| Full title | Information technology. Data centre facilities and infrastructures. Part 2-4: Telecommunications cabling infrastructure |
| Publisher | CENELEC, prepared by CLC/TC 215. Published in the UK by BSI as BS EN 50600-2-4:2023 (30 April 2023). |
| Current edition | EN 50600-2-4:2023, superseding EN 50600-2-4:2015 |
| Status | Current. BSI lists it as under review. Conflicting national standards were to be withdrawn by 20 March 2026. |
| International counterpart | ISO/IEC TS 22237-5:2018, with ISO/IEC 22237-5 at FDIS stage |
| Related standards | EN 50600-1, EN 50173-5, EN 50174-1, -2 and -3, EN 50310 |
What it covers
EN 50600-2-4 specifies design principles for the telecommunications cabling infrastructure of a data centre. The principles are based on the availability and physical security criteria and classifications in EN 50600-1.
It covers:
- information technology and network cabling, such as SAN and LAN, to EN 50173-5
- general information technology cabling that supports data centre operations
- cabling for monitoring and control of power, environmental control and physical security systems
- other building automation cabling
- pathways, spaces and enclosures for the telecommunications cabling
Design is covered by applying the EN 50173 series. Installation, planning and quality assurance are covered by applying the EN 50174 series. Safety and electromagnetic compatibility requirements are outside its scope.
Place in the EN 50600 series
EN 50600-1 sets the general concepts, including the availability classes. The EN 50600-2 parts set the design requirements for each infrastructure, and the EN 50600-3 series covers operation and management.
| Part | Infrastructure |
|---|---|
| EN 50600-2-1 | Building construction |
| EN 50600-2-2 | Power supply and distribution |
| EN 50600-2-3 | Environmental control |
| EN 50600-2-4 | Telecommunications cabling infrastructure |
| EN 50600-2-5 | Security systems |
Structure of the 2023 edition
| Clause | Content |
|---|---|
| 5 | Telecommunications cabling within the data centre: cabling for IT operations, distributed building services, and IT and network cabling in the computer room, including point-to-point and fixed cabling |
| 6 | Implementation of cabling to EN 50173-5: functional elements, cabling subsystems, pathways and pathway systems, and cabinets, frames and racks |
| 7 | Physical security, including protection of pathways and spaces against unauthorised access |
| 8 | Availability classification, with design requirements for Classes 1 to 4 |
| 9 | Management and operation, including automated infrastructure management |
| Annexes | A: design concepts for network distribution cabling, with end of row, middle of row and top of rack examples. B: energy efficiency. C: summary of requirements per class. D: examples. E: availability description. F: colocation. |
Availability classes
EN 50600-1 defines four availability classes. In general terms, a higher class means more paths and more redundancy, so that the facility can keep running during maintenance or after a fault.
EN 50600-2-4 applies these classes to the telecommunications cabling. Its Table 1 gives the cabling availability class for each space against the overall data centre availability class.
Clause 8.4 sets out design requirements and recommendations for each class in turn (8.4.2 to 8.4.5). The figures show Class 1 (including an arrangement using direct attached cords), Class 2, Class 3 with one entrance room and with two entrance rooms, and Class 4.
Annex C summarises the requirements per class in one table.
Changes from the 2015 edition
- Document structure fully revised
- Availability classes revised
- New clause on physical security (Clause 7)
- New annexes: summary of requirements (C), examples (D), availability description (E) and colocation requirements (F)
How it relates to other standards
- EN 50173-5 (BS EN 50173-5) defines the data centre cabling structure, functional elements and cabling subsystems. EN 50600-2-4 uses it as the basis for the computer room cabling and adds availability and security requirements on top.
- EN 50174-1, -2 and -3 set installation specification, planning and practice. EN 50310 covers bonding.
- ISO/IEC TS 22237-5:2018 is the international counterpart from ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 39, based on the availability classes of ISO/IEC TS 22237-1. A full International Standard, ISO/IEC 22237-5, reached the FDIS approval stage on 30 September 2026 and will replace the TS.
- ANSI/TIA-942 is the North American data centre standard. It uses its own rating system.
What it means in practice
- Agree the target availability class for the data centre first. The required cabling class for each space follows from Table 1.
- Design the computer room cabling to EN 50173-5 and install it to EN 50174. EN 50600-2-4 does not replace either.
- Include cabling for power monitoring, environmental control and security systems in the design, not only the IT network.
- Check pathway routes and entrance room arrangements against the class requirements, and protect pathways against unauthorised access.
- Quote the 2023 edition. The 2015 edition used different availability class requirements.
Related reading: Single-mode vs multimode fibre explained.