Wiring System Identification
Remake batch 25 and its neighbor re-points, batch 24 where missing, and the adopted-electrical-code parameter: brought in line with the authoring repository
Showing changes from Rev 2
to Rev 3
in Wiring System Identification.
---
−title: Electrical Identification
+title: Wiring System Identification
category: Electrical
−toc_depth: 3
description: >
− When to use: labeling, marking, color coding, and circuit directories for electrical
− systems in commercial, industrial, institutional, and multi-family residential work --
− conductor and cable identification, raceway markers, equipment nameplates, panelboard
− directories, arc-flash hazard labels, underground warning tape, and emergency/standby
− system identification, from 120 V branch circuits through medium-voltage distribution,
− on new construction, tenant improvement, renovation, and infrastructure replacement.
− Not intended for: factory-applied ratings and motor nameplates integral to listed
− assemblies ([[sync/equipment-labeling]]); conductor/cable type, ampacity, and
− installation ([[sync/conductors-and-cables]]); raceway selection and installation
− ([[sync/raceways-and-conduit]]); temporary construction power labeling
− ([[sync/temporary-facilities-and-controls]]); general electrical basic materials
− ([[sync/common-work-results-electrical]]); as-builts and O&M manuals
− ([[sync/closeout-procedures]], [[sync/operation-and-maintenance-data]]); and the
− arc-flash study itself, as distinct from the resulting label.
+ When to use: The identification of the wiring system itself on installations rated 1000 V and below, in commercial, institutional, industrial, healthcare and multifamily work: the color coding of ungrounded, grounded and equipment grounding conductors by phase and by voltage system, the orange high leg, the polarity identification of direct-current circuits, the identification legend NFPA 70 210.5(C) and 215.12(C) require, the wire markers on conductors at terminations, the tags on feeders and cables at pull points, handholes and terminations, the markers and color bands on raceways, the circuit marking of junction and pull box covers, the circuit label on a wiring device plate, the warning tape and route markers over buried runs, the marking of the boxes and raceways of emergency and standby systems, and the project's system color convention that all of these share with the equipment labels.
+ Not intended for: the nameplates, directories and warning signs applied to an enclosure face ([[sync/equipment-labeling]]); the building wire and cable as products, their stranding, insulation and factory surface printing ([[sync/conductors-and-cables]]); conduit, tubing, boxes and fittings as products and their installation ([[sync/raceways-and-conduit]]); the grounding electrode system, the bonding jumpers and the sizing of equipment grounding conductors ([[sync/grounding-and-bonding]]); the tags on shielded cable above 1000 V ([[sync/medium-voltage-cables]]); the loop and tag numbers printed on instrument and control wire markers, which [[sync/instrumentation-and-control-cable]] assigns and this standard gives a format; telecommunications administration under ANSI/TIA-606 ([[sync/structured-cabling]], [[sync/telecommunications-rooms-and-pathways]]); the red covers and circuit identification of fire alarm boxes ([[sync/fire-alarm-systems]]); the branch marking of a healthcare essential electrical system ([[sync/healthcare-essential-electrical-systems]]); the concrete encasement, cover and tracer provisions of a duct bank ([[sync/underground-ductbank]]); temporary construction power and its labeling ([[sync/temporary-facilities-and-controls]]); and pipe markers and valve tags ([[sync/mechanical-identification]]).
---
# Scope {toc}
−## This standard governs the field-applied identification of electrical systems: the labels, markings, color coding, and circuit directories that tell installers, maintainers, and emergency responders what a conductor, raceway, or piece of equipment is, what it serves, and what hazard it presents. {note}
+## This standard governs the marks that travel with the wiring rather than with the equipment: the color of a conductor's insulation or the tape on it, the marker at its end, the tag on a feeder in a pull box, the band and legend on a raceway, the words on a box cover, the circuit number on a receptacle plate, the ribbon in the trench above a buried run, and the legend posted at the panelboard that tells a reader what the colors mean. Each one is read by someone who has opened a box, pulled a cover or dug a trench and needs to know what is in front of them before they touch it. {note}
−## Identification is the layer that survives the original installer. The crew that energizes a switchboard knows every circuit by memory; the technician who returns five years later to troubleshoot an outage at 2 a.m. knows only what the labels tell them. Correct, durable, code-compliant identification is therefore a life-safety and continuity-of-operations requirement, not a cosmetic finish. {note}
+## The labels on the enclosures themselves, the nameplate that names a panelboard, the directory in its door, the warning signs and the arc-flash label, are governed by [[sync/equipment-labeling]]. The two standards share the equipment designations of the one-line diagram and the system color convention selected here, and neither restates the other. {note}
−## Identification shall be provided for conductors and cables, raceways and conduits, equipment enclosures, panelboard and switchboard circuit directories, junction and pull boxes, underground electrical runs, and emergency and standby system components.
+## The following are governed elsewhere and are outside this standard: {note}
+- the equipment nameplate, the device nameplates, the circuit directory, the safety signs, the arc-flash label and the available fault current marking on an enclosure, which [[sync/equipment-labeling]] governs
+- the conductor and cable as products, their insulation colors as manufactured and the legend printed on the jacket, which [[sync/conductors-and-cables]] governs
+- the raceway, the box, the cover and the fittings as products and their installation, which [[sync/raceways-and-conduit]] governs, including the pull string in a spare raceway
+- the grounding electrode system, the bonding jumpers and the rules that size the equipment grounding conductor, which [[sync/grounding-and-bonding]] governs, with the labels on that system made to this standard
+- the tags on medium-voltage cable at terminations, in manholes and at splices, which [[sync/medium-voltage-cables]] governs
+- the loop numbers, tag numbers and cable numbers an instrument or control circuit carries, which [[sync/instrumentation-and-control-cable]] assigns, with the marker and tag format taken from this standard
+- telecommunications cable, outlet and pathway labels and records under ANSI/TIA-606, which [[sync/structured-cabling]] and [[sync/telecommunications-rooms-and-pathways]] govern
+- the identification of fire alarm circuits and the red covers of fire alarm boxes, which [[sync/fire-alarm-systems]] governs
+- the marking of the panelboards, feeders and boxes of the branches of a healthcare essential electrical system, which [[sync/healthcare-essential-electrical-systems]] governs, with the products taken from this standard
+- the concrete encasement, its coloring, the cover and the tracer provisions of a duct bank, which [[sync/underground-ductbank]] governs
+- the labeling of temporary construction power, which [[sync/temporary-facilities-and-controls]] governs
+- pipe markers, duct labels and valve tags, which [[sync/mechanical-identification]] and [[sync/plumbing-piping-identification]] govern
−## Identification shall be installed on all electrical distribution systems within the scope of the work, from 120 V branch circuits through medium-voltage distribution, on new construction, tenant improvement, renovation, and infrastructure replacement projects.
+## The decisions the engineer makes under this standard are the project's color convention, in two parts, the phase colors of each voltage system and the colors assigned to the special systems; the form of the posted legend; the marker and tag products and where they are applied; which raceways carry markers and how often; how box covers are marked; and the warning tape over buried runs. What the NEC fixes, the white and gray of the grounded conductor, the green of the equipment grounding conductor, the orange high leg and the posting of the legend, is not a decision and is stated here as a requirement. {note}
−## A coordinated, project-wide identification scheme shall be established before any permanent labels or color coding are applied, so that conductor colors, marker conventions, and nameplate formats are consistent across every electrician and every area of the project.
+## The Contractor shall establish the complete identification convention under this standard, including the color of every phase of every voltage system, the grounded conductor color of each system, the colors of the special systems, and the marker and tag formats, and shall have it reviewed as an action submittal before any permanent conductor color, marker, tag or raceway band is applied on the project.
−## The two distinct code obligations that run through this standard shall not be conflated.
+## The convention established under this standard shall be applied by every electrician and every subcontractor on the project, and a conductor, tag or marker applied to a different convention shall be corrected by the Contractor at no cost to the Owner.
−## Two distinct code obligations govern electrical identification, one imposed at construction and one imposed on the owner's ongoing safety program. {note}
+## The one error this standard exists to prevent is two crews coloring the same phase differently in one building; the cure is a single recorded convention, reviewed before the first conductor is pulled and handed to every crew, which is why the convention is a submittal rather than a closeout record. {note}
−### The construction obligation is the National Electrical Code (NFPA 70), which requires the design and installation team to mark equipment and identify conductors — this is what the contract documents enforce. {note}
+## The equipment designations, panel designations and circuit numbers used on every marker, tag, cover and plate under this standard shall be those of the one-line diagram and the panel schedules, matching the nameplates and directories under [[sync/equipment-labeling]].
