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Installation Guideline
Panduit 28 AWG Patch Cords
Installation Guideline
Introduction
Panduit is a leading supplier of Structured Cabli ng Systems. Panduit solutions enable the physical infrastructure to
be scalable, flexible, and easily manageable, while supporting Ethernet communications at ever-increasing data
rates.
Panduit is aware of the many challenges presented by today’s commonly used patch cords. These ch all enges
include the amount of space required for cable management, restricted airflow, inconsistent performance
characteristics between vendors, and the increasing pressure to find cost-effective solutions.
In 2011, Panduit introduced the first small diamet er patch cords using 28 AWG conductors. These reduced
diameter cords can be used in Category 6A, Category 6, and Category 5e installations to facilitate deployment s
with improved wire management and airflow.
Background
Panduit 28 AWG Category 6A, Category 6, and Cat egory 5e performance patch cords use the standard RJ45 plug
interface and a significantly smaller cable wit h 28 A WG conductors. Typical Category 6A, 6, and 5e patch cords
use 24 AWG conductors. While 24 AWG patch cabli ng i s s ufficient for many applications, it can present chal l enges
with cable management. For example, cabinets populated with hundreds of patch cords may have issues with
airflow, difficulty accessing certain ports, and trouble finding space for clean cable management.
This can make simple moves, adds, and changes a challenge. Panduit 28 AWG patch cords alleviate many of
these concerns by offering Category 6A, 6, and 5e pe rformance using significantly smaller cable.
The main advantages of these patch cords are:
•
Smaller diameter cords occupy less than half the space of t radit i onal patch cords. This enables
simplified wire management and improved airflow, reducing pathway fill and operating costs.
•
Smaller wire gauge offers improved flexibility for easier moves, adds, and changes.
•
Tighter bend radius provides ultimate flexibilit y in patch cable routing, dressing, and management.
While providing these benefits, the user should be aware of the following limitations:
•
Higher attenuation, which means a higher de-ratin g factor must be used when designing channels.
•
If running PoE, PoE+, or proposed PoE++ Type 3 and 4 appl ications, bundle size is limited due to
heat dissipation.
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Installation Guideline
Relationship to Standards
Performance Standards
ANSI/TIA-568.2-D and ISO 11801 define performance standa rds for Ethernet communication systems and their
sub-components. Panduit 28 AWG Category 6A, Category 6, and Category 5e performance patch cords
exceed all patch cord electrical performance requirements and are 100% tested to patch cord limits.
With ANSI/TIA-568.2-D (replaces ANSI/TIA-568-C.2), 28 AWG wire size has been added to the standard,
making all Panduit 28 AWG patch cords standard compliant. The revised standard spells out that the smaller
28 AWG conductors require an increased attenuation de-rating v al ue of 1.95. Panduit patch cords exceed the
standard with a de-rating value of only 1.9. As a result, when used with 90-meter permanent links, Panduit 28
AWG Category 6A, Category 6, and Category 5e performance patch cords support 96-meter channels.
Connector Standards
IEC 60603-7 specifications include common dimensions, mechanical, electrical, and environ m ental
characteristics (and applicable tests) for the plug and jack. These specifications ensure all plugs and jacks that
are in compliance to this standard are intermateable. Panduit 28 AWG patch cord plugs meet all IEC 60603 -7
requirements.
IEC 60352-3 governs solderless connections for i ns ul ation displacement contacts (IDCs). These tests ensure
the jack contact / cable conductor interface maintains adequate performance for the life of the connector.
Panduit developed Category 6A, Category 6, and Cat egory 5e jack modules (CJT6X88TG**, CJT688T G* *, and
CJT5E88TG**) specifically designed to terminate 28AWG conductors and meet all requireme nts of IEC 60352-
3.
Jacks designed for 22-26AWG cable are not recomm ended for use with 28AWG stranded conductors.
IEC 60352-6 governs solderless connections for i ns ul ation piercing contacts (IPCs). While it may be a lesserknown specification, it is extremely relevant f or pl ugs. These tests ensure the plug contact / cable conductor
interface maintain acceptable performance for the life of the connection. Panduit 28 AWG patch co rd plugs
meet all IEC 60352-6 requirements.
