Cat6 Wire and Cable

A CAT 6 cable is made up of 8 different pieces of insulated CAT 6 wire. The cable ends appear in the form of 4 pairs of insulated CAT 6 wires. Each such wire pair consists of two different color-coded insulated wires twisted together. CAT 6 wire is available in two different forms. One is used in plenum cables and is composed of solid copper conductor. The other is used in non-plenum cables and is composed of braided strands of thin copper wire.

A CAT 6 wire is designed for four different installations and therefore has various four different NEC (National Electrical Code) designations depending upon the usage.

In the form of CAT 6 plenum cable the wire has an NEC designation of CMP (communication plenum). Two sub-designations also exist within this category. In the case of plenum cable usage, the CAT 6 wire has the respective sub-designations CL2P and CL3P.

The plenum usage category of the CAT 6 wire is normally covered under article 725 of the NEC and carries the highest category of protection that is designated 4 under NEC standards. A cable that uses CAT 6 wire under the above NEC designation is required to meet CSA (Canadian Standards Association) FT7, NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) 262, or UL (Underwriters Laboratories) 910 flame protection standards.

When used in vertical shaft Riser installations, CAT 6 wire has the NEC designation CMR (communications riser). In this case the respective sub-designations are CL2R and CL3R. A cable that uses CAT 6 wire under this NEC designation is required to meet UL 1666. The level of flame protection provided by the cable under this NEC designation is 3 and is just lower than that for the plenum application.

When used in Commercial General Purpose application category, the CAT 6 wire has the NEC designation CMG (communications general). In this case the sub-designations are CL2 and CL3. A cable that uses a CAT 6 wire under this NEC designation is required to meet the CSA FT4 flame protection standard.

There are two other designations associated with the CAT 6 wire usage in general commercial installations. One of these is CM for which the cable must meet UL 1685 (UL 1581, Sec. 1160) Vertical Tray standard. The other is the designation CMX for which the cable using CAT 6 wire is required to meet UL 1581 Sec. 1080 (VW-1) flame protection standard.

The fourth installation for a CAT 6 wire is in residences. For this installation a CAT 6 wire has the NEC designation CMH (communications household) and the 2 different NEC sub-designations are CL2X and CL3X.

A cable that uses CAT 6 wire, which is covered under the above NEC designation, is required to meet the CSA FT1 flame protection standard. Residential installations are provided the lowest flame protection.