Color grouping diagram for 48-core optical fiber cable

A 48-core fiber optic cable is organized into 4 buffer tubes of 12 fibers each, with each tube and fiber following the TIA-598-C color sequence for easy identification.

Fiber Grouping Overview

In a 48-fiber cable, the fibers are grouped into 4 buffer tubes, each containing 12 fibers. Both the tube color and the fiber color within the tube follow the TIA-598-C standard, ensuring unique identification for all 48 fibers.

Buffer Tube Colors (Outer Tube)

The first-level grouping uses the standard 12-color sequence for the buffer tubes:

1. Blue – Tube 1
2. Orange – Tube 2
3. Green – Tube 3
4. Brown – Tube 4

Fiber Colors Within Each Tube

Each tube contains 12 fibers, colored in the following 12-color sequence:

1. Blue
2. Orange
3. Green
4. Brown
5. Slate
6. White
7. Red
8. Black
9. Yellow
10. Violet
11. Rose
12. Aqua

How to Identify a Specific Fiber

To locate a fiber, use the tube number and fiber position:

• Step 1: Determine the tube by dividing the fiber number by 12. For example, Fiber #34: 34 ÷ 12 = 2 remainder 10 → Tube 3 (Green).
• Step 2: Count the fiber position within the tube using the 12-color sequence. Fiber #34 is the 10th fiber in Tube 3, which is Violet. This method ensures that each fiber in the 48-core cable has a unique color combination of tube and fiber, preventing misidentification during splicing or termination.

Summary Table for 48-Core Cable

This tube-and-fiber color coding system is widely used in premises, data center, and high-density installations, allowing technicians to quickly identify and manage fibers in 48-core cables without errors. The same principle scales to larger cables (96, 144 fibers) by adding more tubes while repeating the 12-color fiber sequence within each tube .