Professional cable manufacturer
Cat6A 500 MHz · Cat8.1 Class I · Cat8.2 Class II · both 2000 MHz · S/FTP two-layer screening · LSZH · classified Eca/Dca to EN 13501-6
Cat6A / Cat8 S/FTP Shielded Data Cable LSZH CPR Eca/Dca
Screened twisted-pair data cable with individual foil screening per pair plus an overall braid — one foil per pair, one braid overall — in an LSZH sheath, classified Eca or Dca to EN 13501-6 under CPR.
Cat6A
500 MHz, ISO Class EA
23 AWG
Solid bare copper conductor
S/FTP
Foil per pair + overall braid
Eca / Dca
Classified to EN 13501-6
↓ Download Datasheet (PDF)
Foil screen per pair plus overall braid
LSZH sheath — halogen-free
Classified Eca / Dca to EN 13501-6
MOQ 1 reel — sample length negotiable
SHIELDED DATA CABLE · S/FTP · LSZH
Cat6A 500 MHzISO Class EA, 100 m channel
Cat8.1 / Cat8.2ISO Class I / Class II
23 AWG solidBare copper conductor
S/FTPTwo shield levels in one cable
LSZH · Eca/DcaEN 13501-6 under CPR
Key Specifications
The essentials, at a glance
The category, the screening build and the fire class — the three things that decide whether this cable belongs in your installation.
500 MHz
Cat6A category frequency
100 Ω
Nominal characteristic impedance
23 AWG
Solid bare copper, approx. 0.57 mm
2
Shield levels: per-pair foil + braid
−20…+60 °C
Fixed installation
Eca / Dca
EN 13501-6 under CPR
Product Overview
One screened construction, three categories — and why the screening matters
This is a screened twisted-pair data cable for structured cabling, built on 23 AWG solid bare copper conductors in an LSZH sheath, and offered across three categories: Cat6A (ISO Class EA, 500 MHz), Cat8.1 (ISO Class I) and Cat8.2 (ISO Class II) — both specified up to 2000 MHz. The categories share a construction philosophy but not a test limit, and the tables below set out where each one applies.
The designation S/FTP is worth reading letter by letter, because it is often described loosely. S is the overall screen — a tinned copper braid over the assembled cable. F is a foil screen applied to each pair individually, so every pair carries its own electrostatic barrier. TP is twisted pair. That is two shield levels: one per pair, one overall. The per-pair foil is what keeps pair-to-pair coupling low at high frequency, and the overall braid is what protects the cable as a whole from external interference. Describing this build as “triple shielding” is simply wrong, and we do not use the phrase.
The practical consequence is an installation requirement rather than a sales point: the screen has to be bonded. A shield terminated at both ends to the equipotential bonding system, with a proper 360° gland or panel bond, does its job. A shield left floating does not — it behaves like an antenna and can make the interference situation worse than an unscreened cable. Single-ended termination is used only where the installation specification explicitly calls for it.
On the fire side, this cable is an LSZH construction: halogen-free to IEC 60754-1 and IEC 60754-2, tested for smoke emission to IEC 61034-1 / -2, flame retardant to IEC 60332-1-2, and classified Eca or Dca to EN 13501-6 under CPR (EU) 305/2011 with EN 50575 as the product standard and a Declaration of Performance issued for the construction supplied. Two things are routinely confused here and we keep them apart: the EN 13501-6 class is a building-products reaction-to-fire classification used for regulatory compliance, while IEC 60332-1-2 is a laboratory flame test on the cable itself. They are different regimes and neither replaces the other.
For an industrial drag-chain or continuously flexing variant, see the EtherCAT / PROFINET Industrial Ethernet Cable. For screened control wiring in the same plant, the CY Shielded Control Cable and the LSZH Control Cable cover the non-Ethernet side.
More about the manufacturer: About SORIVO →
Key Features
Eight things that decide the specification
Foil Screen Per Pair
The “F” in S/FTP: aluminium foil applied individually over each twisted pair, so each pair has its own electrostatic barrier. This is what holds pair-to-pair coupling down at high frequency.
Overall Braid Screen
The “S”: a tinned copper wire braid over the assembled pairs. Two shield levels in one cable, and both have to be bonded to work.
23 AWG Solid Bare Copper
Solid 23 AWG (approx. 0.57 mm) bare copper conductors — the standard conductor for screened horizontal data cabling, not a stranded or plated substitute.
LSZH Sheath
Low smoke, zero halogen. Halogen-free to IEC 60754-1 / -2 and tested for smoke emission to IEC 61034-1 / -2, which is what makes the cable suitable for occupied and critical spaces.
Classified Eca / Dca
Classified to EN 13501-6 under CPR (EU) 305/2011, product standard EN 50575, with a Declaration of Performance for the construction supplied. Eca is the entry level; Dca is the next step up.
