What is The Difference Between The Different Colors of Fiber Optic Patch Cords?

We know that the color of the outer jacket of the fiber optic patch cord is different and represents a different type of fiber optic patch cord, do you often have this confusion, do not know how to distinguish the fiber optic patch cord according to the color of the outer jacket. This article will focus on the color of the outer jacket of different fiber optic patch cords and the way to distinguish the type of fiber optic patch cords by the outer jacket of fiber optic patch cords.

Sheath Color Standards for Fiber Optic Patch Cords

TIA-598C by the U.S. Telecommunications Industry Association developed the fiber optic patch cord color coding standard, the standard defines the fiber as well as the fiber optic patch cord identification scheme. The following are the colors and corresponding fiber optic patch cord types for non-military and military applications of fiber optic patch cords.

Fiber Color Codes of Fiber Optic Patch Cords

As shown in the table below, each fiber in the fiber patch cord casing has its own unique fiber code and color. When you know the fiber code and color of the fiber patch cord, you can easily identify the ground fiber patch cord and quickly manage and maintain the fiber link.

Connector and Adapter Color Standards for Fiber Optic Patch Cords

In addition to the color of fiber and jacket, you can also distinguish them by the color of connectors and adapters of fiber optic patch cords. The following table shows the information of different colors of fiber optic connectors and adapters corresponding to different fiber optic patch cords.


The adapters are also color coded to indicate how the fiber end face is ground, as shown in the following table.

Conclusion

This article details how to distinguish different fiber optic patch cords by their jacket, fiber, connector and adapter colors, but there are so many types and colors of fiber optic patch cords on the market that sometimes you can’t rely on this information alone to distinguish them.