sundance-communications.com/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services Cabling Telephones Systems Wiring Jack colors

Does anyone know if there is a color scheme for cat3, cat5 cat6 jacks? We have standardized on white for cat3, and Red for Cat5. But is there an "Official" color designation for the different categories?

Thanks

I think you will find that everyone has there own preference as far as colors go. That is why every manufacture makes about dozen variations. As a general rule match what is there for additional runs. If it is a new cabling job, then it's the designer or customers choice.

We typically use beige faceplates and cat-3 inserts with blue inserts for the data.

Todd

Here (the NYC Agency I support) we use the following pattern:

White for Digital Voice
Blue for Data
Green for Analog Voice (Fax, Polycom, Modems etc)
Red for Emergency (Analog Voice fed from a different CO over Microwave)

We also color code the cabling - White for any Voice cable (all pull to the Voice Closet) and Blue for Data (pull to the LAN room).

Most of what I've seen over the years here has been White for Voice and Blue for Data. Everything else is up for grabs. Color coding in and of itself is the right way to go. It makes troubleshooting and Add ons much easier.

Sam

Just do like the sparkies do and make everything the same color as the plate and all 8 pin. :bang:

Around here voice jacks are the color of the plate and of course 6 position. Data is either orange (which I prefer) or blue. No reason for the jack color to reflect what the wiring is (CAT5, 5e or 6).

-Hal

To help keep inventory low I stock mostly beige and white. I will match the phone jack to the plate color and use the 2nd color for the data. I also stock both jacks in black for aux. jack and patch panels. I do carry a few red, orange, blue and green for special customers.

I do the same thing as Hal. The exception is when I do residential and they want everything to match so I will use white or ivory plates and jacks to match, even for data. I prefer orange for data, no real reason why though.

Residence, all white, including jacks and faceplates, unless the Architect specifies almond, ivory, or some other color. The jacks are always the same color as the plates, unless in a residential office, I use black for the fax or other special circuits, to distinguish from the phones.

Sometimes the only way to get a color match to Sparky's plates is to use Decora plates and inserts. They come in more colors than the ICC or Leviton low-voltage plates. The jacks themselves may not match, but at least the majority of what's seen matches.

In businesses, same thing, basically. I carry a few ivory and a few gray jacks. I carry a few ivory plates with different opening counts.

If the architect specifies different colors, I follow the instructions.

I carry a bunch of bright indelible felt markers and color the jack fronts before snapping them into place if I need a different color. This allows me not to have to stock a bunch of colored jacks.

I usually make the data orange or blue and have the voice jacks match the color of the faceplate. However, whatever the customer's standards are comes first.

Well, it seems that the field is wide open. We had standardized on white 6p6c for voice and red for data. Until recently we just started doing cat6 and we always used Red for data. My partner all of a sudden decided we need or should use orange so we can distinguish between cat5 and cat6. My point is that why should it matter. And for the most part from the responses data is data and whatever color is decided on is what it is.

Thanks guys for your replies

I think we do cat6 in blue here, and of course orange for cat5

It's a MI standard, hehehe