288-core optical fiber communication cable color chart

A 288-core optical fiber cable uses 24 buffer tubes, each containing 12 fibers, with both tube and fiber colors following the TIA-598-C 12-color sequence.

Color Coding Structure

Buffer Tubes: In a 288-fiber cable, there are 24 buffer tubes, each holding 12 fibers. The tubes are color-coded using the standard 12-color sequence: Blue, Orange, Green, Brown, Slate (Gray), White, Red, Black, Yellow, Violet, Rose, Aqua. After the first 12 tubes, the sequence repeats with black stripes or tracers to maintain unique identification for each tube . Individual Fibers: Each fiber inside a tube also follows the same 12-color sequence. For example, the first fiber in a tube is Blue, the second Orange, the third Green, and so on up to Aqua for the 12th fiber. This ensures that every fiber in the 288-core cable can be uniquely identified by combining its tube color and fiber color .

Fiber Identification Example

To locate a specific fiber, such as Fiber #34:

1. Divide the fiber number by 12 to determine the tube: 34 ÷ 12 = 2 remainder 10 → 3rd tube (Green tube, as the tube sequence is Blue, Orange, Green...)
2. The remainder indicates the fiber position within the tube: 10th fiber → Violet fiber. Thus, Fiber #34 is the Violet fiber in the Green tube .

Ribbon or Loose-Tube Variations

• Ribbon cables: Fibers are grouped in ribbons of 12, and the ribbon color corresponds to the first fiber in the ribbon.
• Loose-tube cables: Each tube contains 12 fibers, and the tube color plus fiber color combination uniquely identifies each fiber.
• High-density cables: The 12-color sequence repeats with tracers or stripes to avoid duplication in cables exceeding 144 fibers .

Summary

• Total fibers: 288
• Buffer tubes: 24
• Fibers per tube: 12
• Tube colors: Blue, Orange, Green, Brown, Slate, White, Red, Black, Yellow, Violet, Rose, Aqua (repeated with stripes for higher counts)
• Fiber colors: Same 12-color sequence within each tube
• Identification method: Tube color + fiber color This standardized system ensures accurate fiber identification, reduces splicing errors, and maintains consistency across installations worldwide .