500 MHz Cat6A
Cat6A is specified to 500 MHz — the ISO Class EA limit — and supports 10GBASE-T over a 100 m channel. We do not quote a higher “Cat6A” frequency than the standard allows.
Cat8.1 and Cat8.2 Kept Apart
Both are specified to 2000 MHz — the difference is the construction and the connector, not the frequency. Class I (Cat8.1) needs U/FTP or F/UTP as a minimum and keeps the 8P8C (RJ45) interface; Class II (Cat8.2) needs F/FTP or S/FTP and uses TERA, GG45 or ARJ45.
PoE Ready, Calculated Not Assumed
Suitable for IEEE 802.3af / at / bt transmission requirements. Current capacity and temperature rise in a bundle depend on the bundle size and ambient temperature, so they are calculated per installation rather than quoted as a number.
Applications
Where screened S/FTP data cable is used
Routed where the cable shares space with power or machinery — the screening is bought for an environment, not for a datasheet.
01
Data Centres and Data Halls
Rack-to-rack and rack-to-panel links where Cat6A carries 10GBASE-T over 100 m and the fire class matters inside the building.
02
Server Rooms and Enterprise LAN Backbone
Horizontal and backbone runs in commercial buildings, installed to ISO/IEC 11801-1 and the applicable EN 50173 application standard.
03
Industrial Ethernet — PROFINET and EtherCAT
Screened cabling near drives, inverters and switchgear, where per-pair foil is what preserves signal integrity at the frequency the protocol uses.
04
PoE, PoE+ and PoE++ Device Feeds
Wireless access points, cameras and other powered devices on IEEE 802.3af / at / bt, with bundle current capacity calculated for the installation.
05
Broadcast and Pro AV Networks
Audio-over-IP and video-over-IP distribution where a screened, low-emission cable suits equipment rooms and public spaces.
06
Healthcare and Laboratory Networks
LSZH construction with halogen and smoke references named, for areas where cable fire performance is part of the specification.
07
Education, Campus and Public Buildings
Horizontal cabling where the LSZH sheath and the CPR class are specified by the building designer rather than chosen by the installer.
08
High-Density Patching and Top-of-Rack
Patch panels and top-of-rack runs where the foil-per-pair build keeps alien crosstalk down in tight bundles.
Technical Specifications
Full specification sheet
The complete parameter set — the same data our engineers quote from.
Table 1 Cat6A, Cat8.1 and Cat8.2 side by side
| Category | Frequency | Screening structure | Conductor | Applicable standards | Max. channel length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cat6A | 500 MHz | S/FTP or F/UTP | 23 AWG solid bare copper | ISO/IEC 11801-1 (Class EA), IEC 61156-5 / -6, EN 50288-10-1 (screened) and EN 50288-11-1 (un-screened), ANSI/TIA-568.2-D | Up to 100 m |
| Cat8.1 | 2000 MHz (ISO Class I) | U/FTP or F/UTP minimum | 23 AWG solid bare copper | ISO/IEC 11801-1 (Class I); IEC 61156-9 / -10 | Short-reach channel — confirm to the Class I specification |
| Cat8.2 | 2000 MHz | F/FTP or S/FTP | 23 AWG solid bare copper; 22 AWG on some constructions | ISO/IEC 11801-1 (Class II); IEC 61156-9 / -10 | Short-reach channel — confirm to the Class II specification |
The three categories are not interchangeable, and two points are worth stating plainly. First, Cat8.1 (Class I) and Cat8.2 (Class II) are both specified up to 2000 MHz — IEC 61156-10 recognises Category 8.1 for Class I and Category 8.2 for Class II at the same 2000 MHz limit, so the choice is not “how fast” but which minimum construction and which connector system. What we do not do is print “Cat8 = 2000 MHz” beside an RJ45 claim as though the two always go together. Second, Cat8.1 and Cat8.2 are not the same connector system: Class I (Cat8.1) has a minimum cable design of U/FTP or F/UTP, keeps the 8P8C (RJ45) interface and is backward compatible with Class EA (Cat6A), while Class II (Cat8.2) requires F/FTP or S/FTP and uses TERA, GG45 or ARJ45, compatible with Class FA (Cat7A). Channel length depends on the class and on the patch cords used, so it is confirmed per project rather than quoted as one number here.
