Standards
ISO/IEC 11801 and EN 50173 for UK commercial cabling
How 11801, EN 50173 and TIA-568 show up in UK office specs — class vs category in plain English for buyers and PMs.
Specs name standards. Buyers need translation, not a standards shop.
The families you will see
- ISO/IEC 11801 — international structured cabling (class language such as Class E / Class EA)
- EN 50173 — European series often referenced in UK commercial specs
- TIA-568 — North American category language (Cat6 / Cat6A) that still appears in UK tenders and tester limit tables
Class and category are related naming systems for performance. Testers apply the limit table you select — wrong table, useless certificate.
What installers must deliver
Whatever the tender names, the field deliverable is plant that passes the agreed test and documentation that maps to IDs. Standards language without a test method is incomplete.