Last Updated: August 16, 2025
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Patch Cords
The buffer or jacket on patchcords is often color-coded to indicate the type of fiber used. The strain relief “boot” that protects the fiber from bending at a connector is color-coded to indicate the type of connection. Connectors with a plastic shell (such as SC connectors) typically use a color-coded shell. Standard color codings for jackets and boots (or connector shells) are shown below:
| Buffer/jacket color | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Yellow | single-mode optical fiber |
| Orange | multi-mode optical fiber |
| Aqua | 10 gig laser-optimized 50/125 micrometer multi-mode optical fiber |
| Grey | outdated color code for multi-mode optical fiber |
| Blue | Sometimes used to designate polarization-maintaining optical fiber |
| Connector Boot | Meaning | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | Physical Contact (PC), 0° | mostly used for single mode fibers; some manufacturers use this for polarization-maintaining optical fiber. | |
| Green | Angle Polished (APC), 8° | ||
| Black | Physical Contact (PC), 0° | ||
| Grey, | Beige | Physical Contact (PC), 0° | multimode fiber connectors |
| White | Physical Contact (PC), 0° | ||
| Red | High optical power. Sometimes used to connect external pump lasers or Raman pumps. | ||
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Optical Networking Engineer & Architect • Founder, MapYourTech
Optical networking engineer with nearly two decades of experience across DWDM, OTN, coherent optics, submarine systems, and cloud infrastructure. Founder of MapYourTech. Read full bio →
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