Power over Ethernet
TSB-184-A, “Guidelines for Supporting Power Delivery Over Balanced Twisted-Pair Cabling” is a technic al
service bulletin published by TIA. TSB-184-A recommends a maximum temperature increase of 15 degrees
Celsius over the ambient temperature for the center cable in a cable bundle operating at full PoE, PoE+ or
PoE++ power. All Panduit cables are designed to properly deliver PoE, PoE+ or PoE++ power, including all
28AWG patch cords. Panduit 28 AWG patch cords will m eet the temperature rise recommendation of PoE and
PoE+ in bundles up to 48 cables, and PoE++ in bundles up to 24 cables. TIA is currently writing an ad dendum
to TSB-184-A that focuses on 28AWG patch cords, which is expected to publish in 2019.
.
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Installation Guideline
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Value Proposition
The table below provides a comparison of several im port ant parameters for Panduit 28 AWG and Pandui t
24 AWG patch cords.
Table 1 - Comparison of Panduit 28 AWG and 24 AWG Patch Cords
Panduit 28 AWG
Parameter
Cable diameter 0.185 in (4.7mm) 0.15 in (3.8mm) 0.215-0.275 in (5.5-7.0mm)
Cable cross sectional area
Category 6A
Patch Cords
0.027 in2 (17.3 mm2)
Panduit 28 AWG
Category 6 and 5e
Patch Cords
0.017 in2 (11.3 mm2)
Panduit 24 AWG
Category 6A, 6, and 5e
Patch Cords
0.036-0.59 in
(23.8-38.5 mm2)
2
Cable capacity of PR2VFD06
vertical manager – 30% fill
Recommended bend radius 0.74 in (19mm) 0.60 in (15mm) 1.00 in (25mm)
Attenuation de-rating factor 1.9 1.9 1.2
Maximum channel length with
10 meters of patch cords
Maximum patch cord length
used with 90m PL
PoE/PoE+ use
Proposed PoE++ Type 3 and 4
Use
Exceeds applicable ANSI/TIA-
568.2-D and ISO 11801 patch
cord performance requirements
100% tested to patch cord
performance requirements
Plug exceeds IEC 60603-7 and
IEC 60352-6 specifications.
Up to 48 cables per bundle
Up to 24 cables per bundle
503
93 meters
6 meters
Yes.
Yes.
Yes
Yes
Yes
765
93 meters
6 meters
Yes.
Up to 48 cables per bundle
Yes.
Up to 24 cables per bundle
Yes
Yes
Yes
227-372
100 meters
10 meters
Yes.
Up to 100 cables per bundle
Yes. Up to 72 (for 6 and 6A)
or 48 (5e) cables per bundle
Yes
Yes
Yes
The plug is centered within the
ANSI/TIA-568.2-D range.
Plug contacts plated with 50
micro inches of gold and rated
for 2500 cycles
Meets IEC 60352-3 specification
when terminated to a jack
Part of Panduit Certification plus
warranty
** = Color code.
Yes
Yes
Yes
Category 6A UTP –
CJT6X88TG**
Category 6A Shielded –
CJST6X88TGY
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Category 6 – CJT688TG**
Category 5e – CJT5E88TG**
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Category 6A – CJ6X88TG**
Category 6 – CJ688TG**
Category 5e – CJ5E88TG**
Yes
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Installation Guideline
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Traditional
24 AWG
Category 6
Patch Cords
28 AWG
Patch Cords
28 AWG
Patch Cord
24 AWG
Patch Cord
Space Saving
Panduit 28 AWG Category 6A, Category 6, and Cat egory 5e performance patch cords offer a significant s pace
saving benefit over traditional 24 AWG patch cords. Figure 1 illustrates the difference in bundle size between
Panduit 24 AWG and Panduit 28 AWG Category 6 p erformance patch cords. Figure 2 illustrates t he physical
differences between a Panduit 28 AWG and traditional 24 AWG patch cords of equal length (7-feet).
