We are planning a conduit rough-in for a future multi-story building and want to be ahead of the installation game. How much conduit capacity is needed for the CAT6a communications cable?
Peter Buitenhek Answer: You are referring to Augmented CAT6 UTP (CAT6a) cable which, in 2006, is being considered in draft status by the IEEE 803.2an Standards Committee looking into 10GBase-T Ethernet at 100 meter versus only 37 meters for CAT6. The main issues still deal with properties of shielded twisted-pair (STP) CAT7 cable versus familiar unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) CAT6a cable. Regardless of the choice, I do not believe they will change the max 40% fill ratio for 3+ cables. As such, a 1-1/2″ EMT conduit will support 8-CAT6a (nominal outside diameter 0.35″) cables versus 20-CAT6 (0.22″ OD) cables. A 2″ EMT will support 13-CAT6a or 34-CAT6. And for fun, 16-CAT6a and 20-CAT6 will fit into a 2-1/2″ EMT at 39.3% fill.
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