Cable Schedule
Template (Excel)

A cable schedule (also called a cable list or cable register) is the master register of every electrical, instrumentation, control, signal, and communication cable on a project. For each cable it records cable number, type (power / control / instrumentation / signal / communication), voltage rating, number of cores and conductor size, insulation, armouring, outer sheath, from / to tags and locations, length, drum number, route, glanding, termination detail, applicable cable standard (IEC 60502 for power, IEC 60092 for marine, IS 7098 for Indian, BS 6346 for British), hazardous area classification, and fire rating.

Required columns: cable number, cable type, voltage rating, number of cores and size in mm² or AWG, insulation type (XLPE / PVC / PE / FR-LSH), armouring (SWA / STA / unarmoured), outer sheath, from tag and location, to tag and location, cable length including 10% spare, drum number, route (tray / trench / direct buried / aerial), glanding detail at both ends, termination detail, applicable cable standard, hazardous area classification per IEC 60079, fire rating, single line diagram reference. EPC contractors operating on Indian PSU scope reference IS 7098 cable standard and CEA Regulations for routing.

Pathnovo, an engineering document intelligence platform, generates the cable schedule from three source documents: the single line diagram (SLD) for power and control cables, the I/O list for instrumentation cables, and the plot plan plus cable tray routing drawings for cable lengths. Each cable is auto-numbered per the project numbering scheme, sized per the SLD load data and IEC 60364 derating tables, and routed per the cable tray layout. Output is configurable to your EPC template format. Typical project turnaround is 48 hours.

Cable length is calculated from the plot plan or cable tray routing drawings as the sum of horizontal tray runs, vertical drops, equipment terminations slack (typically 2 m per end), and a 10% project spare. For long power cable runs, IR drop calculation per IEC 60364 may drive a larger conductor size or a parallel cable arrangement. For instrumentation cables, signal cable length affects capacitance loading on HART and Foundation Fieldbus segments per IEC 61158. The cable schedule Length column captures the total ordered length per drum.

The cable schedule and the I/O list are joined on the Cable Number column. The I/O list owns the field-end origin: tag number, signal type, cabinet, module slot, channel. The cable schedule owns the cable run itself: cable type, size, length, route, drum, glanding. The two are populated in this order: I/O list first from P&IDs and DCS architecture, then cable schedule from the I/O list plus the SLD and the plot plan. See the I/O list template for the signal-side detail.

Cables entering hazardous areas (Zone 0, Zone 1, Zone 2 per IEC 60079-10) require specific glanding (Ex d, Ex e, or Ex i depending on protection method) and specific cable type (typically LSF armoured with appropriate flame retardancy). Intrinsically safe (IS) circuits require dedicated IS cable runs with blue outer sheath per IEC 60079-11, separated from non-IS circuits by minimum spacing per IEC 60079-14. The cable schedule Hazardous Area column and Intrinsic Safety column drive the cable specification per zone.

Add a Scope column flagging each cable row as 'existing', 'modified', 'new-installed', or 'demolish'. Existing cables are preserved for context (the new control cable runs in the same tray as existing one). Procurement scope fires only from 'modified' and 'new-installed' rows. For revamps where new tray runs are required, the Route column captures the new tray reference. Particularly important for Indian PSU refinery revamps where new SIL-classified cables route alongside existing instrumentation.