−### The workplace-safety obligation is NFPA 70E, which governs the owner's ongoing electrical safety program — this standard triggers the NEC marking duties at construction and provides the arc-flash label that the owner's 70E program later maintains. {note}
−
# Referenced Standards {toc}
−## Equipment, materials, and installation shall comply with the latest adopted edition of each of the following unless a specific edition is cited or a different edition is mandated by the authority having jurisdiction.
+## Materials and installation shall comply with the latest adopted edition of each of the following unless a specific edition is cited.
## Where referenced standards conflict, the more stringent requirement shall govern unless the Engineer of Record directs otherwise in writing.
| Standard | Title |
|----------|-------|
−| NFPA 70 (NEC) | National Electrical Code (Article 110.16, Arc-Flash Hazard Warning) |
−| NFPA 70 (NEC) | National Electrical Code (Article 110.21(B), Field-Applied Hazard Markings) |
−| NFPA 70 (NEC) | National Electrical Code (Article 200.6, Means of Identifying Grounded Conductors) |
−| NFPA 70 (NEC) | National Electrical Code (Article 210.5, Identification for Branch Circuits) |
−| NFPA 70 (NEC) | National Electrical Code (Article 230.56, Higher-Voltage Service Conductor) |
−| NFPA 70E | Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace |
−| IEEE 1584 | Guide for Performing Arc-Flash Hazard Calculations |
−| ANSI Z535.4 | Product Safety Signs and Labels |
+| NFPA 70 | National Electrical Code (Articles 110.15, 110.21, 200.6, 200.7, 210.5, 215.12, 230.56, 250.119, 300.5, 690.31, 700.10, 701.10, 702.10 and 708.10) |
| UL 969 | Marking and Labeling Systems |
+| UL 969A | Marking and Labeling Systems: Flag Labels, Flag Tags, Wrap-Around Labels and Related Products |
+| ANSI Z535.1 | Safety Colors |
+| APWA Uniform Color Code | Uniform Color Code for Temporary Marking of Underground Utility Locations |
+| ASTM D3005 | Low-Temperature Resistant Vinyl Chloride Plastic Pressure-Sensitive Electrical Insulating Tape |
+## NFPA 70 fixes the few colors it reserves and requires that everything else be identified by a recorded means; UL 969 and UL 969A are the tests that a flat label and a wrap-around or flag marker stay adhered and legible for the exposure they are listed for; ANSI Z535.1 names the safety colors a red or orange band is matched to; the APWA code is why the tape over a buried electric line is red and the tape over a buried communications line is orange, so that an excavator who finds either knows what is under it without reading it. {note}
+
# Submittals {toc}
−## The Contractor shall submit the following Action Submittals for review and approval before any permanent identification is fabricated or applied:
+## Action Submittals {toc}
−- Conductor and cable color-coding schedule for each nominal voltage system on the project, including phase assignments, neutral, equipment ground, and high-leg (where applicable).
−- Sample legend card to be posted at each panelboard documenting the project color-coding scheme.
−- Schedule of equipment nameplates listing every device to receive a nameplate, with proposed wording, lettering height, color, and material.
−- Raceway and conduit marker schedule showing marker type, color bands, legend text, and marking interval.
−- Product data and samples for each identification product type: conductor markers, conduit markers, nameplates, arc-flash labels, circuit-directory inserts, and underground warning tape.
−- Arc-flash label content method (incident-energy method or PPE-category method) and a sample label.
+### The Contractor shall submit the following for review before any permanent identification under this standard is applied:
+- The identification convention, stating for each nominal voltage system on the project the color of each ungrounded conductor by phase, the color of the grounded conductor, the identification of the high leg where one exists, the polarity colors of each direct-current system, and the color assigned to each special system
+- The identification legend as it will be posted, in its final form and size
+- The marker and tag schedule, giving the marker type, the tag material, the character height and the legend format for wire markers, feeder and cable tags, raceway markers, box covers and device plates, and the raceways and boxes that receive them
+- Product data for each wire marker, tag, raceway marker, phase tape, box cover label and warning tape, with the UL 969 or UL 969A listing of each adhesive product and the temperature range it is listed for
+- One sample of each marker, tag and raceway marker type, printed with representative text
```datasheet
−label: Action submittals
+label: Action Submittals Required
type: checkbox
options:
− - Conductor and cable color-coding schedule
− - Posted panelboard legend card sample
− - Equipment nameplate schedule (wording, height, color, material)
− - Raceway and conduit marker schedule
− - Identification product data and samples
− - Arc-flash label method and sample label
+ - "Identification convention with phase, grounded, high-leg, DC and system colors"
+ - "Identification legend in its posted form"
+ - "Marker and tag schedule with types, materials, character heights and formats"
+ - "Product data with UL 969 and UL 969A listings"
+ - "Printed sample of each marker, tag and raceway marker type"
default:
− - Conductor and cable color-coding schedule
− - Posted panelboard legend card sample
− - Equipment nameplate schedule (wording, height, color, material)
− - Raceway and conduit marker schedule
− - Identification product data and samples
− - Arc-flash label method and sample label
+ - "Identification convention with phase, grounded, high-leg, DC and system colors"
+ - "Identification legend in its posted form"
+ - "Marker and tag schedule with types, materials, character heights and formats"
+ - "Product data with UL 969 and UL 969A listings"
+ - "Printed sample of each marker, tag and raceway marker type"
+constraint: all_of
```
−## The Contractor shall submit the following Closeout Submittals before final acceptance:
+### Where the Contractor proposes a color convention, a marker type or a tag material differing from the datasheet selection, the proposal shall be identified as a deviation on the transmittal and shall state what is offered in place of each selected item.
−- Computer-printed panelboard, switchboard, and distribution circuit directories reflecting as-installed circuiting, with all spares and spaces identified.
−- Final arc-flash labels installed and verified against the completed arc-flash study (where the study is in the contract scope).
−- Record copy of the posted color-coding legend for inclusion in the O&M manual, cross-referenced to [[sync/operation-and-maintenance-data]].
−- Re-label protocol describing how identification is to be updated when overcurrent devices, transformers, or feeders are changed out, for inclusion in the O&M manual.
+## Closeout Submittals {toc}
+### The Contractor shall deliver the following at substantial completion:
+- The record identification convention and legend, reflecting the colors and formats as installed, in an editable electronic format the Owner can reprint the legend from
+- The record marker and tag schedule, reflecting every raceway and box marked as installed
+- The written warranty required under this standard
+- A signed receipt from the Owner for the spare stock delivered
+
```datasheet
−label: Closeout submittals
+label: Closeout Submittals Required
type: checkbox
options:
− - Computer-printed circuit directories (as-installed)
− - Installed arc-flash labels verified to study
− - Record color-coding legend for O&M manual
− - Re-label protocol for future equipment changes
+ - "Record identification convention and legend in editable format"
+ - "Record marker and tag schedule"
+ - "Written warranty"
+ - "Spare stock receipt"
default:
− - Computer-printed circuit directories (as-installed)
− - Record color-coding legend for O&M manual
+ - "Record identification convention and legend in editable format"
+ - "Record marker and tag schedule"
+ - "Written warranty"
+ - "Spare stock receipt"
+constraint: all_of
```
−## Where the arc-flash study is performed under a separate contract or by the owner, the Contractor shall coordinate label content and installation timing with the party performing the study and shall identify that party in the submittal.
+### The record convention is the document the Owner's electricians color the next circuit to, and it is kept with the operation and maintenance data so that an addition ten years on uses the same brown for A phase. {note}
# Quality Assurance {toc}
−## All field-applied hazard markings shall comply with NEC 110.21(B) and shall be durable enough for the environment in which they are installed.
+## Every adhesive wire marker, tag, raceway marker and box cover label shall be of a stock listed to UL 969 or, for a wrap-around, flag or sleeve marker, to UL 969A, for the surface it is applied to and for the temperature range of its installed location.
−## Hazard markings shall not be handwritten and shall not consist of laminated paper or marker on tape; these are prohibited by NEC 110.21(B) and are routinely rejected at inspection. {note}
+## The printing system used for each marker, meaning the printer and the ribbon or ink the manufacturer lists with the stock, shall be the combination its listing covers, and no marker shall be handwritten.
