Fiber Optic Color Code Chart
The TIA-598 color code: the 12-position sequence that identifies individual fibers and buffer tubes, the tracer rule for counts above 12, and the jacket colors that identify fiber type from across the room. The sequence is a voluntary-standard convention — but it is universal in North American cable, and splicing to the wrong count order is the classic OSP rework story.
The 12-position sequence (fibers and buffer tubes)
| Position | Color |
|---|---|
| 1 | Blue |
| 2 | Orange |
| 3 | Green |
| 4 | Brown |
| 5 | Slate (gray) |
| 6 | White |
| 7 | Red |
| 8 | Black |
| 9 | Yellow |
| 10 | Violet (purple) |
| 11 | Rose (pink) |
| 12 | Aqua |
Jacket colors by fiber type
| Jacket color | Fiber type | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Single-mode (OS1/OS2) | TIA-598 |
| Orange | Multimode OM1 (62.5 µm) / OM2 (50 µm) | TIA-598 |
| Aqua | Laser-optimized multimode OM3 / OM4 | TIA-598 |
| Lime green | Wideband multimode OM5 | TIA-598 |
| Erika Violet | OM4 (to distinguish from OM3) | Convention |
| Black | Outdoor/OSP, any type — UV protection; read the jacket print | TIA-598 |
Counting a high-count cable
Position = (tube number − 1) × 12 + fiber position within the tube, with both following the same 12-color order. Fiber 38 is the orange fiber (black-traced range not yet reached inside a 12-fiber tube) in the fourth (brown) tube. The tracer rule only enters inside tubes holding more than 12 fibers: 13–24 repeat the colors with a black tracer, and the black fiber takes yellow so it stays distinguishable. Splice documentation lives and dies on this arithmetic — write the count on the splice tray, not just the tube color.
The 25-pair copper world uses a completely different code — see the 25-pair color code — and mixing up the two mnemonic families is a rite of passage.
Common questions
What is the fiber optic color code order?
Blue, orange, green, brown, slate (gray), white, red, black, yellow, violet (purple), rose (pink), aqua — positions 1 through 12, applying identically to individual fibers and to the buffer tubes that group them. Fiber 1 of tube 1 is the blue fiber in the blue tube; fiber 15 is the green fiber in the second (orange) tube.
How are fibers 13 through 24 marked?
The 12 colors repeat with a black tracer stripe — fiber 13 is blue with a black tracer, fiber 14 orange with a black tracer, and so on. The exception is fiber 20 (black), which takes a yellow tracer instead. Beyond 24 fibers the striping scheme genuinely varies by manufacturer — read the cable legend rather than assuming.
What do fiber jacket colors mean?
On premises cable: yellow is single-mode (OS1/OS2), orange is legacy multimode (OM1/OM2), aqua is laser-optimized OM3/OM4, and lime green is OM5. Erika Violet on OM4 is a widely used convention (Corning popularized it to separate OM4 from OM3 at a glance) but is not a TIA-598 assignment. Outdoor cable is almost always black for UV protection regardless of what is inside — the jacket print is the identification.
Run your whole job on the same numbers
These NORDIX tools are a taste of the full platform — bid pipeline, estimating, and job costing that carry your numbers from the first bid to the final invoice. Our team sets it up for your shop and walks you through your next real job.
Request access →