Ethernet Cable - Color Coding Diagram

 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.

There are two colour-code standards in common use: EIA/TIA 568A and EIA/TIA 568B.
These standards derive from TELCO usage and the pairs shown correspond to four phone
lines, each with its own line pair. This same wiring was adopted for LAN standard Ethernet
RJ45 wiring as well. RJ45 receptacle wiring for both standards are shown below:

EIA/TIA 568A EIA/TIA 568B

WIRING STANDARD WIRING STANDARD

  PIN  WIRE COLOUR   PIN  WIRE COLOUR

1 White w/Green Stripe 1 White w/Orange Stripe
2 Green w/White Stripe 2 Orange w/White Stripe
3 White w/Orange Stripe 3 White w/Green Stripe
4 Blue w/White Stripe 4 Blue w/White Stripe
5 White w/Blue Stripe 5 White w/Blue Stripe
6 Orange w/White Stripe 6 Green w/White Stripe
7 White w/Brown Stripe 7 White w/Brown Stripe
8 Brown w/White Stripe 8 Brown w/White Stripe

Note: Only pairs 2 and 3 are used for Standard Ethernet wiring. Pairs 1 and 4 can be used
for other purposes such as telephones or even a second separate, complete Ethernet
connection.

Straight-Through Wiring Using The 568A Standard

 

The flat wiring diagram, above, shows the 568A colour code standard as the wiring for the
PC side of the cable and the same 568A standard for the Hub, Switch or Router side of
things (assuming that the Hubs, Switches or Routers are wired internally to perform the
cross-over function). The illustration depicts the wiring arrangement before insertion into an
RJ45 connector prior to crimping.

Cross-Over Wiring Using The 568A to 568B Standards

The flat wiring illustration, above, shows cross-over cable wiring using the 568A colour code
standard as the wiring for the PC side of things and the 568B standard for wiring to the
other PC. Note that in both cases, all eight wires are shown but only four are actually
needed.
Pins 4, 5, 7, and 8 and the blue and brown pairs are not used in either standard. Contrary
to common tech-lore and what you may have read elsewhere, these pins and wires are not
used or required to implement 100BASE-TX duplexing. In fact, they can be used for other
purposes such as a single line phones or even operating two separate Ethernet channels,
provided care is taken to assure that these wire pairs are isolated from the other wires.

In practice, making actual RJ45 Patch cables is not physically that simple. The connections
of the pairs to the pins in the RJ45 jack isn't wire pair by wire pair. Instead, the orange pair
of wires are not adjacent and the blue pair is upside-down. If fact...flattening out the cables
in the correct order for insertion into the RJ45 jack before crimping is by far the most
complex part of the job of making twisted pair Ethernet patch cables.

One cannot use flat-untwisted telephone cable for a network cable that runs any appreciable
distance. One must use a pair of twisted wires to connect a set of transmitter pins to their
corresponding receiver pins. One cannot use a wire from one pair and another wire from a
different pair.