Multicore cable

A multicore cable is a type of <a href="/facts/Electrical_cable/Dhzlz5hn">electrical cable</a> that combines multiple signals or power feeds into a single jacketed cable. The term is normally only used in relation to a cable that has more cores than commonly encountered. Not all cables with multiple insulated conductors are called multicore cables – the core in multicore refers to the number of usable connections made, not the number of conductors or <a href="/facts/Wire/yyy05H1S">wires</a>. In most cases, a "usable connection" requires multiple conductors, such as the positive and negative conductors used for <a href="/facts/Direct_current/r9MNUx84">DC</a> power.
For example, a standard three-conductor <a href="/facts/Mains_electricity/rjE90Hg0">mains</a> cable is never referred to as multicore, but a cable comprising four <a href="/facts/Coaxial_cable/aG9FfCpL">coaxial cables</a> in a single sheath would be considered multicore. Confusingly, the term multicore is occasionally used to refer to the number of individual conductors rather than the number of connections, especially in Europe. A cable with multiple conductors, but not a multicore cable, is usually called a multi-conductor or multi-wire cable.

Multicore cable open-in-new

Multicore cable