ETHERNET CABLE: COLOR-CODE STANDARDS

The information listed here is to assist Network Administrators in the color coding of Ethernet cables. Please be
aware that modifying Ethernet cables improperly may cause loss of network connectivity. Use this information at
your own risk, and insure all connectors and cables are modified in accordance with standards. The Internet Centre
and its affiliates cannot be held liable for the use of this information in whole or in part.

T-568A Straight-Through Ethernet Cable

The TIA/EIA 568-A standard which was ratified in 1995, was replaced by the TIA/EIA 568-B standard in 2002 and
has been updated since. Both standards define the T-568A and T-568B pin-outs for using Unshielded Twisted Pair
cable and RJ-45 connectors for Ethernet connectivity. The standards and pin-out specification appear to be related
and interchangeable, but are not the same and should not be used interchangeably.

T-568B Straight-Through Ethernet Cable

Both the T-568A and the T-568B standard Straight-Through cables are used most often as patch cords for your
Ethernet connections. If you require a cable to connect two Ethernet devices directly together without a hub or when
you connect two hubs together, you will need to use a Crossover cable instead.
 RJ-45 Crossover Ethernet Cable

A good way of remembering how to wire a Crossover Ethernet cable is to wire one end using the T-568A standard
and the other end using the T-568B standard. Another way of remembering the color coding is to simply switch the
Green set of wires in place with the Orange set of wires. Specifically, switch the solid Green (G) with the solid
Orange, and switch the green/white with the orange/white.

Ethernet Cable Instructions:

1. Pull the cable off the reel to the desired length and cut. If you are pulling cables through holes, its easier to
attach the RJ-45 plugs after the cable is pulled. The total length of wire segments between a PC and a hub
or between two PC's cannot exceed 100 Meters (328 feet) for 100BASE-TX and 300 Meters for 10BASE-T.
2. Start on one end and strip the cable jacket off (about 1") using a stripper or a knife. Be extra careful not to
nick the wires, otherwise you will need to start over.
3. Spread, untwist the pairs, and arrange the wires in the order of the desired cable end. Flatten the end
between your thumb and forefinger. Trim the ends of the wires so they are even with one another, leaving
only 1/2" in wire length. If it is longer than 1/2" it will be out-of-spec and susceptible to crosstalk. Flatten and
insure there are no spaces between wires.
4. Hold the RJ-45 plug with the clip facing down or away from you. Push the wires firmly into the plug. Inspect
each wire is flat even at the front of the plug. Check the order of the wires. Double check again. Check that
the jacket is fitted right against the stop of the plug. Carefully hold the wire and firmly crimp the RJ-45 with
the crimper.
5. Check the color orientation, check that the crimped connection is not about to come apart, and check to see
if the wires are flat against the front of the plug. If even one of these are incorrect, you will have to start
over. Test the Ethernet cable.

Ethernet Cable Tips:

 A straight-thru cable has identical ends.

 A crossover cable has different ends.
 A straight-thru is used as a patch cord in Ethernet connections.
 A crossover is used to connect two Ethernet devices without a hub or for connecting two hubs.
 A crossover has one end with the Orange set of wires switched with the Green set.
 Odd numbered pins are always striped, even numbered pins are always solid colored.
 Looking at the RJ-45 with the clip facing away from you, Brown is always on the right, and pin 1 is on the
left.
 No more than 1/2" of the Ethernet cable should be untwisted otherwise it will be susceptible to crosstalk.
 Do not deform, do not bend, do not stretch, do not staple, do not run parallel with power cables, and do not
run Ethernet cables near noise inducing components.
Basic Theory:

By looking at a T-568A UTP Ethernet straight-thru cable and an Ethernet crossover cable with a T-568B end, we
see that the TX (transmitter) pins are connected to the corresponding RX (receiver) pins, plus to plus and minus to
minus. You can also see that both the blue and brown wire pairs on pins 4, 5, 7, and 8 are not used in either
standard. What you may not realize is that, these same pins 4, 5, 7, and 8 are not used or required in 100BASE-TX
as well. So why bother using these wires, well for one thing its simply easier to make a connection with all the wires
grouped together. Otherwise you'll be spending time trying to fit those tiny little wires into each of the corresponding
holes in the RJ-45 connector.

How to wire your own ethernet cables and connectors.