Table 2 Construction, fire performance and installation
| Category & Transmission | |
| Category | Cat6A (ISO Class EA, 500 MHz) and Cat8.1 / Cat8.2 (ISO Class I / Class II) |
| Reference Standards | ISO/IEC 11801-1; EN 50173; IEC 61156-5 (horizontal cabling) and IEC 61156-6 (work area); EN 50288-10-1 (screened, 500 MHz) and EN 50288-11-1 (un-screened, 500 MHz) for Cat6A; IEC 61156-9 (channels) and IEC 61156-10 (work area cords) for Cat8.1 / Cat8.2; ANSI/TIA-568.2-D |
| Impedance | 100 Ω nominal; tolerance narrows at low frequency and widens with frequency — the tolerance and band are taken from the sectional specification of the category ordered |
| Max. DC Resistance | 9.5 Ω/100 m at 20 °C — manufacturer value, confirmed against the test report for the selected construction |
| Transmission Tests | Attenuation, NEXT, PS-NEXT, ACR and return loss measured across the category frequency band to the sectional specification above; test report available on request |
| Construction | |
| Conductor | 23 AWG (approx. 0.57 mm) solid bare copper |
| Insulation | Foamed PE (foamed / skin PE — the exact dielectric build is confirmed per construction) |
| Pair Screening (F) | Aluminium foil applied individually over each pair — one foil per pair, so each pair carries its own electrostatic screen |
| Overall Screening (S) | Tinned copper wire braid over the screened pairs — the second, outer screening layer |
| S/FTP Explained | S = overall braid screen; F = foil screen per pair; TP = twisted pairs. That is two shield levels, and it is how the designation is defined |
| Sheath | LSZH — low smoke, zero halogen |
| Core Identification | Colour-coded pairs to the category wiring scheme; the code for the ordered construction is confirmed on the drawing |
| Fire, Smoke & Halogen | |
| Reaction-to-Fire Class | Classified Eca or Dca to EN 13501-6 under CPR (EU) 305/2011; product standard EN 50575; a Declaration of Performance (DoP) is issued for the construction supplied |
| Eca vs Dca | Eca is the entry level of the CPR classes for cables; Dca is the next step up, with stricter criteria on heat release, flame spread and flaming droplets |
| Flame Retardance | IEC 60332-1-2 / EN 60332-1-2 vertical flame propagation on a single cable. This is a cable flame test and is not the same regime as the EN 13501-6 building-products classification |
| Halogen Content | Halogen-free to IEC 60754-1 and IEC 60754-2 |
| Smoke Emission | Tested to IEC 61034-1 / IEC 61034-2 |
| Installation & Environment | |
| Operating Temperature | −20 °C to +60 °C for fixed installation — manufacturer value for the ordered jacket compound |
| Minimum Bend Radius | Confirmed against the construction drawing for the ordered jacket and category |
| Screening & Earthing | The screen must be bonded at both ends to the equipotential bonding system (360° termination), or single-ended only where the installation specification explicitly requires it. A floating screen is not an acceptable installation — it acts as an antenna and degrades the very immunity the S/FTP build is bought for |
| PoE Readiness | Suitable for IEEE 802.3af (PoE), IEEE 802.3at (PoE+) and IEEE 802.3bt (PoE++) transmission requirements. Current-carrying capacity and temperature rise in a bundle or conduit depend on how many cables are bundled and on the ambient temperature, so they are calculated per installation rather than quoted as a single figure |
| Installation Note | Indoor / data-hall LSZH construction. For outdoor routes select a UV-stabilised sheath construction; this page does not cover an outdoor variant |
| Configuration & Logistics | |
| Standard Lengths | 305 m (1000 ft) / 500 m / 1000 m per reel; custom lengths available |
| Packaging | Wooden drum / cardboard box / plastic reel |
| Jacket Colour | Specified on order; the standard stock colours are confirmed with the quotation |
| MOQ | 1 reel (sample length negotiable) |
| Lead Time | 7–15 working days |
Two notes apply to the whole table. The 9.5 Ω/100 m DC resistance figure is a manufacturer value and is confirmed against the test report for the construction supplied. The PoE statement means the cable meets the transmission requirements of IEEE 802.3af / at / bt; it is not a current rating, because the current a bundled cable can carry depends on bundle size, spacing and ambient temperature and has to be calculated for the installation.
Certificates & Standards
Verify before you buy — we make it easy
Cabling standards
Built and tested to ISO/IEC 11801-1 and the applicable cable standards — IEC 61156-5 / -6 and EN 50288-10-1 / EN 50288-11-1 for Cat6A, and IEC 61156-9 / -10 for Cat8.1 and Cat8.2 — with attenuation, NEXT, PS-NEXT, ACR and return loss measured across the category frequency band. Test report available on request.
Request test report →Classified to EN 13501-6 under CPR
Reaction-to-fire class declared to EN 13501-6 under CPR (EU) 305/2011, with EN 50575 as the product standard and a Declaration of Performance issued for the construction supplied. We write “classified Eca / Dca to EN 13501-6”, not “CPR certified”.
