marking on molded power cords

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cre8ive_thinker

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Do male plugs on molded power cords need to have their voltage requirements marked on them according to the NEC?

I am reading 406.6 that it states that "attachment" plugs and cord connectors need to be marked with the manufacturers anme or ID, and voltage and amperage rating. It does not state anything about the molded version. I view "attachment" plugs as being not-preattached to the cord what you would commonly find at any electrical distributor

Reading UL817 for Non-detachable power supply cords it states in 51.3 that
"Nondetachable power supply cords intended for shipment to OEM's shall have any applicable markings on the outer surface of the shipping carton, or on a tag or the equivalent inside the carton. The electrical rating need not be marked."

I have a customer questioning on a molded twist lock that the NEMA style L5-15P is marked, but no voltage or amperage ratings are marked. I see this as being determined based on the cord size used. If we provide them with 16awg cord that would be rated at 13amps and if 14awg cord they would be rated at 15amps.

Any additional thought on this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
 
From Article 100 Definitions:

Attachment Plug (Plug Cap) (Plug). A device that, by insertion in a receptacle, establishes a connection between the conductors of the attached flexible cord and the conductors connected permanently to the receptacle.

From the Handbook:

Standard attachment caps are also available with built-in options, such as switching, fuses, or even ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection.
Attachment plug contact blades have specific shapes, sizes, and configurations so that a receptacle or cord connector will not accept an attachment plug of a different voltage or current rating than that for which the device is intended. Configuration charts from NEMA Standard WD 6 for general-purpose nonlocking and specific-purpose locking plugs and receptacles are shown in Exhibits 406.2 and 406.3, respectively.

I read this to mean that an attachment cord could be supplied as the molded variety or connected seperately. As to the marking the NEMA configuration would indicate the voltage and amperage. I don't know if this meets the intent or not. L5-15 would be 15 amperes, 125 volts.

By the way, welcome to the forum.
 
Thanks for the reply and the welcome. I agree that the amperage and voltage is indicated by the NEMA configuration. It is not even required by UL and UL is about as picky about markings as anyone..
 
If you are supplying a component cord assemply to a manufacturer for them to include on a piece of listed equipment, the NEC is not applicable.
 
Thank you for your reply Jim. It is the power cord for high bay and low bay light fixtures. Just so that I can explain to my customer, why does the NEC not apply in this case?
 
The NEC is a construction code not a "factory" manufacturing code.

Is the entire assembly, fixture and cord, are listed as a single factory assembled device/appliance? One of the intents behind third party listings (NRTL) is to relieve the inspector from having to become an expert on manufacturing practices and procedures.
 
I know that the fixture is UL and CSA certified, I am just not sure if the cord is part of the approval.

Our power cords have UL and CSA approvals as well.

Personally I believe we are fine, but I am trying to make sure that my customer is comfortable with this as well.
 
Re: marking on molded power cords

cre8ive_thinker said:
I view "attachment" plugs as being not-preattached to the cord what you would commonly find at any electrical distributor
Click to expand...
I have to disagree with this interpretation of the meaning of "attachment plugs." Article 100 of the NEC has a definition for this term. It basically covers any device that plugs into a receptacle. It does not distinguish whether the plug is supplied with the equipment or has to be supplied separately and connected in the field. The rule about labeling applies equally to both.

That being said, however, I have to agree with Jim's statement to the effect that the NEC does not apply to anything done by the manufacturer. So if the manufacturer includes the cord and the attachment plug with the equipment, and if the manufacturer did not mark the plug with its rated voltage and current, Article 406.6 cannot be used to fail the installation.
 
Charlie,

Thanks for responding. Now that I see the definitions of the NEC, (I am reading it online), I agree with you that it is. The customer is extremely worried that an electrical inspector would look at this and reject their product because it is not marked with amperage and voltage per se, since the NEMA configuration really gives that to you. However as we all know that their are plenty of people that install the product that do not know what they mean.
 
Last week I was asked to install a circuit and receptacle for a MIG welder. I was able to determine that the plug was 6-50P but nowhere on the cord or plug was there any marking whatsoever. Go figure
 
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