Why White Powder Used inside Electrical Cables?

Hey, you may notice some white powders are used in high-current carrying electrical cables, and questions arise in your mind that why they are used. So in this article, we are going to know why white powders are used inside electrical cables, and what is the name of these powders.

According to the capacity, and applications of the electrical cables different types of powder are used such as talcum powder, magnesium oxide(MgO) Powder, Swellable powder, Chalk Powder, etc.

Talcum Powder in Electrical Cables

Talcum Powder is used in some low current-carrying cables such as computer power cables to make them flexible, to stop the internal wires from getting stuck to the outer rubber casing. When a cable is used over a long period of time, its outer rubber gets sticky and can be broken down. So to prevent this problem talcum powder is used in some electrical cables.

Magnesium Oxide Powder in Electrical Cables

Magnesium oxide powder is used in high-current carrying cables, Mineral Insulated(MI) cables. Magnesium oxide powder has two very useful properties which are high thermal conductivity, and low electrical conductivity. Magnesium oxide powder gives a lot of features and advantages in an electrical cable which is given below,


1. When a high current flows through a cable, heat is produced which can damage the cable. Due to the high thermal conductivity property, magnesium oxide powder can conduct heat from the inside of the cable to the outside and prevent damage to the cable from the heat.

2. Due to its low electrical conductivity property, magnesium oxide powder provides good electrical insulation.

3. Magnesium oxide powder provides good lubrication to electrical cables.

4. Magnesium oxide powder makes electrical cables fireproof.

5. Magnesium oxide powder makes electrical cables flexible.

Swellable Powder in Electrical Cables

Swellable Powder is used in electrical cables to block the water and to eliminate the moisture issue. These powders can form a gel-like material when contacting with water and block the flow of water. These powder swell and expands to block the water permanently. This type of powder is mostly used in underground cables, water pump cables, etc.

Chalk Powder in Electrical Cables

Chalk Powder is used in some cables to provide fire resistance. To prevent wires inside a cable from firing, chalk powder is used in some electrical cables. This type of cables are used in thermal devices, stations, thermal parts of a system, etc.


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