−### A handwritten warning that fades or peels is worse than none, because it implies a hazard has been assessed when it has not; this is why the code prescribes a durable, machine-produced marking for any safety-related label. {note}
+## A legend written in marker on a sleeve wipes off with the first solvent and fades in the first summer, and a listed stock printed with an unlisted ribbon does the same; the listing is of the printed marker, and the printed marker is what the inspector and the next electrician read. {note}
−## Adhesive labels and marking systems used for identification shall be listed to UL 969 for the temperature, moisture, and chemical exposure of their installed location.
+## Phase tape and colored marking tape shall be a vinyl electrical tape conforming to ASTM D3005 or listed by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory as electrical tape, in a color matching the convention, and masking tape, duct tape and paint shall not be used as conductor identification.
−## The Contractor shall verify, before applying permanent identification, that the approved color-coding schedule has been distributed to every electrician on the project so that phase colors are applied consistently.
+## The Contractor shall distribute the reviewed identification convention to every electrician and every subcontractor on the project before conductors are pulled, and shall post it in each electrical room during construction.
−## A sample installation of each identification type — one nameplate, one conductor marking set, one conduit marker, and one arc-flash label — shall be submitted for review before full production where required by the Engineer of Record.
+## The first panelboard on which conductor colors, markers and the legend are complete shall be reviewed by the Engineer of Record or the Owner's representative before the same work proceeds on the remainder of the project, and the identification on that panelboard shall set the standard for the rest.
# Environmental and Service Conditions {toc}
−## Identification products shall be selected for the environment of each installed location; a substrate suitable for a clean indoor electrical room is not suitable for a wet, outdoor, or corrosive location.
+## Most markers under this standard live inside a conditioned building, in a panel, a box or above a ceiling, and the products offered as the norm are rated for that service; a marker in an outdoor enclosure, a handhole, a wet well, a wash-down room or a hot panel is in a different service, and the clauses below raise the product at those locations without changing the selection for the rest of the project. {note}
−## Indoor, dry, climate-controlled locations may use standard-duty vinyl labels and standard black-face / white-core phenolic nameplates.
+## Markers, tags and raceway markers installed outdoors shall be of a stock, an adhesive and a printing system rated by their manufacturer for continuous exposure to sunlight and moisture across the range from [[parameter: site-ambient-temperature-minimum]] to [[parameter: site-ambient-temperature-maximum]].
−## Outdoor, wet, and washdown locations shall use UV-resistant polyester labels and corrosion-resistant nameplate substrates (aluminum or stainless steel); standard phenolic shall not be used outdoors or in sustained moisture because it delaminates.
+## Tags installed in a handhole, a manhole, a vault, a wet well or any location subject to immersion shall be of stainless steel or of a non-absorbent plastic the manufacturer rates for immersion, with a stainless steel or nylon tie, and no adhesive tag shall be relied on at such a location.
−## Corrosive and chemical-exposure locations shall use stainless steel or chemically resistant engraved tags and chemically resistant label stock.
+## Markers and tags in a wash-down area, a chemical room or a location the Contract Documents classify as corrosive shall be of a stock and a tie the manufacturer rates for the chemical exposure of that location.
−## Identification on equipment installed above accessible ceilings shall be provided to the same standard as identification in finished spaces; conduit markers, junction-box circuit identification, and pull-box labels shall not be omitted merely because the location is concealed above a ceiling.
+## Wire markers, phase tape and heat-shrink sleeves applied to a conductor shall be rated for a temperature not less than the temperature rating of the conductor's insulation, and in no case less than 90°C.
−```datasheet
−label: Label substrate / durability class
−type: select
−options:
− - Indoor standard-duty vinyl
− - Outdoor UV-resistant polyester
− - Stainless-steel-backed (wet / chemical)
− - Engraved aluminum tag
−default: Indoor standard-duty vinyl
−unit:
−```
+## Identification on wiring above an accessible ceiling, in a crawl space, in a tunnel or in any other concealed but accessible location shall be provided to the same standard as in a finished or exposed location.
−# Conductor and Cable Identification {toc}
+## The concealed box is the one that is opened by someone who has never seen the building, and it is the one most often found with no marking at all because the crew knew the ceiling would close; the standard is the same above the ceiling for that reason. {note}
−## Conductors shall be identified so that any ungrounded, grounded, or equipment-grounding conductor can be positively distinguished at every point a worker would access it. Color coding is the primary method; this section sets what the NEC mandates and what the project convention adds. {note}
+# System Color Convention {toc}
−## The NEC mandates color only for a limited set of conductors; phase colors for ungrounded conductors are an industry convention that the specifier selects and the project must apply consistently. {note}
+## The NEC reserves white and gray for the grounded conductor, green for the equipment grounding conductor and orange for the high leg, and requires the special systems to be identifiable, but it assigns no color to a phase and no color to an emergency system; those colors are the project's convention, selected once here and applied to the conductors, the raceway bands, the box covers and the tags under this standard and to the nameplate faces under [[sync/equipment-labeling]]. {note}
−## Grounded (neutral) conductors shall be identified by a continuous white or gray outer finish, or by white markings at terminations for conductors 6 AWG and larger, in accordance with NEC 200.6.
+## The color assigned to each special system on the project shall be as indicated in the datasheet, and no color assigned to a special system shall duplicate a phase color of any voltage system on the project.
−## Equipment-grounding conductors shall be identified as green, green with one or more yellow stripes, or bare, in accordance with the NEC.
+```datasheet
+label: Special System Color Assignments
+type: text
+default: "Emergency system: red. Legally required standby system: orange. Optional standby system: green. Critical operations power system: red with the words COPS. Circuits above 1000 V: orange with the words HIGH VOLTAGE."
+```
−## On a 4-wire delta system, the ungrounded conductor with the higher voltage to ground (the high leg) shall be identified by an outer finish that is orange, or by other effective means, at every point of connection where the neutral is also present, in accordance with NEC 230.56.
+## Red for emergency and orange for legally required standby are the colors most Owners and most specifications use, and the default states them so that a project that accepts them need write nothing; a project whose 480 V phase colors are brown, orange and yellow changes the standby color or marks the standby raceways with the words as well as the band, which is why the clause forbids a system color that duplicates a phase color. A campus with its own convention replaces the default text with the campus convention. {note}
−### Omitting high-leg identification on a 4-wire delta system is a recurring and dangerous error; an unmarked high leg invites a worker to connect 120 V equipment to a ~208 V leg, causing equipment damage, fire, or shock. {note}
+## The boxes, enclosures and exposed raceways of an emergency system shall be permanently marked so that they are readily identified as components of the emergency system, in accordance with NFPA 70 700.10(A), and those of a legally required standby system, an optional standby system and a critical operations power system shall be marked as NFPA 70 701.10, 702.10 and 708.10 require, in the system color and with the system named, whatever raceway marking extent is selected elsewhere in this standard.
−## Ungrounded (phase) conductors shall be identified by a project-wide color convention that distinguishes each phase and each nominal voltage system.
+## Where a raceway or a box of a system the convention assigns a color is marked with that color, the marking shall also carry the words that name the system, because a color band alone is not readable by a person who does not have the legend in front of them.
−## Where the premises contains more than one nominal voltage system, each ungrounded conductor shall be identified by system and phase at all termination, connection, and splice points, in accordance with NEC 210.5(B).
+# Conductor Color Coding {toc}
−## A legend documenting the conductor color-coding scheme shall be permanently posted at each panelboard or otherwise made readily available, in accordance with NEC 210.5(C).
+## Grounded and Equipment Grounding Conductors {toc}
−### The most common cause of inconsistent phase colors is a specification that requires a posted legend but never requires the contractor to choose and record the scheme; without a single recorded convention, different electricians color the same phase differently. {note}
+### Grounded conductors 6 AWG and smaller shall have a continuous white or gray outer finish, or three continuous white or gray stripes on other than green insulation, along their entire length, in accordance with NFPA 70 200.6(A).
−## Conductors too large to be color-coded throughout, or where field identification is impractical, shall be identified by colored tape or pre-printed phase markers applied at each accessible point.
+### Grounded conductors larger than 6 AWG shall have a continuous white or gray outer finish or shall be identified at each termination by a white or gray marking encircling the conductor, in accordance with NFPA 70 200.6(B).
−```datasheet
−label: Phase color convention — 208Y/120 V system
−type: select
−options:
− - "A=black, B=red, C=blue (neutral white)"
− - "A=brown, B=orange, C=yellow"
− - Other — record in posted legend
−default: "A=black, B=red, C=blue (neutral white)"
−unit:
−```
+### Where the project has more than one nominal voltage system, the grounded conductor of each system shall be identified by the color indicated in the datasheet, and the assignment shall be stated in the posted legend, in accordance with NFPA 70 200.6(D).
