Stranded Cable Calculators

The two spreadsheets below can be used to calculate the mix of horizontal and patch cable that will produce a compliant channel. For more information, please see our whitepaper: Channel Requirements and the Length of Stranded Cable

Jump to Cat 5e/6 calculator Jump to Cat 6a calculator

Cat 5e/6 cable length calculator

Change the Horizontal Cable Length to see updated values. All lengths are in meters.

Patch Cable Gauge D H C T
Patch
De-rating		 Horizontal Cable Length Total Patch Length
(Cat 5e/6 stranded cable)		 Total Channel Length
(must be less than 100m)
24 0.2 0 85.0 85.0
25 64.2 89.2
50 43.3 93.3
75 22.5 97.5
26 0.5 0 68.0 68.0
25 51.3 76.3
50 34.7 84.7
96 4.0 100.0
28 0.95 0 52.3 52.3
25 39.5 64.5
90 6.2 96.2
82.5 10.0 92.5
22* 0 0 100.0 100.0
25 75.0 100.0
50 50.0 100.0
100 0.0 100.0

*22 AWG does not have a de-rating.

Cat 5e/6 equation for patch cable length: C=(102-H)/(1+D)
Maximum Length Limit: T=H+C, T≤100 meters

Cat 6a cable length calculator

Change the Horizontal Cable Length to see updated values. All lengths are in meters.

Patch Cable Gauge D H C T
Patch
De-rating		 Horizontal Cable Length Total Patch Length
(Cat 6a stranded cable)		 Total Channel Length
(must be less than 100m)
24 0.2 0 87.5 87.5
25 66.7 91.7
50 45.8 95.8
75 25.0 100.0
26 0.5 0 70.0 70.0
25 53.3 78.3
50 36.7 86.7
90 10.0 100.0
28 0.95 0 53.8 53.8
25 41.0 66.0
50 7.7 97.7
82.5 11.5 94.0
22* 0 0 100.0 100.0
25 75.0 100.0
50 50.0 100.0
100 0.0 100.0

*22 AWG does not have a de-rating.

Cat 6a equation for patch cable length: C=(105-H)/(1+D)
Maximum Length Limit: T=H+C, T≤100 meters

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