYCWY 4×2.5+E │
│ L=22m 0.6/1kV │
└──────────────────────┘
The wires are:
| Wire | Color | Cross-section | Potential | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conductor 1 | BN | 2.5 mm² | U1 | -X1:1 | Motor U1 |
| Conductor 2 | BK | 2.5 mm² | V1 | -X1:2 | Motor V1 |
| Conductor 3 | GY | 2.5 mm² | W1 | -X1:3 | Motor W1 |
| Conductor 4 | GN/YE | 2.5 mm² | PE | -X1:PE | Motor PE |
The cable is:
| Cable ID | Type | Conductors | Length | Voltage | Shielded | Article |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W5 | NYCWY 4×2.5+E | 4 | 22 m | 0.6/1 kV | No | — |
What Appears in Which Report
Connection List (.f17) — Wire-driven
Shows the wires — one row per conductor connection.
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From │ To │ Cable │ Cond │ Color │ mm² │ Potential
─X1:1 │ Motor U1 │ W5 │ 1 │ BN │ 2.5 │ U1
-X1:2 │ Motor V1 │ W5 │ 2 │ BK │ 2.5 │ V1
-X1:3 │ Motor W1 │ W5 │ 3 │ GY │ 2.5 │ W1
-X1:PE │ Motor PE │ W5 │ 4 │ GN/YE │ 2.5 │ PE
The cable name W5 is a reference — it appears in the wire’s row to show which cable the conductor belongs to.
Cable Diagram / Overview (.f04) — Cable-driven
Shows the cable as the primary object, with its conductors listed below.
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Cable: W5
Type: NYCWY 4×2.5+E
Length: 22m
From: =GB1+ET1-X1 To: Motor terminal box
Cond │ Color │ mm² │ From pin │ To pin │ Potential
1 │ BN │ 2.5 │ X1:1 │ Motor U1 │ U1
2 │ BK │ 2.5 │ X1:2 │ Motor V1 │ V1
3 │ GY │ 2.5 │ X1:3 │ Motor W1 │ W1
4 │ GN/YE │ 2.5 │ X1:PE │ Motor PE │ PE
Summarized Parts List (.f05) — Cable as a part
The cable appears once as a purchased item with quantity in meters.
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Article: NYCWY 4×2.5+E │ Manufacturer: Lapp │ Unit: m │ Qty: 22
The individual wires do NOT appear in the BOM — only the cable as a product.
Terminal Diagram (.f11) — Wire at terminal
Shows where each conductor lands on a terminal, including which cable it belongs to.
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Terminal │ Internal from │ Cable │ Cond │ Color │ mm²
X1:1 │ -K3:2 │ W5 │ 1 │ BN │ 2.5
X1:2 │ -K3:4 │ W5 │ 2 │ BK │ 2.5
X1:3 │ -K3:6 │ W5 │ 3 │ GY │ 2.5
X1:PE │ PE busbar │ W5 │ 4 │ GN/YE │ 2.5
Common Beginner Mistakes
| Mistake | Problem | Correct Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Drawing a cable as lines between panels | No cable object exists — no cable report | Draw wires, then insert cable definition across them |
| Assigning wrong number of conductors to cable | Cable type says 3-core but 4 wires assigned | Match cable type to actual wires assigned |
| Forgetting to assign cable to wires | Wires exist but no cable report generated | Open cable dialog, assign each wire to a conductor |
| Using wire color for cable jacket color | Color properties are different objects | Wire color = conductor; Cable jacket color = outer sheath |
| Expecting cable to appear in connection list | Connection list shows wires, not cables | Check cable diagram (.f04) for cable documentation |
| Not setting cable length | Cable BOM shows 0m | Enter manual length in cable properties dialog |
| Confusing cross-section | Cable shows 3×1.5 but wires set to 2.5mm² | Cross-section on wire = conductor; on cable = type description — must match |
How to Insert a Wire (Connection)
Wires are created automatically when you:
- Draw a line between two component pins in the schematic editor
- Use Insert → Connection to draw a conductor line
- Drag from one pin connection point to another
EPLAN automatically assigns the potential from the connected symbols.
How to Insert a Cable Definition
- Draw all wires that will belong to the cable first
- Go to Insert → Cable definition
- Click and drag a cable definition line across all wires that belong to this cable
- The Cable properties dialog opens — enter:
- Cable designation (W1, W2…)
- Cable type (from parts management or free text)
- Length
- Number of conductors
- In the cable dialog, assign each conductor to a wire
- Click OK
Alternatively, use the Cable Navigator (Project data → Cables) to manage all cables in one place.
Summary
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WIRE CABLE
──────────────────────────── ────────────────────────────
= electrical connection = physical routing object
= drawn as a schematic line = inserted as cable definition
= has potential & signal = has type, length & article
= has conductor color = has jacket color
= drives connection list = drives cable diagram & BOM
= one wire = one connection = one cable = many wires
= child of the circuit = parent container of wires
Related Files
| File | Description |
|---|---|
eplan_p8_project_structure.json | Full metadata for all 16 project report folders |
README.md | General project structure reference |
README_Expert_Properties.md | Expert property reference — cable & connection properties |
README_All_Categories_2026.md | All property categories including Cable data & Connection |
README_Form_Layout_and_Types.md | Form layout and .f04, .f17, .f11 type reference |
README_Wire_vs_Cable.md | This file |
EPLAN Electric P8 — Engineering Reference Documentation