```datasheet
−label: Phase color convention — 480Y/277 V system
+label: Grounded Conductor Color by Voltage System
type: select
options:
− - "A=brown, B=orange, C=yellow (neutral gray)"
− - "A=black, B=red, C=blue"
− - Other — record in posted legend
−default: "A=brown, B=orange, C=yellow (neutral gray)"
−unit:
+ - "White for the 208Y/120 V and 240/120 V systems, gray for the 480Y/277 V and 600Y/347 V systems"
+ - "Gray for the 208Y/120 V and 240/120 V systems, white for the 480Y/277 V and 600Y/347 V systems"
+ - "White for one system and white with a colored stripe other than green for the other"
+default: "White for the 208Y/120 V and 240/120 V systems, gray for the 480Y/277 V and 600Y/347 V systems"
```
−```datasheet
−label: Phase identification method for large conductors
−type: radio
−options:
− - Colored marking tape at terminations
− - Pre-printed adhesive phase markers
− - Heat-shrink colored sleeves
−default: Colored marking tape at terminations
−```
+### White on the 120 V systems and gray on the 277 V systems is the assignment nearly every project in the United States uses and the one an electrician assumes without reading the legend, which is why it is the default; the reverse is a legacy convention of some campuses and is kept there only so that an addition matches the existing building; a stripe is used where a third system shares a raceway with the first two and neither white nor gray is left. {note}
−# Raceway and Conduit Identification {toc}
+### Where grounded conductors of different systems are installed in the same raceway, cable, box or enclosure, each shall carry the identification of its system at every point it is accessible.
−## Raceways and conduits shall be marked so that the system they carry can be read without opening the raceway, which protects workers from mistaking a normal-power conduit for a fire-alarm, emergency, or medium-voltage run.
+### Equipment grounding conductors shall be bare, or shall have a continuous green outer finish or a green outer finish with one or more yellow stripes, in accordance with NFPA 70 250.119, and a conductor larger than 6 AWG re-identified as an equipment grounding conductor shall be identified at every point it is accessible by the means NFPA 70 250.119(A) permits.
−## Each raceway and conduit shall be identified by a marker stating the system or service it carries, and where directional flow or feed origin matters, by a directional arrow.
+### The isolated equipment grounding conductor of an isolated-ground circuit shall carry the identification [[sync/grounding-and-bonding]] designates for it, distinguishing it from the equipment grounding conductor in the same raceway.
−## Markers shall be applied at intervals not exceeding 40 ft along each run, at each side of every wall, floor, and ceiling penetration, and at each junction or pull box.
+### No conductor other than a grounded conductor shall be white or gray, and no conductor other than an equipment grounding conductor shall be green or green with yellow stripes, in accordance with NFPA 70 200.7 and 250.119, except where those articles permit re-identification of a conductor in a cable assembly.
−### Specifying markers only "at each floor" leaves long horizontal runs above ceilings unmarked for hundreds of feet; a fixed maximum interval is required so that a marker is always within sight along any run. {note}
+## Ungrounded Conductor Phase Colors {toc}
−## Conduit markers shall use a color band keyed to the system, plus legend text identifying the service; color alone, without text, is not sufficient identification.
+### Each ungrounded conductor shall be identified by phase or line and by voltage system at every termination, connection and splice point, in accordance with NFPA 70 210.5(C)(1) for branch circuits and 215.12(C)(1) for feeders, by the colors indicated in the datasheet for the voltage system it belongs to.
−## Adhesive vinyl wrap markers, snap-on sleeve markers, or stencil-painted markers may be used; the selected type shall be applied consistently throughout the project.
−
```datasheet
−label: Conduit marker type
−type: radio
+label: Phase Colors for the 208Y/120 V and 240/120 V Systems
+type: select
options:
− - Adhesive vinyl wrap (color band + legend)
− - Snap-on plastic sleeve marker
− - Stencil-painted band + legend
−default: Adhesive vinyl wrap (color band + legend)
+ - "Black, red and blue for phases A, B and C"
+ - "Brown, orange and yellow for phases A, B and C"
+ - "Brown, purple and yellow for phases A, B and C"
+default: "Black, red and blue for phases A, B and C"
```
```datasheet
−label: Conduit marker maximum interval
−type: range
−unit: ft
−min: 20
−max: 50
−step: 5
−default: 40
+label: Phase Colors for the 480Y/277 V System
+type: select
+options:
+ - "Brown, orange and yellow for phases A, B and C"
+ - "Brown, purple and yellow for phases A, B and C"
+ - "Black, red and blue for phases A, B and C"
+default: "Brown, orange and yellow for phases A, B and C"
```
```datasheet
−label: Mark at each wall / floor / ceiling penetration
−type: radio
+label: Phase Colors for the 600Y/347 V System
+type: select
options:
− - "Yes"
− - "No"
−default: "Yes"
+ - "Brown, orange and yellow for phases A, B and C"
+ - "Brown, purple and yellow for phases A, B and C"
+ - "Black, red and blue for phases A, B and C"
```
−# Equipment Nameplates {toc}
+### Black, red and blue on the 208Y/120 V system and brown, orange and yellow on the 480Y/277 V system is the convention of most of the United States and the one stocked by every distributor, which is why those are the defaults; brown, purple and yellow replaces the orange of the 480 V set where the project also has a high-leg delta, whose high leg NFPA 70 reserves orange for, or where the Owner's convention says so; black, red and blue on the higher-voltage system is the convention of some utilities and industrial Owners and is kept where an existing plant uses it. The 600Y/347 V system is rare enough that no convention is the norm, so that field carries no default, and a project with that system chooses a set that does not repeat the set of its other systems. {note}
−## Distribution equipment shall carry a field-applied nameplate identifying the equipment designation, what it is fed from, and — where applicable — what it serves, so that the equipment can be located and isolated from the one-line drawing.
+### Where two voltage systems on the project would receive the same phase colors under the datasheet selections, the Contractor shall report the conflict before conductors are pulled, and the Engineer of Record shall assign a distinct set to one of the systems.
−### Factory ratings plates and motor nameplates that are integral to listed equipment are part of the equipment itself and are governed by [[sync/equipment-labeling]]; the nameplates in this section are the field-applied designation and source labels added during installation. {note}
+### On a 4-wire delta system where the midpoint of one phase is grounded, the conductor with the higher voltage to ground shall be identified by an orange outer finish or by orange marking at every point of connection where the grounded conductor is also present, in accordance with NFPA 70 110.15, and at the service equipment in accordance with NFPA 70 230.56.
−## A nameplate shall be provided on each panelboard, switchboard, switchgear lineup, motor control center, transformer, automatic transfer switch, disconnect switch, and separately enclosed overcurrent device.
+### An unmarked high leg is connected to a 120 V load by the next electrician who assumes a three-phase panel has three 120 V legs, and the result is a destroyed load or a fire; the orange is the one phase color NFPA 70 reserves, and it is reserved for that reason. {note}
−## Each equipment nameplate shall state, at minimum, the equipment designation, the voltage and phase, and the source from which the equipment is fed.
+### The ungrounded conductors of a direct-current system shall be identified by polarity at every termination, connection and splice point in accordance with NFPA 70 210.5(C)(2) and 215.12(C)(2), with the positive conductor red and the negative conductor black unless another means the article permits is selected and stated in the posted legend.
−## Nameplate lettering shall be a minimum of 1/2 in. high for switchboards, switchgear, panelboards, and motor control centers, and a minimum of 3/8 in. high for individual disconnects, motor starters, and junction boxes.
+### Conductors 6 AWG and smaller shall carry their phase and system color as the continuous color of their insulation for their entire length, and colored tape or marking shall not be used in place of colored insulation on those sizes.
−## Nameplates shall be engraved (not printed-and-laminated) so that the legend cannot be erased or peeled, and shall be mechanically fastened or applied with a permanent adhesive rated for the surface.
+## Phase Marking of Conductors Larger Than 6 AWG {toc}
−## Engraved phenolic (lamacoid) nameplates with a black face and white core may be used in indoor dry locations; in outdoor, wet, or corrosive locations, nameplates shall be engraved aluminum or stainless steel.
+### Ungrounded conductors larger than 6 AWG whose insulation is not the color of their phase shall be identified at every termination and at every accessible point, including each pull box, junction box, wireway, gutter, handhole and equipment enclosure, by the method indicated in the datasheet.
