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- Fiber optic cable jacket colours – and why you shouldn’t rely on them
Fiber optic cable jacket colours – and why you shouldn’t rely on them
There are standadized colours not only for optical fibers but also for the cables that hold them. The benefit of it: One can tell the fiber type that’s inside of the cable at first glance. However, not all cable manufacturers follow the standard.
EN 60794 demands that the jackets of fiber optic cables are colour coded, which means the jacket colour depends on the type and category of the optical fibers. The standard also recognizes printing on the cable as an alternative. IEC TR 63194 specifies IEC colour codes and lists country-specific colour codes in annexes A to G. ANSI/TIA-598-D also specifies a colour code that is similar to the one in EN 60794
However, not all cable manufacturers follow the colour code completely, and especially in legacy installations cables with OM4 fibers and aqua jacket can be found as well as orange cables that have singlemode fibers inside. It is always a good idea to have a look at the printing on the jacket.
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Dirk Traeger
