atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services Cabling Telephones Systems Wiring standards for color

Are there any "standards" for the color of cabling to use - i.e., yellow for voice, blue for data, or whatever? I know that red has become the norm for fire-alarm cabling.

Its whatever you have the most of in the warehouse! Just be consistant. Don't mix and match.

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Toshiba Technical Support at: fingerlakestelecom.net

We make are own "standards" for the color of cable, just be consistant from job to job. It makes it easier when you go back-out to work on that customer site.
We use:
gray for phone
blue for data
green or yellow for special circuits
Sometimes the customer has a request, we have one that wants only black wire.

I like your standards comdial guy - those colours seem to be pretty common. One thing I'm sure of is it's NOT acceptable to use the same color for voice & data. It's no fun when you can't look at a cable and know where it terminates.

The great thing about standards is that there are some many of them, you can pick the ones you like.

Been there, done that: Ran 200+ stations with Blue Cat 5 for both voice and data. Spent a very long time sorting, only to find a few in the wrong group, and pulling them out of my nicely wrapped bundles.

I would stay away from red in the ceiling, as it is usually the same as fire alarm. I've seen up to 4 different color cables, connected to matching colored jacks.

I use gray for voice and blue for data also. I was just wandering if some group or committee had started any standards for the color of cable.

The setup we use is:

gray - voice non plenum
white - voice plenum
blue - data (cat5e) non plenum
yellow - data (cat5e) plenum

This makes it quick and easy to determine stock and cable type.

I always thought that the "standard" was sort of like the cable pairs. We always use White jacket for voice (cat 3 or cat5e) use Blue jacket (cat 5e or 6) for data or just go with Blue Cat5e/6 and Yellow/orange Cat5e/6 for an IP network. If for any reason the customer is crazy and wants to go all out with the cabling (which is a nic problem to have) we go white cat3 then blue cat5e/6 1 and yellow cat5e/6 2. NOW if we are needing to pull cable from Graybar and they don't have something in yellow to match the "cookie cutter" I try to find something outlandish that is way out of the norm like pink or hot green for the second color,, it helps to distinquish (sp?) Only had to do that once or twice. Jack color is a whole new argument.

~Chris

We use gray for voice, blue for data, yellow or green for other functions to the same location, all cat 5e. Cat 6 on request. Jack color on station end is usually beige for plate & voice, orange for data.

I like using white or grey for voice... then any color available for data... try to keep the same color consistent through a job... if you are running two data circuits.. make data 1 blue and data 2 yellow... throughout the project.. etc...