```datasheet
−label: Nameplate material
+label: Phase Marking Method for Conductors Larger Than 6 AWG
type: radio
options:
− - Engraved phenolic (black face / white core)
− - Engraved aluminum
− - Engraved stainless steel
−default: Engraved phenolic (black face / white core)
+ - "Colored phase tape"
+ - "Colored heat-shrink sleeve"
+ - "Colored insulation for the full length of the conductor"
+default: "Colored phase tape"
```
−```datasheet
−label: Lettering height — switchgear / switchboards / panelboards / MCCs
−type: range
−unit: in
−min: 0.375
−max: 0.75
−step: 0.125
−default: 0.5
−```
+### Phase tape is applied in the field at every point, is renewed when it ages and is the method of most projects, which is why it is the default; a heat-shrink sleeve does not unwind or slide and is specified in a hot panel, a wet location or a plant where tape has failed, at the cost of being slipped on before termination; colored insulation for the full length is the surest identification and is bought where the conductor is available in the color in the size required, which large-size colored building wire often is not without a mill run. {note}
+### Phase tape shall be applied in not less than three full laps over a length of not less than 2 in., half-lapped, with the end pressed down, on each conductor at each point identification is required.
+
+### Phase tape or a sleeve that has loosened, slid, cracked or faded so that its color is uncertain shall be replaced.
+
+# Identification Legend {toc}
+
+## The identification convention, stating the phase colors of each voltage system, the grounded conductor color of each system, the high-leg identification, the direct-current polarity identification and the color of each special system, shall be permanently posted at each branch-circuit panelboard and at each feeder panelboard, switchboard, switchgear and motor control center, in accordance with NFPA 70 210.5(C)(1)(b) and 215.12(C)(1)(b), in the form indicated in the datasheet.
+
```datasheet
−label: Lettering height — disconnects / starters / junction boxes
−type: range
−unit: in
−min: 0.25
−max: 0.5
−step: 0.125
−default: 0.375
+label: Identification Legend Form
+type: select
+options:
+ - "Printed card in a holder inside the door"
+ - "Printed laminated card adhered inside the door"
+ - "Engraved laminated plastic plate on the door exterior"
```
+## A card in a holder is replaced when the convention is extended, and a panelboard with a directory holder commonly has room for a second card; an adhered laminated card costs the least and is read when the door is open; an engraved plate on the exterior is read without opening the door and cannot be lost, at a cost per panel and with the whole plate replaced when a system is added. No form is the norm across projects, so the field carries no default, and the form follows the directory form selected under [[sync/equipment-labeling]] so that the two cards or plates in one door match. {note}
+
+## The legend shall additionally be posted at the locations indicated in the datasheet.
+
```datasheet
−label: Nameplate attachment
−type: radio
+label: Additional Legend Posting Locations
+type: checkbox
options:
− - Mechanically fastened (screws / rivets)
− - Permanent adhesive (rated for surface)
−default: Mechanically fastened (screws / rivets)
+ - "At each transformer, transfer switch and enclosed disconnect larger than 100 A"
+ - "On the wall of each electrical room, as a framed sheet"
+ - "At the main electrical room door, inside the room"
+ - "In the operation and maintenance data"
+default:
+ - "In the operation and maintenance data"
+constraint: all_of
```
−# Panelboard and Switchboard Circuit Directories {toc}
+## The legend shall be printed in characters not smaller than the directory font selected under [[sync/equipment-labeling]], shall show each color as a printed color swatch and as its name, and shall carry the date of the convention it records.
−## Every panelboard, switchboard, and distribution board shall carry a circuit directory that maps each device number to the load it serves, so that a worker can de-energize the correct circuit without trial and error. {note}
+## A printed swatch with its name beside it is what makes a legend usable under the sodium light of a garage or by a reader who is color-deficient; a legend that names colors without showing them is read against a conductor whose brown and whose orange look alike under that light. {note}
−## A circuit directory shall be provided in each panelboard, switchboard, and distribution board.
+# Wire Markers and Cable Tags {toc}
−## The circuit directory shall be typed or computer-printed; handwritten directories are not acceptable as the final record.
+## Wire Markers {toc}
−### A directory left in pencil, or left blank "to be filled in later," is the single most common closeout deficiency and the reason maintenance crews trip the wrong breaker; a computer-printed directory is required as a closeout submittal, not merely a card-stock blank in the door. {note}
+### Each ungrounded and grounded conductor of a branch circuit shall carry a machine-printed wire marker stating the panelboard designation and the circuit number, in the format of the circuit directory, at the locations indicated in the datasheet.
−## Each circuit shall be identified by the load it serves and the area or room it is located in; descriptions shall be specific (for example, "Receptacles — Room 214 north wall"), not generic ("lights" or "power").
+```datasheet
+label: Branch-Circuit Wire Marker Locations
+type: checkbox
+options:
+ - "At the termination in the panelboard"
+ - "In each junction and pull box the circuit passes through"
+ - "At the termination in each device outlet box"
+ - "In each wireway and gutter"
+default:
+ - "At the termination in the panelboard"
+ - "In each junction and pull box the circuit passes through"
+constraint: all_of
+```
−## Spare overcurrent devices shall be labeled "spare" and unused spaces shall be labeled "space" so that the directory accounts for every position.
+### Each conductor of a control, signaling, monitoring or metering circuit, including the control wiring of a motor controller, a lighting control system, a transfer switch and a meter, shall carry a machine-printed wire marker at each end stating the terminal or wire number the system's wiring diagram assigns it, and where that system's standard assigns a different identifier, the identifier that standard assigns.
−## The completed, as-installed circuit directory shall be submitted as a computer-printed closeout document, cross-referenced to [[sync/closeout-procedures]].
+### Wire markers shall be of the type indicated in the datasheet.
```datasheet
−label: Circuit directory format
−type: radio
+label: Wire Marker Type
+type: select
options:
− - Computer-printed insert (card holder behind door)
− - Computer-printed, framed under clear cover on door
−default: Computer-printed insert (card holder behind door)
+ - "Self-laminating wrap-around label"
+ - "Heat-shrink sleeve marker"
+ - "Slip-on sleeve marker"
+ - "Printed flag label"
+default: "Self-laminating wrap-around label"
```
+### A self-laminating wrap-around is printed on a desktop printer, applied after the conductor is terminated and laminates its own legend under a clear tail, and it is the marker of most power and control conductors in panels, which is why it is the default; a heat-shrink sleeve cannot slide or be lifted and is the marker of a control panel built in a shop and of a hot or oily location, at the cost of being slipped on before the lug goes on; a slip-on sleeve is re-markable and is used on small control wire where a wrap-around will not fit; a flag label stands out from the conductor and is read in a crowded gutter, and it snags. {note}
+
+### Wire markers shall be applied within 2 in. of the termination, with the legend oriented to be read without disturbing the conductor, and the printed legend shall be of a character height not less than that indicated in the datasheet.
+
```datasheet
−label: Directory scope
−type: checkbox
+label: Wire Marker Character Height
+type: range
+unit: in
options:
− - All active circuits described by load + location
− - Spares labeled "spare"
− - Spaces labeled "space"
−default:
− - All active circuits described by load + location
− - Spares labeled "spare"
− - Spaces labeled "space"
+ min: 0.0625
+ max: 0.1875
+ setpoints: [0.0625, 0.09375, 0.125, 0.1875]
+default: 0.09375
+constraint: min
```
−# Arc-Flash Hazard Labels {toc}
+### A 3/32 in character is the largest that fits two lines on a marker for a 12 AWG conductor and reads at arm's length, which is why it is the default; 1/16 in is accepted on control wire smaller than 14 AWG where the marker diameter allows nothing larger, and 1/8 in or 3/16 in is specified on feeder conductors and on markers read in a deep enclosure. {note}
−## Equipment likely to require examination, adjustment, servicing, or maintenance while energized shall carry an arc-flash hazard label, so that a worker can select correct PPE and establish a safe boundary before opening the equipment.
+## Feeder and Cable Tags {toc}
−### The NEC marking requirement (110.16) is a construction obligation enforced by these contract documents; the NFPA 70E label-content and label-maintenance requirements are an ongoing owner-safety-program obligation. This standard provides the label at construction; the owner's 70E program maintains it thereafter. {note}
+### Each feeder, each set of parallel feeder conductors, and each multiconductor cable shall carry a tag at each end, in each pull box, junction box, wireway, handhole and manhole it passes through, and at each side of a wall or floor penetration where it is exposed, stating the feeder or cable designation from the one-line diagram or the cable schedule, the equipment it is fed from and the equipment it feeds.