What You Need:

Required:
 CAT 5 Cable - bulk Category 5, 5e or 6 cable
 RJ45 Ends
 Crimper for RJ45
 Wire Cutters - to cut and strip the cable if necessary

Recommend:
 Wire Stripper
 Cable Tester

About the Cable:

You can find bulk supplies of the cable at many computer stores or most electrical or home
centers. You want UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair) Category 5 cable for basic 10/100
functionality. You need CAT 5e for gigabit (1000BaseT) operation and CAT 6 gives you a
measure of future proofing. Bulk cable comes in many types, there are 2 basic categories, solid
and braided cable. Braided cable tends to work better in "patch" applications for desktop use. It
is more flexible and resiliant than solid cable and easier to work with, but really meant for shorter
lengths. Solid cable is meant for longer runs in a fixed position. Plenum rated cable should/must
be used whenever the cable travels through an air circulation space. For example, above a false
celing or below a raised floor.

You're likely going to want braided type cable but it may be difficult or impossible to tell from the box.

Here is what the internals of the cable look like:

Internal Cable Structure and Color Coding

Inside the cable, there are 8 color coded wires. These wires are twisted into 4 pairs of wires, each pair has a
common color theme. One wire in the pair being a solid or primarily solid colored wire and the other being a
primarily white wire with a colored stripe (Sometimes cable doesn't have any color on the striped cable, the only
way to tell is to check which other wire it is twisted around). Examples of the naming schemes used are: Orange
(alternatively Orange/White) for the solid colored wire and White/Orange for the striped cable. The twists are
extremely important. They are there to counteract noise and interference. It is important to wire according to a
standard to get proper performance from the cable. The TIA/EIA-568-A specifies two wiring standards for a 8-
position modular connector such as RJ45. The two wiring standards, T568A and T568B vary only in the
arrangement of the colored pairs. Tom writes to say "...sources suggest using T568A cabling since T568B is the
AT&T standard, but the US Government specifies T568A since it matches USOC cabling for pairs 1 & 2, which
allows it to work for 1/2 line phones...". Your choice might be determined by the need to match existing wiring, jacks
or personal preference, but you should maintain consistancy. I've shown both below for straight through cabling and
just T568B for cross over cabling.

About the RJ45 Ends:

The RJ45 end is a 8-position modular connector that looks like a large phone plug. There are a
couple variations available. The primary variation you need to pay attention to is whether the
connector is intended for braided or solid wire. For braided/stranded wires, the connector has
contacts that actually pierce the wire. For solid wires, the connector has fingers which pierce the
insulation and make contact with the wire by grasping it from both sides. The connector is the
weak point in an ethernet cable, choosing the wrong one will often cause grief later. If you just
walk into a computer store, it's nearly impossible to tell what type of connector it is.

Here is a diagram and pinout:

RJ45 Jack and Plug Pinout

Ethernet Cable Pinouts:

There are two basic cables. A straight through cable, which is used to connect to a hub or
switch, and a cross over cable used to operate in a peer-to-peer fashion without a hub/switch.
Some interfaces can cross and un-cross a cable automatically as needed, really quite nice.
Standard, Straight-Through Wiring (both ends are the same):
Wire Color Wire Diagram 10Base-T Signal 1000Base-T
RJ45 Pin #
(T568A) (T568A) 100Base-TX Signal Signal
1 White/Green Transmit+ BI_DA+

2 Green Transmit- BI_DA-

3 White/Orange Receive+ BI_DB+

4 Blue Unused BI_DC+

5 White/Blue Unused BI_DC-

6 Orange Receive- BI_DB-

7 White/Brown Unused BI_DD+

8 Brown Unused BI_DD-

Straight-Through Cable Pinout for T568A
Wire Color Wire Diagram 10Base-T Signal 1000Base-T
RJ45 Pin #
(T568B) (T568B) 100Base-TX Signal Signal
1 White/Orange Transmit+ BI_DA+

2 Orange Transmit- BI_DA-

3 White/Green Receive+ BI_DB+

4 Blue Unused BI_DC+

5 White/Blue Unused BI_DC-

6 Green Receive- BI_DB-

7 White/Brown Unused BI_DD+

8 Brown Unused BI_DD-

Straight-Through Cable Pinout for T568B

Cross Over Cable (T568B):

RJ45 Pin # Wire Diagram End RJ45 Pin # Wire Diagram End
(END 1) Color #1 (END 2) Color #2
1 White/Orange 1 White/Green