Figure 1
Category 6
Figure 2
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Installation Guideline
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Length Guidelines
The maximum length of a channel depends on the de-rati ng factor of the cabling components within the channel
(patch cords, equipment cords, and horizontal cabling). Panduit horizontal cable has a de-rating factor of 1.
Panduit 24 AWG patch cords have a de-rating factor of 1.2. All Panduit 28 AWG patch cords have a de-rating
factor of 1.9.
The maximum length of a channel (in meters) is calculated by:
(De-rating of patch * Patch Length) + (De-rating of horizontal * Horizontal Length) < 102 m.
This equation supports the following example channel lengths and configurations using Panduit 28 AWG
patch cords:
Channel length with a 90-meter permanent link
•
6 meters of total 28 AWG patch cord length
•
90 meters of total horizontal cable length
•
96-meter channel length
Channel length with 10 meters of 28 AWG patch cords
•
10 meters of total 28 AWG patch cord length
•
83 meters of total horizontal cable length
•
93-meter channel length
Channel length of 100 meters
•
2 meters of total 28 AWG patch cord length
•
98 meters of total horizontal cable length*
•
100-meter channel length
* Note: 98 meters will not pass Permanent Link testing with a field tester; however, the total
channel will pass channel testing and Ethernet traffic.
These channel configurations employing Panduit 28 AWG patch cords will exceed all Category 6A,
Category 6, and Category 5e performance requi rements defined in ANSI/TIA-568.2-D and ISO11801.
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Installation Guideline
6 PN562D
Length
Cable Length
Meters
Feet
Meters
Feet
Meters
Feet
Table 2 - Summary of total 28 AWG patch cord length vs. maximum channel length.
Total 28 AWG Patch Cord
Maximum 23 AWG Horizontal
Maximum Total Channel Length
2
3
10 96* 314 99 324
4
13 94* 308 98 321
5
16 92* 301 97 317
6
20
7
23 88.5 290 95.5 313
8
26 86.5 283 94.5 309
9
30 84.5 277 93.5 307
10
11 36 81 265 92 301
12 39 79 259 91 298
13 43 77 252 90 295
14 46 75 246 89 292
15 49 73.5 241 88.5 290
16 52 71.5 234 87.5 286
17 56 69.5 228 86.5 284
18 59 67.5 221 85.5 280
19 62 65.5 214 84.5 276
20 66 64 209 84 275
7
98* 321
90
33 83 272 93 305
295 96 315
100
328
* Horizontal cable lengths over 90 meters will not pass Permanent Link testing with a field tester, however the
total channel will pass Channel testing and Ethernet traffic.
Note: Beyond 20 meters the maximum length of 28 AWG patch cords may be limited by DC Loop Resistance
specifications. Panduit’s 28 AWG Category 6A performance patch cords are lim i ted to a maximum length of 40
meters in point-to-point applications (using only patch, with no horizontal cable).
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Installation Guideline
PN562D
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Shielded: STP28X**xx
UTP28CH3MYL = Category 5e Unshielded, 3-meter, yellow
Summary
Panduit 28 AWG Category 6A, Category 6, and Cat egory 5e performance patch cords offer a variety of benefits
to the end user such as utilizing less space, improving airflow and the potential for reduced operating costs.
The improved flexibility saves time on moves, adds, and changes, while the tight bend radius enables improved
cable routing and management in high density applications. Panduit 28 AWG patch cords provide a unique and
useful cable management solution for today’s enterprise & data center environments.
Panduit 28 AWG Patch Cord Ordering Guide
Category Part Number Suffix
Category 6A
Category 6 Unshielded: UTP28SP**xx
Category 5e Unshielded: UTP28CH**xx
^ blank = off white, BU = blue, BL = black, GR = green, GY = gray,
OR = orange, RD = red, VL = violet, YL = yellow
UTP28X10BU = Category 6A Unshielded, 10-ft, blue
STP28X3MGR = Category 6A Shielded, 3 meters, g reen
UTP28SP7 = Category 6 Unshielded, 7-ft, off-white
Unshielded: UTP28X**xx
** = length
xx = color code^
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