−## Arc-flash labels shall be field-applied to switchboards, switchgear, enclosed panelboards, industrial control panels, meter socket enclosures, and motor control centers that may require energized work, in accordance with NEC 110.16.
+### Where the conductors of a feeder are not tagged individually, the set shall be tagged as one, and where more than one feeder occupies a box or a handhole each set shall be tagged separately.
−## Each arc-flash label shall state, at minimum, the nominal system voltage, the arc-flash boundary, and at least one of: available incident energy in cal/cm² at the stated working distance; minimum arc rating of clothing in cal/cm²; the applicable PPE category; or a site-specific PPE level, in accordance with NEC 110.16(B) and NFPA 70E 130.5(H).
+### Feeder and cable tags shall be of the material indicated in the datasheet, except where a clause of this standard requires a different material at a location.
−## The arc-flash boundary shall be the distance at which the incident energy equals 1.2 cal/cm², the threshold for a second-degree skin burn, per IEEE 1584 and NFPA 70E.
+```datasheet
+label: Feeder and Cable Tag Material
+type: select
+options:
+ - "Engraved laminated plastic tag on a nylon tie"
+ - "Printed polyester tag on a nylon tie"
+ - "Stamped or engraved stainless steel tag on a stainless steel tie"
+ - "Printed heat-shrink sleeve over the cable jacket"
+default: "Engraved laminated plastic tag on a nylon tie"
+```
−## One label-content method shall be selected for the entire project — either the incident-energy method or the PPE-category method — and shall be applied consistently; the two methods shall not be combined on a single label.
+### An engraved plastic tag on a nylon tie is read for the life of the installation in a dry location, is made in the same shop as the nameplates and is the tag of most feeders, which is why it is the default; a printed polyester tag is produced in quantity on site and is the tag of a project with hundreds of cables, with the life of its print; a stainless steel tag is the tag of a handhole, a manhole, a wet well and a corrosive area, and of any Owner who has pulled a faded plastic tag out of a flooded handhole; a heat-shrink sleeve over the jacket cannot be lost or swapped and is the tag of a tray-rated cable, applied before the cable is pulled. {note}
−### NFPA 70E does not permit mixing the incident-energy and PPE-category approaches on the same label; a specification that simply says "provide labels per NFPA 70E" without naming the method invites inconsistent and non-compliant labels across the job. {note}
+### Tags shall be secured so that they cannot slide along the conductor or cable or be lost when the cable is handled, and a tie shall not be tightened to deform the insulation or the jacket.
−## Where the incident-energy method is used, labels shall be generated from an IEEE 1584 arc-flash study; the study scope and schedule shall be coordinated so that study values are available before labels are produced.
+### The wire markers and cable tags of instrument and control cable shall be of the type, material and character height selected under this standard, with the legend content [[sync/instrumentation-and-control-cable]] assigns.
−## Where the incident-energy method is selected, the specifier shall confirm the arc-flash study is scoped and timed for label production; if the study is not within the contract scope, the specifier shall direct the PPE-category method instead.
+### The labels on the grounding electrode conductor, the bonding jumpers, the ground bars and the test wells shall be of the tag material and character height selected under this standard, at the points [[sync/grounding-and-bonding]] designates.
−### If the arc-flash study is not within the contract scope, the incident-energy fields cannot be filled and the installer is left with an RFI or blank labels; this is why the method selection above must be resolved in the contract documents before work begins. {note}
+# Raceway Identification {toc}
−## Arc-flash labels shall be pre-printed on UV-resistant polyester or equivalent durable stock conforming to ANSI Z535.4, with a WARNING header for typical conditions and a DANGER header where conditions warrant.
+## Raceways Marked {toc}
−## A re-label protocol shall be provided requiring arc-flash labels to be updated whenever an overcurrent device, transformer, or feeder is changed in a way that alters the incident energy or boundary, cross-referenced to [[sync/operation-and-maintenance-data]].
+### Raceway markers shall be applied to the raceways indicated in the datasheet, and in every case to each raceway that NFPA 70 requires to be marked.
```datasheet
−label: Arc-flash label content method
−type: radio
+label: Raceways Receiving Markers
+type: checkbox
options:
− - Incident-energy method (cal/cm² + working distance; requires IEEE 1584 study)
− - PPE-category method (NFPA 70E table-based)
−default: Incident-energy method (cal/cm² + working distance; requires IEEE 1584 study)
+ - "Emergency system raceways"
+ - "Legally required standby system raceways"
+ - "Optional standby system raceways"
+ - "Critical operations power system raceways"
+ - "Raceways carrying circuits above 1000 V"
+ - "Photovoltaic source and output circuit raceways"
+ - "Energy storage system DC circuit raceways"
+ - "Uninterruptible power supply output raceways"
+ - "Normal power feeder raceways"
+ - "All exposed raceways in electrical and mechanical rooms"
+ - "All raceways above accessible ceilings"
+default:
+ - "Emergency system raceways"
+ - "Legally required standby system raceways"
+ - "Critical operations power system raceways"
+ - "Raceways carrying circuits above 1000 V"
+ - "Photovoltaic source and output circuit raceways"
+constraint: all_of
```
−```datasheet
−label: Working distance — panelboards 240 V and below
−type: range
−unit: in
−min: 12
−max: 24
−step: 3
−default: 18
−```
+### Marking the special systems and the raceways NFPA 70 names is what most projects do, which is why the default is that set: the emergency, legally required standby and critical operations raceways under 700.10(A), 701.10 and 708.10, the photovoltaic raceways under 690.31(D)(2), and the raceways above 1000 V that a worker must not open. Marking normal power feeders, every exposed raceway in an equipment room, or every raceway above a ceiling is what a hospital, a laboratory or an industrial Owner with a large maintenance staff buys, and it costs a marker every interval on every run. {note}
−```datasheet
−label: Working distance — 480 V switchgear / MCC
−type: range
−unit: in
−min: 18
−max: 36
−step: 3
−default: 24
−```
+### Each photovoltaic source and output circuit raceway, enclosure and cable assembly inside a building shall be marked with the words NFPA 70 690.31(D)(2) prescribes, at the intervals and locations that article requires, whatever interval is selected elsewhere in this standard.
+## Marker Type and Interval {toc}
+
+### Raceway markers shall be of the type indicated in the datasheet, shall carry a color band in the system color where the convention assigns one, and shall carry a legend stating the system and the nominal voltage, and the feeder designation where the raceway carries a single feeder.
+
```datasheet
−label: Label header per ANSI Z535.4
−type: radio
+label: Raceway Marker Type
+type: select
options:
− - WARNING (black on orange) — typical arc-flash conditions
− - DANGER (white on red) — extreme conditions
−default: WARNING (black on orange) — typical arc-flash conditions
+ - "Adhesive wrap-around label with color band and printed legend"
+ - "Snap-on or clip-on marker with color band and printed legend"
+ - "Painted color band with a stenciled legend"
+ - "Colored tape band with a separate printed legend label"
+default: "Adhesive wrap-around label with color band and printed legend"
```
+### An adhesive wrap-around marker is printed with the band and the legend in one piece, is applied in minutes at any point on a run and is the marker of most projects, which is why it is the default; a snap-on marker is applied over a painted or dirty raceway and is moved when a run is reworked, at a higher cost per marker and with a fit limited to the trade sizes the manufacturer tools; a painted band with a stencil is permanent on a plant's exposed rigid conduit and is the only marker that survives a wash-down, at the cost of masking and a second trade; a tape band with a separate legend label is the lowest cost and the first to unwind in the heat above a ceiling. {note}
+
+### Raceway markers shall be applied at intervals along each run not exceeding the interval indicated in the datasheet, at each side of each wall, floor and ceiling penetration, within 3 ft of each box, cabinet and enclosure the raceway enters, and at each end of a run.
+
```datasheet
−label: Arc-flash label substrate
−type: radio
+label: Raceway Marker Interval
+type: range
+unit: ft
options:
− - UV-resistant polyester
− - Polypropylene
− - Chemical-resistant (washdown environments)
−default: UV-resistant polyester
+ min: 10
+ max: 50
+ setpoints: [10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50]
+default: 25
+constraint: max
```
−# Junction and Pull Box Identification {toc}
+### Twenty-five feet is the interval NFPA 70 700.10(A) sets for an exposed emergency raceway where no boxes are encountered, and one interval for every marked raceway on the project is simpler to install and to inspect than two, which is why it is the default; a shorter interval is set in a congested ceiling where a marker must be in sight from any access panel, and a longer one is accepted on a long exposed run in a plant or a tunnel where every marker is in view from the last. {note}
−## Junction boxes and pull boxes shall be identified so that a worker opening a covered box knows the system and circuits within before contacting the conductors.
