# Fiber Color Code Chart and Tube Lookup **URL:** https://draftech.com/tools/fiber-color-code-chart **Canonical:** https://draftech.com/tools/fiber-color-code-chart **Updated:** Not stated **Description:** Find fiber and buffer tube colors in the TIA-598 sequence. Look up a fiber number by fibers per tube, with a worked example and splice record guidance. **Visible word count:** 695 **Source:** derived from tools/fiber-color-code-chart.html by projects/content-pipeline/src/sync_blog_ai_mirrors.py - do not hand-edit --- Free OSP Engineering Tool Updated October 2026 Use the chart to read the 12-color sequence, then look up a fiber number to find its buffer tube, position and color. We follow TIA-598 for fiber and tube colors, with the cable's specification sheet governing the cable in hand. ## Identify Your Fiber Total Fiber Count Fibers per Tube Fiber Number Beyond 12 tubes or 12 fibers per tube, the cable's specification sheet defines how repeated colors are marked. ## Tube and Fiber N/ATube Number N/ATube Color N/APosition in Tube N/AFiber Color Read fibers per tube from the cable's specification sheet; the cable in hand and its sheet govern this lookup. ## Tube and Fiber Grid These swatches approximate colors on screen; use the cable and its specification sheet as the reference. Maintained by Draftech's engineering team. Color reference: TIA-598. ## Fiber Color Code Chart in Order TIA-598 defines this 12-color sequence: Blue, Orange, Green, Brown, Slate, White, Red, Black, Yellow, Violet, Rose, Aqua. Read each color against its numbered position in the chart. | Position | Fiber color | Buffer tube color | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Blue | Blue | | 2 | Orange | Orange | | 3 | Green | Green | | 4 | Brown | Brown | | 5 | Slate | Slate | | 6 | White | White | | 7 | Red | Red | | 8 | Black | Black | | 9 | Yellow | Yellow | | 10 | Violet | Violet | | 11 | Rose | Rose | | 12 | Aqua | Aqua | ## Buffer Tube Colors Follow the Same Sequence Buffer tubes follow the same color sequence as the fibers inside them. Identify a fiber by its tube and its fiber color, keeping the strand number in the record. ## Find a Fiber by Number With 12 fibers per tube, fiber 30 falls in tube 3, which is Green. Its position within that tube is 6, which is White. ## When the Color Sequence Repeats Past 12 tubes or 12 fibers per tube, the colors repeat with an added marking. The cable's specification sheet defines that marking. ## Record Cable, Tube and Strand Together A splice diagram or record identifies the cable, tube and fiber on each side of a connection. We retain the strand number alongside the observed colors so the record carries more than a color and destination. ## Methodology and Sources Our color reference is ANSI/TIA-598-D-2014, Optical Fiber Cable Color Coding, with its ANSI/TIA-598-D-1-2018 and ANSI/TIA-598-D-2-2018 addenda. For a loose-tube cable, divide the fiber number by fibers per tube and round up to find the tube number. Subtract the number of fibers in preceding tubes from the fiber number to find its position within that tube. The lookup covers up to 12 tubes and 12 fibers per tube. Screen colors are approximate; the cable and its specification sheet govern. ## From Fiber Colors to Splice Design The chart names a fiber by its tube and color. Our [fiber splice design](https://draftech.com/services/fiber-splice-design) service assigns fiber connections through splice matrices and closure diagrams, with assignment sheets showing each fiber's status as committed, available or unresolved. Keep those connections findable in [as-built splice documentation](https://draftech.com/services/as-built-documentation). A splice record carries cable, tube and strand context with closure and tray keys, preserving the recorded relationship beyond the color alone. From the Blog ## Related Technical Guides Splicing [Fiber Splice Record Keeping Best Practices: Build a Durable Event Record](https://draftech.com/blog/fiber-splice-record-keeping-best-practices) Deliverables [What Goes Into a Fiber Construction Package: The Complete Deliverable Checklist](https://draftech.com/blog/fiber-construction-package-deliverables-guide) As-Builts [Fiber Network As-Built Documentation: GIS Standards That Actually Get Accepted](https://draftech.com/blog/fiber-network-as-built-gis-documentation-standards) Design [Fiber Strand Count Design Planning: Take Rate, Layers, and Standard Count Steps](https://draftech.com/blog/fiber-strand-count-design-planning) TAKE THE NEXT DESIGN STEP ## Free Design for Your First 20,000 Linear Feet We engineer your first 20,000 linear feet through permit approval, free; you cover agency permit fees and any required stamping fee. Active in 24 states. Available across all 50 U.S. states. [Start Free Design](https://draftech.com/free-design) Email directly: [info@draftech.com](mailto:info@draftech.com), or call [305-306-7407](tel:3053067407). We reply within one business day. | Draftech International, LLC ยท Miami Lakes, FL This free reference from Draftech International pairs the TIA-598 color sequence with a tube and fiber lookup. Read the colors, then carry the cable and strand identity into your records. Continue to [fiber splice design](https://draftech.com/services/fiber-splice-design), [as-built documentation](https://draftech.com/services/as-built-documentation) or our [free design offer](https://draftech.com/free-design) for the next step. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What Are the 12 Fiber Colors in Order? The sequence is Blue, Orange, Green, Brown, Slate, White, Red, Black, Yellow, Violet, Rose, Aqua. These correspond to positions 1 through 12. Buffer tubes use the same sequence, so read the fiber color together with the tube identity and retain the strand number in splice records. ### Which Standard Defines the Fiber Color Code? ANSI/TIA-598-D-2014, Optical Fiber Cable Color Coding, provides the reference, together with the ANSI/TIA-598-D-1-2018 and ANSI/TIA-598-D-2-2018 addenda. Older documents call the same color code EIA-598. The swatches here are screen approximations; the cable in hand and its specification sheet govern. ### What Color Is Fiber 30 With 12 Fibers per Tube? Fiber 30 is White at position 6 in tube 3, whose color is Green. Divide the fiber number by 12 and round up for the tube number, then subtract the fibers in preceding tubes for the position. Check the cable's specification sheet before selecting fibers per tube. ### Do Buffer Tubes Use the Same Colors as Fibers? Yes. Buffer tubes use the same Blue through Aqua sequence as the fibers. In the worked example with 12 fibers per tube, tube 3 is Green and fiber 30 is White within it. A splice record needs that tube context together with the cable identity and strand number. ### What Happens Beyond 12 Tubes or 12 Fibers per Tube? The colors repeat with an added marking defined by the cable's specification sheet. This lookup covers up to 12 tubes and up to 12 fibers per tube. For a cable beyond either limit, use its specification sheet to identify the repeated colors and retain the strand number in the record.