DALI & DALI-2 Lighting Control Cable

DALI cable is not interchangeable. A professional DALI or DALI-2 installation needs more than any two-conductor wire. Conductor size, loop resistance, voltage drop, jacket rating, terminal fit, and total topology determine whether the cable will operate reliably and meet the project requirements.

Start with the project conditions

  • Long runs or systems planned toward 300 m / 984 ft: choose 14 AWG for conservative voltage-drop margin.
  • Plenum spaces: select a CL3P plenum option such as Liberty 14-2C-P-WHT or 14-2C-P-BLK.
  • Non-plenum pathways: use the correct riser or general-purpose rating required by the project and jurisdiction.
  • 16 AWG and 18 AWG: use only when actual distance, bus current, voltage drop, equipment instructions, and terminal capacity support the smaller conductor.

RF-AV's preferred commercial long-run choice is Liberty 14-2C-P-WHT or 14-2C-P-BLK. The 14 AWG copper provides design margin, Liberty publishes the electrical characteristics needed for engineering review, and the CL3P jacket provides a defined U.S. plenum product. That is a materially stronger specification than an unsupported "DALI-compatible" label.

DALI does not require customers to pay solely for a proprietary system name, but that does not make generic cable a responsible substitute. RF-AV has curated these options around documented performance, practical run length, and installation environment so contractors can choose a defensible cable rather than gamble on appearance or price alone.

Read the complete RF-AV DALI Cable Guide for the distance table, cable-selection matrix, stranded-conductor guidance, and the full 14-2C-P-WHT voltage-drop calculation.