+### The color band of a raceway marker shall be not less than the width indicated in the datasheet, in a color matching ANSI Z535.1 for red and orange, and shall encircle the raceway.
−## Each junction box and pull box cover shall be marked with the system it carries and the circuits or feeder designation it contains.
−
−## Junction and pull boxes for emergency, standby, fire-alarm, or other special systems shall be identified by the color convention assigned to that system, in addition to the legend text.
−
−## Junction and pull boxes above accessible ceilings shall be identified to the same standard as those in finished or exposed locations.
−
```datasheet
−label: Junction / pull box marking
−type: checkbox
+label: Raceway Color Band Width
+type: range
+unit: in
options:
− - System / service legend on cover
− - Circuit or feeder designation
− - System color code for special systems
−default:
− - System / service legend on cover
− - Circuit or feeder designation
+ min: 1
+ max: 4
+ setpoints: [1, 2, 3, 4]
+default: 2
+constraint: min
```
−# Emergency and Standby System Identification {toc}
+### A 2 in band is seen across a ceiling space on a 3/4 in or 1 in raceway and is the band width of the standard wrap-around marker, which is why it is the default; 1 in suits a crowded rack of small raceways, and 3 in or 4 in is specified on large raceways and on the exposed runs of a plant read from the floor. {note}
−## Emergency, legally required standby, and optional standby systems shall be identified distinctly from normal-power systems so that responders and maintainers can immediately tell life-safety circuits from general circuits. {note}
+### Each spare or empty raceway shall be marked at each end with the location of its other end and the word SPARE, in addition to the pull string [[sync/raceways-and-conduit]] requires in it.
−### A common and useful convention is red identification for emergency systems and orange for standby systems; the NEC does not mandate specific colors, so the convention is selected by the specifier and recorded in the posted legend. {note}
+### Raceway markers shall be oriented so that the legend is read from the floor or from the normal access position, and no marker or paint shall cover a listing mark or a manufacturer's marking on the raceway.
−## Emergency and standby system conductors, raceways, and equipment shall be identified by a project-wide color convention distinct from that used for normal power.
+# Junction and Pull Box Marking {toc}
−## The emergency and standby identification convention shall be recorded in the posted legend at each panelboard alongside the normal-power phase colors.
+## The cover of each junction box and pull box shall be marked by the method indicated in the datasheet, so that a person opening the box knows the system and the circuits inside it before removing the cover.
−## Emergency and standby identification shall be applied by both conduit color band and conductor marking where the system runs in both raceway and exposed cable, so the system is readable at any access point.
−
```datasheet
−label: Emergency / standby color convention
+label: Box Cover Marking Method
type: select
options:
− - "Emergency = red, Standby = orange"
− - "Emergency = red, Standby = yellow"
− - Other — record in posted legend
−default: "Emergency = red, Standby = orange"
−unit:
+ - "Machine-printed adhesive label"
+ - "Paint marker or stencil in the system color"
+ - "Engraved laminated plastic tag fastened to the cover"
+ - "Cover finished in the system color with a machine-printed label"
+default: "Machine-printed adhesive label"
```
+## A machine-printed label is applied to the cover as the box is closed, is legible from the floor and is the marking of most boxes, which is why it is the default; a paint marker or stencil survives the heat and dust above a kitchen or a plant ceiling where an adhesive label lifts, and it is as legible as the hand that writes it; an engraved tag is the marking of a wet or corrosive location and of an Owner who wants the box marked for the life of the building; a cover finished in the system color with a label is the marking of the boxes of emergency and other special systems where the color is to be seen before the words are read. {note}
+
+## Each box cover marking shall state the items indicated in the datasheet, in the designations of the panel schedules and the one-line diagram.
+
```datasheet
−label: Emergency / standby marking media
+label: Box Cover Marking Content
type: checkbox
options:
− - Conduit color band + legend
− - Conductor / wire tags
− - Equipment nameplate annotation
+ - "System or service"
+ - "Panelboard designation and circuit numbers"
+ - "Feeder or cable designation"
+ - "Nominal voltage"
default:
− - Conduit color band + legend
− - Conductor / wire tags
+ - "System or service"
+ - "Panelboard designation and circuit numbers"
+ - "Feeder or cable designation"
+constraint: all_of
```
−# Underground Electrical Identification {toc}
+## The boxes of an emergency, legally required standby, optional standby or critical operations power system shall carry the marking the System Color Convention of this standard requires, and the cover of each such box shall be identified as indicated in the datasheet.
−## Underground electrical runs shall be marked with warning tape buried above the conduit or cable, so that future excavation encounters the warning before the conductor.
+```datasheet
+label: Special System Box Cover Identification
+type: radio
+options:
+ - "Cover painted or factory-finished in the system color"
+ - "Label in the system color on an unpainted cover"
+```
−## Detectable or non-detectable underground warning tape shall be installed above each underground electrical run, located at the burial depth specified for the project.
+## A painted cover is seen from the floor and is the convention of most hospitals and of many jurisdictions' inspectors for emergency boxes; a label in the system color keeps the cover finish and is accepted where the box is in a finished space or where the Owner's convention uses labels only. Neither is the norm across the projects this standard serves, so the field carries no default. {note}
−## Underground warning tape shall be installed a minimum of 12 in. above the cable or conduit it protects.
+## The covers of fire alarm boxes shall be identified as [[sync/fire-alarm-systems]] requires, and the boxes of the branches of a healthcare essential electrical system as [[sync/healthcare-essential-electrical-systems]] requires, with the label products selected under this standard where those standards do not select them.
−## Warning tape shall be red, a minimum of 6 in. wide, and shall carry a legend such as "CAUTION — BURIED ELECTRIC LINE BELOW."
+## A box whose cover is marked for one system shall contain no circuit of another system, except where NFPA 70 permits the systems to share the box and the cover marking names both.
−## Detectable (metallic-backed) warning tape shall be used where the buried run is non-metallic and must be locatable by electromagnetic line-tracing equipment.
+# Wiring Device Plate Circuit Labels {toc}
+## Where [[sync/wiring-devices]] selects plates to be marked with their circuit, the marking shall state the panelboard designation and the circuit number in the format of the circuit directory, with no abbreviation of the panelboard designation that does not appear on the panelboard nameplate.
+
+## Device plate circuit labels shall be machine printed in characters not smaller than 1/16 in. high, in a stock listed to UL 969 for the plate material, and shall be applied where the plate construction and the method selected under [[sync/wiring-devices]] place them.
+
+## The plate label is read by an occupant reporting a dead outlet and by the technician who finds the breaker from it, and both read it against the directory in the panel door; the format is the directory's for that reason, and the label is printed after the circuit is verified so that the two agree. {note}
+
+# Underground Warning Tape and Route Markers {toc}
+
+## A continuous warning tape shall be installed in the backfill above each buried electrical raceway and each direct-buried cable, including the runs of a duct bank, along the full length of the run, of the type indicated in the datasheet.
+
```datasheet
−label: Underground warning tape type
+label: Underground Warning Tape Type
type: radio
options:
− - Detectable (metallic-backed)
− - Non-detectable (polyethylene)
−default: Detectable (metallic-backed)
+ - "Detectable tape with a metallic core or foil backing"
+ - "Non-detectable polyethylene tape"
+default: "Detectable tape with a metallic core or foil backing"
```
+## Detectable tape lets a locator find a nonmetallic raceway or a direct-buried cable from the surface with an electromagnetic locator, which is the whole of the value of the tape to the next excavator, which is why it is the default; non-detectable tape is accepted above a metallic raceway, which is located by its own metal, and above a duct bank whose tracer provisions under [[sync/underground-ductbank]] locate it. {note}
+
+## Warning tape shall be red, in accordance with the APWA Uniform Color Code, not less than the width indicated in the datasheet, and shall carry a continuous repeated legend reading CAUTION BURIED ELECTRIC LINE BELOW in black letters, and the tape over a communications run in the same trench shall be orange with a legend naming that service.
+
```datasheet
−label: Warning tape depth above run
+label: Underground Warning Tape Width
type: range
unit: in
−min: 6
−max: 18
−step: 3
−default: 12
+options:
+ min: 3
+ max: 12
+ setpoints: [3, 4, 6, 12]
+default: 6
+constraint: min
```
+## A 6 in tape is wide enough to be struck by a trenching bucket crossing the run and is the width most tape manufacturers stock in detectable form, which is why it is the default; 3 in and 4 in tape is used above a single small raceway in a landscaped area, and 12 in tape above a wide duct bank or a direct-buried feeder in an open site where a wide excavation is expected. {note}
+
+## Warning tape shall be installed above the run at the depth indicated in the datasheet, measured from the top of the raceway, cable or encasement to the tape, and in every case not less than 12 in. above underground service conductors that are not encased in concrete, in accordance with NFPA 70 300.5(D)(3).
