230.43 Wiring Methods for 1000 Volts, Nominal, or Less.
Code Change Summary: A new wiring method is now permitted for service entrance conductors.
NEC Section 230.43, located in Part IV of Article 230, specifies wiring methods permitted to be used for service entrance conductors. In the 2020 NEC®, item 20, TC-ER cable (tray cable suitable for exposed run between a cable tray and the utilization equipment), was added to the list.
TC-ER cable was not previously prohibited as a wiring method for service-entrance conductors, but it wasn’t specifically mentioned in 230.43 either. TC-ER cable is a robust wiring method which is required to meet that same crush and impact testing requirements as MC cable.
The same change occurred in 230.44 for cable trays that contain service-entrance conductors for installations up to 1000-volts.
Below is a preview of the NEC®. See the actual NEC® text at NFPA.ORG for the complete code section. Once there, click on their link to free access to the 2020 NEC® edition of NFPA 70.
2017 Code Language:
230.43 Wiring Methods for 1000 Volts, Nominal, or Less. Service-entrance conductors shall be installed in accordance with the applicable requirements of this Code covering the type of wiring method used and shall be limited to the following methods:
(1) Open wiring on insulators
(2) Type IGS cable
(3) Rigid metal conduit (RMC)
(4) Intermediate metal conduit (IMC)
(5) Electrical metallic tubing (EMT)
(6) Electrical nonmetallic tubing
(7) Service-entrance cables
(8) Wireways
(9) Busways
(10) Auxiliary gutters
(11) Rigid polyvinyl chloride conduit (PVC)
(12) Cablebus
(13) Type MC cable
(14) Mineral-insulated, metal-sheathed cable, Type MI
(15) Flexible metal conduit (FMC) not over 1.8 m (6 ft) long or liquidtight flexible metal conduit (LFMC) not over 1.8 m (6 ft) long between a raceway, or between a raceway and service equipment, with a supply-side bonding jumper routed with the flexible metal conduit (FMC) or the liquidtight flexible metal conduit (LFMC) according to the provisions of 250.102(A), (B), (C), and (E)
(16) Liquidtight flexible nonmetallic conduit (LFNC)
(17) High density polyethylene conduit (HDPE)
(18) Nonmetallic underground conduit with conductors (NUCC)
(19) Reinforced thermosetting resin conduit (RTRC)
2020 Code Language:
230.43 Wiring Methods for 1000 Volts, Nominal, or Less. Service-entrance conductors shall be installed in accordance with the applicable requirements of this Code covering the type of wiring method used and shall be limited to the following methods:
(1) Open wiring on insulators
(2) Type IGS cable
(3) Rigid metal conduit (RMC)
(4) Intermediate metal conduit (IMC)
(5) Electrical metallic tubing (EMT)
(6) Electrical nonmetallic tubing
(7) Service-entrance cables
(8) Wireways
(9) Busways
(10) Auxiliary gutters
(11) Rigid polyvinyl chloride conduit (PVC)
(12) Cablebus
(13) Type MC cable
(14) Mineral-insulated, metal-sheathed cable, Type MI
(15) Flexible metal conduit (FMC) not over 1.8 m (6 ft) long or liquidtight flexible metal conduit (LFMC) not over 1.8 m (6 ft) long between a raceway, or between a raceway and service equipment, with a supply-side bonding jumper routed with the flexible metal conduit (FMC) or the liquidtight flexible metal conduit (LFMC) according to the provisions of 250.102(A), (B), (C), and (E)
(16) Liquidtight flexible nonmetallic conduit (LFNC)
(17) High density polyethylene conduit (HDPE)
(18) Nonmetallic underground conduit with conductors (NUCC)
(19) Reinforced thermosetting resin conduit (RTRC)
(20) Type TC-ER cable