Electrical safety must begin with the copper in the wires

This article is authored by Murugaiyan Amirthalingam, associate professor, Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering (MME), IIT-Madras.

India's electrification is placing greater demands on the infrastructure that carries electricity. Air conditioners and appliances are increasing household loads, electric vehicles are creating new charging requirements, while renewable energy, manufacturing and digital infrastructure are expanding the need for reliable electrical systems. Many existing installations, meanwhile, were designed around very different consumption patterns. This makes the quality of the materials carrying electricity an important part of the country's electrical safety conversation.

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Copper is central to that infrastructure, making the strength and quality of India's domestic copper base increasingly important. More than 90% of copper applications are linked to electrical uses, with wires and cables accounting for nearly 46% of copper consumption. Its high electrical conductivity makes it suited to electrical applications, but the performance of a conductor is linked to its purity, composition and manufacturing quality. Higher electrical resistance can produce greater heat for a given current. In an electrical system already operating under high loads, that can become relevant to reliability and safety.

India recorded 1,042 fire accident cases caused by electrical short circuits in 2024. Electrical fires have several possible causes, including overloading, faulty connections, ageing wiring and installation practices. Material quality is one part of this wider safety equation. This is where quality-compliant copper, produced to stringent purity standards of 99.99% and with tightly controlled impurity levels, becomes critical. Such copper delivers optimal conductivity, minimizes electrical resistance and heat generation, and contributes to the reliability, efficiency and safety of electrical systems.

Electrical applications require predictable material performance. The India Copper Report notes that electrical-grade applications require Electrolytic Tough Pitch (ETP) copper with a purity of 99.9% or higher under IS 12444. Such standards serve a practical purpose. They establish measurable requirements against which material can be assessed before it becomes part of an electrical product or system.

The need to preserve that clarity becomes even more important when materials with different performance characteristics are considered for the same application. An assessment by IIT Madras reported electrical conductivity of 101.6% IACS for ETP copper, while samples of rods prepared by FRHC or remelted copper exhibited conductivity levels ranging between 98% and 100% IACS. This is because it is impossible to achieve ETP purity levels from fire-refined copper, as it is produced from inconsistent scrap and processed through crude methods that cannot consistently produce a purity of 99.99%.

Due to this, FRHC copper rods exhibited a 1.5% increase in power loss, which can increase up to 2 – 2.5% depending on variations in remelted copper rods. The study also observed that joule heating in FRHC copper was significantly higher than in ETP copper under comparable operating conditions, resulting in greater temperature rise in conductors carrying electrical current. Over time, increased heat generation can influence the efficiency, reliability, and safety of electrical systems, particularly in high-load applications, which may translate into a significant threat to human safety during the day-to-day use of electrical equipment.

The significance of these findings is straightforward. When materials do not consistently meet established quality and performance standards, and exhibit measurable differences in electrical and thermal behaviour, their use in critical electrical applications can pose safety concerns. Inadequate conductor performance may contribute to overheating, compromising the reliability of electrical systems and, ultimately, public safety.

It is now paramount that the industry adopts a standards-led approach to the copper value chain. Electrical-grade applications must continue to be governed by technically robust, science-based, and measurable specifications, with the integrity of existing electrical-grade copper rod standards under IS 12444 preserved. There is also an immediate need for development of a separate, technically appropriate standard for FRHC copper rods, rather than diluting IS 12444 to accommodate materials with different performance characteristics.

The distinction matters because a standard is meaningful only when it provides a reliable indication of the performance expected from the material it covers. Any dilution of established electrical-grade benchmarks risks creating uncertainty around material performance and undermining the confidence that manufacturers, consumers and regulators place in those standards. In applications where safety, reliability and long-term performance are critical, quality standards must be strengthened, not weakened.

The implications extend well beyond copper producers. Wires and cables, transformers, motors, switchgear and other electrical equipment depend on materials meeting the requirements of their intended applications. Manufacturers need confidence in their inputs, buyers need clarity about product quality, and regulators need measurable requirements that can be enforced. Standards exist to safeguard performance, reliability, and public safety. Their purpose should be to encourage the adoption of higher-quality products and manufacturing practices, rather than accommodate materials that do not consistently meet the performance requirements of critical electrical applications.

Protecting the electrical-grade benchmark also requires attention to the wider quality chain. Industry bodies, together with downstream manufacturers committed to producing high-quality products for the country, have advocated stronger, measurable standards for copper scrap, stricter quality controls, preservation of the integrity of IS 12444, enhanced testing and traceability mechanisms, and accelerated development of copper wire standards. These measures can provide greater confidence in the material entering processing and manufacturing. Quality is easier to establish when relevant parameters are clearly defined and supported by testing and traceability.

The responsibility then extends across the electrical ecosystem. Producers and manufacturers need appropriate quality controls. Standards and regulatory bodies need requirements that are technically robust, measurable and enforceable. Builders, contractors and electricians need to account for actual electrical loads, particularly when older installations are being used with newer high-load equipment. Regular inspection and maintenance remain essential.

India's electrification will continue to increase demand for copper and for the electrical infrastructure that depends on it. That growth makes it more important to preserve clarity around the materials used in critical electrical applications. The priority should be to strengthen testing, traceability and compliance while protecting the technical integrity of electrical-grade standards. Materials with different characteristics can be addressed through standards appropriate to their intended applications, without diluting the benchmark established for electrical-grade copper. The larger issue is therefore one of confidence. Every stage of the electrical system, from material selection to manufacturing and installation, contributes to its safety and reliability.

Quality-compliant copper, governed by clear and technically robust standards, should remain central to that framework. Protecting the integrity of electrical-grade copper standards is ultimately part of protecting the electrical infrastructure on which India's next phase of growth will depend.

(The views expressed are personal)

This article is authored by Murugaiyan Amirthalingam, associate professor, Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering (MME), IIT-Madras.