+
```datasheet
−label: Warning tape width
+label: Warning Tape Height Above the Run
type: range
unit: in
−min: 3
−max: 6
−step: 1
−default: 6
+options:
+ min: 6
+ max: 24
+ setpoints: [6, 12, 18, 24]
+default: 12
+constraint: min
```
−# Installation {toc}
+## Twelve inches above the run is the NFPA 70 300.5(D)(3) height for service conductors and puts the tape where a bucket reaches it a full pass before the run, which is why it is the default; 6 in is used only above a shallow branch circuit in a planting bed where 12 in would put the tape at grade, and 18 in or 24 in is used above a deep duct bank so that the tape is reached near the depth an excavator expects utilities. {note}
−## Identification shall be applied only after surfaces are clean, dry, and free of dust, oil, and curing compounds, so that adhesive labels and markers bond and remain legible for the life of the equipment.
+## Route markers shall be installed above the buried runs indicated on [[drawing: the site electrical plan]], of the kinds indicated in the datasheet.
−## All identification shall be applied so that legends are readable from the normal working or access position for that equipment, conductor, or raceway.
+```datasheet
+label: Buried Route Markers
+type: checkbox
+options:
+ - "Surface markers at each change of direction and at each end of a run"
+ - "Surface markers at intervals along each straight run"
+ - "Tracer wire in each nonmetallic raceway run that is not part of a duct bank"
+constraint: all_of
+```
−## Conductor color coding and phase markers shall be applied before terminations are made and shall be visible at every accessible point after installation is complete.
+## A surface marker at each bend and end lets a locator start and finish a trace without a drawing, and a marker at intervals lets a crew see the run across a field; tracer wire in a nonmetallic raceway is what makes a run locatable where detectable tape has been cut or where the raceway is deep. Which of the three a site needs follows from the run lengths, the surface and the Owner's locating practice, so the field carries no default; a building whose only buried runs are short laterals under paving carries none. {note}
−## Equipment nameplates shall be mounted on the equipment face or door in a consistent location across like equipment, level and squarely aligned.
+## Surface route markers shall be concrete, polymer-concrete or composite posts or flush markers, set at the location of the run, carrying the words ELECTRIC LINE and the direction of the run, and shall be of a type rated for the traffic or mowing the surface receives.
−## Conduit markers shall be applied with the legend oriented for reading from the floor or normal access position, and arrows oriented in the actual direction of feed.
+# Installation {toc}
−## Arc-flash labels shall be applied to the exterior of the equipment in a location visible to a worker before the enclosure is opened.
+## Conductor phase and system colors shall be in place when each conductor is pulled, and phase tape, sleeves and markers shall be applied before the conductor is terminated and before the equipment is energized.
−## The posted color-coding legend shall be installed inside or adjacent to each panelboard before the panelboard is energized for acceptance.
+## Phase identification applied after a conductor is energized is applied in an energized enclosure under an energized work permit, which is the exposure the sequence avoids; the colors go on while the conductor is dead. {note}
−# Delivery, Storage, and Handling {toc}
+## The identification legend shall be posted at each panelboard before that panelboard is energized for acceptance, and the markers, tags and box cover markings of a circuit shall be complete before the circuit is energized.
−## Identification products shall be delivered in original packaging and stored so that adhesives, label stock, and printed legends are not degraded before installation.
+## Raceway markers, box cover labels and device plate labels shall be applied to surfaces that are clean, dry and free of dust, oil and overspray, after the painting of the surrounding surfaces is complete, within the application temperature range the adhesive manufacturer states.
−## Identification materials shall be stored indoors in a dry location within the temperature and humidity range specified by the manufacturer until installed.
+## Markers, tags and labels shall be oriented so that their legends are read from the floor or from the normal working position of the equipment, conductor or raceway, without disturbing the conductor or removing a cover other than the one marked.
−## Pre-printed labels and engraved nameplates shall be protected from abrasion, solvents, and direct sunlight during storage.
+## Warning tape shall be placed on compacted backfill at the specified height above the run, centered over the run, laid flat, and shall not be folded, spliced with gaps or omitted at road crossings or structure entries.
−## Damaged, faded, or delaminated identification products shall not be installed and shall be replaced.
+## Identification found damaged, illegible, missing or disagreeing with the installation at acceptance or during the warranty period while the Contractor is on site shall be replaced by the Contractor at no cost to the Owner.
−# Warranty {toc}
+# Delivery, Storage, and Handling {toc}
−## Identification products are expected to remain legible and adhered for the service life of the equipment they identify, in the environment for which they were selected. {note}
+## Markers, tags, labels, phase tape and warning tape shall be delivered in the manufacturer's packaging, identified by product and color, and shall be stored indoors in a dry location within the temperature and humidity range and the shelf life the manufacturer states.
−## Field-applied identification shall remain legible and securely adhered, without fading, peeling, curling, or delamination, for the warranty period.
+## Adhesive products past their shelf life, and tape or sleeves that have been stored in direct sunlight or below the manufacturer's minimum storage temperature, shall not be installed.
−## Identification that fails — by becoming illegible, detaching, or corroding — within the warranty period shall be replaced at no cost to the Owner.
+## Pre-printed markers and engraved tags shall be kept in their packaging until installed and shall be protected from abrasion and from solvents.
+# Warranty {toc}
+
+## The Contractor shall warrant every marker, tag, raceway marker, box cover marking, plate label, phase marking and warning tape under this standard against fading, lifting, peeling, sliding, loss and loss of legibility, and against disagreement with the installation as turned over, for the period indicated in the datasheet, measured from the date of substantial completion.
+
```datasheet
−label: Identification warranty period
+label: Identification Warranty Period
type: range
unit: years
−min: 1
−max: 5
−step: 1
−default: 2
+options:
+ min: 1
+ max: 5
+ setpoints: [1, 2, 3, 5]
+default: 1
+constraint: min
```
−# Spare Materials {toc}
+## One year is the general-conditions warranty and is what an identification package commonly carries as part of the electrical warranty, which is why it is the default; a longer period is specified where the Owner has had markers fail above a hot ceiling or tags fade in a handhole and wants the second installation on the Contractor. {note}
−## A modest stock of project-matched identification materials should be turned over to the Owner so that future minor changes can be labeled to the same convention.
+## Identification that fails within the warranty period shall be replaced at no cost to the Owner, including a product whose failure is traced to a stock not rated for the conditions of its location that were known from the Contract Documents, and the replacement shall be of a product rated for those conditions.
−### Providing project-matched spares at turnover is a low-cost step that prevents a common post-construction problem: the owner applies off-the-shelf labels that do not match the project convention, undermining the consistency that was established at construction. {note}
+## A repair or replacement performed under this warranty shall itself be warranted for a full new term equal to the original period from the date the replacement is completed, or for the remainder of the original period, whichever ends later.
−## The Contractor should provide the Owner with a stock of blank nameplate blanks, conductor phase markers, and conduit markers matching the project convention, sufficient for routine future changes.
+# Spare Parts {toc}
−## Spare identification materials should be turned over with the project color-coding legend so the Owner can reproduce the established scheme.
+## The Contractor shall deliver to the Owner, with the record identification convention, a stock of blank or pre-printed wire markers of each type used, blank feeder tags of each material used, raceway markers for each marked system and phase tape in each color of the convention, in the quantity of each item indicated in the datasheet.
```datasheet
−label: Spare nameplate blanks turned over
+label: Spare Identification Stock of Each Item
type: range
−unit: ea
−min: 0
−max: 50
−step: 5
−default: 10
+unit: pieces
+options:
+ min: 0
+ max: 100
+ setpoints: [0, 10, 25, 50, 100]
+constraint: exact
```
+
+## A spare stock is sized to how many circuits the Owner expects to add or move in the first years and to whether the Owner's electricians carry their own markers, so no quantity is the norm and the field carries no default; zero records that the Owner stocks its own, and a plant with a maintenance shop takes the larger quantities so that the next circuit is colored and marked to the project convention from the day of turnover. {note}
+
+## Spare stock shall be of the same manufacturer, type, color and listing as the installed products, delivered in the manufacturer's packaging and labeled with the convention item it serves.