# Screened conductor with earthed screen

Canonical URL: https://eloragrid.ai/symbols/iec-screened-conductor-with-earthed-screen
Publisher: Elora Grid
Updated: 2026-10-28
Lookup label: W
Drawing use: Schematic
Reference families: IEC

## Symbol convention

Convention: IEC
Form: Screened conductor with earthed screen tail
Independent illustration combining IEC-context screen and earth forms; not certified IEC geometry.

A screened conductor whose screen tail is drawn to an earth symbol, recording where the shield is earthed.

## In plain English

### What does Screened conductor with earthed screen mean?

This form combines the screen outline with an explicit earth connection on the screen tail. It answers the question that a plain screened conductor leaves open: which end of the screen is earthed. Instrument drawings commonly earth the screen at the control end only, while drive motor cables are often earthed at both ends through 360 degree glands.

### A simple example

When the earth mark appears at only one end of the cable, the other end of the screen is normally cut back and insulated. A reader should not infer that both ends are bonded unless both are drawn. The earth symbol used on the tail may be functional earth, protective earth or a clean instrument earth bar, and those are not interchangeable.

### What the drawings help you do

Check both ends of the cable to see whether the screen is earthed at one or both. Identify which earth system the screen tail lands on. An earthed screen shows the termination decision; a plain screened conductor shows only that a shield exists.

### This particular reference

A screened conductor whose screen tail is drawn to an earth symbol, recording where the shield is earthed. An earthed screen shows the termination decision; a plain screened conductor shows only that a shield exists.

### Terms

- Terminal: An identified point where a conductor connects.
- Schematic: A drawing showing function and connections rather than physical appearance.

Concept diagram: Identify the device and form → Read the connections and state → Check the equipment reference
A guide to reading this reference. The original symbol illustration and its drawing notes appear below; these boxes are not a wiring diagram.

- [Autodesk IEC-60617 preview: Cable identification and twisted-pair annotation](https://help.autodesk.com/cloudhelp/2021/ENU/AutoCAD-Electrical/files/GUID-37A08C35-43A3-484D-B0EB-0BBCBC4BE709.htm)
- [AutoCAD Electrical: Earthing, sources and surge protection](https://help.autodesk.com/cloudhelp/2021/ENU/AutoCAD-Electrical/files/GUID-1E3FDEAE-B4B2-417C-8075-108AA2C6E509.htm)


## What it represents

This form combines the screen outline with an explicit earth connection on the screen tail. It answers the question that a plain screened conductor leaves open: which end of the screen is earthed. Instrument drawings commonly earth the screen at the control end only, while drive motor cables are often earthed at both ends through 360 degree glands.
When the earth mark appears at only one end of the cable, the other end of the screen is normally cut back and insulated. A reader should not infer that both ends are bonded unless both are drawn. The earth symbol used on the tail may be functional earth, protective earth or a clean instrument earth bar, and those are not interchangeable.

## How to read it

- Check both ends of the cable to see whether the screen is earthed at one or both.
- Identify which earth system the screen tail lands on.

## Information to show or reference

- Draw the screen earth at every end where it is terminated.
- Note insulated screen ends where they are cut back.
- Use the correct earth symbol for the earth bar used.

## Important distinction

An earthed screen shows the termination decision; a plain screened conductor shows only that a shield exists.

## Facts

- Graphic cue: Screen outline with tail ending in an earth symbol
- Design decision shown: Which end or ends of the screen are earthed
- Preview: Original educational illustration; consult the publisher and applicable standard for the exact graphic

## Public references

- [Autodesk IEC-60617 preview: Cable identification and twisted-pair annotation](https://help.autodesk.com/cloudhelp/2021/ENU/AutoCAD-Electrical/files/GUID-37A08C35-43A3-484D-B0EB-0BBCBC4BE709.htm) — Autodesk. Public IEC-60617 preview family for cable annotation.
- [AutoCAD Electrical: Earthing, sources and surge protection](https://help.autodesk.com/cloudhelp/2021/ENU/AutoCAD-Electrical/files/GUID-1E3FDEAE-B4B2-417C-8075-108AA2C6E509.htm) — Autodesk. Public IEC-oriented earth and bonding forms used on the screen tail.

## Graphic scope

Independent original educational concept illustration by Elora Grid. Not a certified standards graphic or manufacturer footprint. Unitless; not to scale. Original artwork licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Publisher material is linked only.