2 Orange 2 Green

3 White/Green 3 White/Orange

4 Blue 4 White/Brown

5 White/Blue 5 Brown

6 Green 6 Orange

7 White/Brown 7 Blue

8 Brown 8 White/Blue
Cross Over Cable Pinouts

+Note: The cross over cable layout is suitable for 1000Base-T operation, all 4 pairs are crossed.
How to wire Ethernet Cables:

1. Strip off about 2 inches of the cable sheath.

2. Untwist the pairs - don't untwist them beyond what you have exposed, the more
untwisted cable you have the worse the problems you can run into.
3. Align the colored wires according to the diagrams above.
4. Trim all the wires to the same length, about 1/2" to 3/4" left exposed from the sheath.
5. Insert the wires into the RJ45 end - make sure each wire is fully inserted to the front of
the RJ45 end and in the correct order. The sheath of the cable should extend into the
RJ45 end by about 1/2" and will be held in place by the crimp.
6. Crimp the RJ45 end with the crimper tool
7. Verify the wires ended up the right order and that the wires extend to the front of the
RJ45 end and make good contact with the metal contacts in the RJ45 end.
8. Cut the cable to length - make sure it is more than long enough for your needs.
Remember, an end to end connection should not extend more than 100m (~328ft). Try
to keep cables short, the longer the cable becomes the more it may affect performance,
usually noticable as a gradual decrease in speed and increase in latency.
9. Repeat the above steps for the second RJ45 end.
10. If a cable tester is available, use it to verify the proper connectivity of the cable.

That should be it, if your cable doesn't turn out, look closely at each end and see if you can find the problem.
Usually a wire ended up in the wrong place or more commonly, one of the wires didn't extend to the front of the
RJ45 connector and is making no, or poor contact. If you see a mistake or problem, cut the end off and start again.

Notes:

Power over Ethernet (PoE):

Power over Ethernet has been implemented in many variations before IEEE standardized 802.3af. 802.3af
specifies the ability to supply an endpoint with 48V DC at up 350mA or 16.8W. The endpoint must be
capable of receiving power on either the data pairs [Mode A] (often called phantom power) or the unused
pairs [Mode B] in 100Base-TX. PoE can be used with any ethernet configuration, including 10Base-T,
100Base-TX and 1000Base-T. Power is only supplied when a valid PoE endpoint is detected by using a
low voltage probe to look for the PoE signature on the endpoint. PoE power is typically supplied in one of
two ways, either the host ethernet switch provides the power, or a "midspan" device is plugged in between
the switch and endpoints which supplies the power. No special cabling is required.
Wire Color Wire Diagram 10Base-T Signal
RJ45 Pin # PoE
(T568A) (T568A) 100Base-TX Signal
1 White/Green Transmit+ Mode A +

2 Green Transmit- Mode A +

3 White/Orange Receive+ Mode A -

4 Blue Unused Mode B +

5 White/Blue Unused Mode B +

6 Orange Receive- Mode A -

7 White/Brown Unused Mode B -

8 Brown Unused Mode B -

Power over Ethernet Power Delivery

Protocol Details:
Data
Signal Pairs Minimum
Frequency Symbol Symbol Data Bits Pairs
Rate per Cable
(MHz) Encoding Rate Encoding per Used
(Mbaud) Channel Categor
Symbol
10BaseT 10 Manchester 10 10 None 1 1 2 3

Multi-level,
100BaseT4 12.5 25 25 8B6T 8/6 3 4 3
2T/Hz

100BaseTX 31.25 MLT-3 125 125 4B5B 4/5 1 2 5

PAM5x5
100BaseT2 12.5 25 12.5 None 4 (2x2) 2 2 3
(2D-PAM5)

1000BaseT 31.25 4D-PAM5 125 31.25 None 8 (4x2) 4 4 5*

*Designed to work on MOST category 5 cable, category 5e specifications ensure 1000Base-T
operation

Cable Category Details:

Rated Frequency Bandwidth
Cable Category Common Uses
(MHz)
1 None Common Use

2 1 Telephone Wiring

3 16 Telephone Wiring, 10Base-T

4 20 Token-Ring, 10Base-T

5 100 100Base-TX, 10Base-T

5e 100 1000Base-T, 100Base-TX

6 250 1000Base-T, 100Base-TX

6a* 500 10GBase-T

7 600
Increasing category levels are backward compatible.
Manufacturers will often test and certify their cable well beyond the standards.
*10GBase-T should work on Cat6, but to get the full 100m range, Cat 6a is required.