Request DoP →Halogen-free and low smoke
Halogen-free to IEC 60754-1 and IEC 60754-2, smoke emission tested to IEC 61034-1 / -2, and flame retardant to IEC 60332-1-2 — named as test standards rather than summarised as “fire rated”.
Request documentation →
Transparency note: certification status and exact scope should always be confirmed against the certificate for the selected product configuration. We provide the certificate and test reports with every quotation — no blank promises.
Quality & Factory
How we keep a data cable specification checkable
Category claims are easy to exaggerate and hard to verify. These are the checks that make ours verifiable.
- 1Incoming copper and compound — conductor diameter and copper quality are checked on receipt, and the LSZH compound is verified against the halogen-free requirement before extrusion.
- 2Pair lay and screening control — pair lay lengths and the foil application over each pair are monitored in line, because the per-pair screen is where the S/FTP performance is won or lost.
- 3Electrical transmission tests — attenuation, NEXT, PS-NEXT, ACR, return loss and conductor resistance are measured across the category frequency band and recorded per production batch.
- 4Fire and halogen verification — the halogen-free and smoke performance is tested to IEC 60754-1 / -2 and IEC 61034-1 / -2, and the reaction-to-fire class declared to EN 13501-6 supports the Declaration of Performance for the batch.
19+
countries served
60+
industrial & panel projects
100%
routine test before shipment
How to Order
From inquiry to loaded carton in 5 steps
Send Inquiry
Tell us the category you need (Cat6A, Cat8.1 or Cat8.2), the sheath colour, the reel length and the quantity — and where the run sits relative to power cabling, since that is what decides whether the screening build is the right choice.
Confirm Configuration
We confirm the category, the construction and the fire class against the standard, and send the quotation with the applicable Declaration of Performance, test data and drum schedule within one working day.
Sample Evaluation
Sample for qualification — stocked configurations within a few working days.
Bulk Production
7–15 working days from order confirmation. Lengths above the standard reel sizes, and non-standard sheath colours, are scheduled per order.
Delivery & Support
Drum and reel packing, shipping documents, and support through cabling qualification — including construction drawings, test data and guidance on screen bonding and bundle current capacity.
FAQ
Questions buyers ask before ordering
Start with the channel length and the application. Cat6A (500 MHz, ISO Class EA) supports 10GBASE-T over a full 100 m channel and covers the overwhelming majority of horizontal cabling in offices, campuses and data halls — it is the sensible default. Cat8 (Class I / Class II) is for short, high-density links between switches, servers and top-of-rack equipment where 25GBASE-T or 40GBASE-T is genuinely required. Cat8 runs are short by definition, and the connector system differs between Class I and Class II, so choosing Cat8 also commits the project to a connector decision. If you do not specifically need the bandwidth, Cat6A is the better-engineered choice.
Yes — and this is the part of a screened installation that most often gets skipped. The screen must be bonded at both ends to the equipotential bonding system, with a proper 360° termination at the panel or outlet, so that induced currents have a defined path to earth. A screen connected at one end only, or left floating, does not shield: it behaves like an antenna, couples noise onto the pairs and can leave the link performing worse than an unscreened cable. Single-ended termination is used only where the installation specification explicitly requires it, and it needs a defined reason.
Both are reaction-to-fire classes for cables, defined by EN 13501-6 and applied under CPR (EU) 305/2011 with EN 50575 as the product standard. Eca is the entry level of the CPR classes; Dca is the next step up and applies stricter criteria on heat release, flame spread and flaming droplets. Which class a project needs depends on the building type, the escape route and the national regulations that implement CPR — so the class is selected by the building designer, and we declare the class for the construction supplied on its Declaration of Performance.
It meets the transmission requirements of IEEE 802.3af (PoE), IEEE 802.3at (PoE+) and IEEE 802.3bt (PoE++). What it also needs, and what we will not reduce to a single number, is a current and temperature-rise check: the current a cable can carry while staying inside its temperature rating depends on how many cables are bundled together, how they are supported, and the ambient temperature of the route. That is calculated for the actual installation. Send us the bundle arrangement and ambient conditions and we will work it through for the project.
S = overall braid screen (Screen). F = foil screen applied to each pair individually (Foil). TP = twisted pairs. So S/FTP means one foil screen per pair plus one overall braid — two shield levels. The per-pair foil limits coupling between pairs at high frequency, and the overall braid protects the whole cable from external interference. This build is often described as “triple shielding”; that description is not how the designation is defined, and it is not how we describe it.
Not quite, and the connector question is the reason it matters. Under ISO/IEC 11801-1 there are two options: Class I (Cat8.1), which keeps the 8P8C (RJ45) interface and is backward compatible with Class EA (Cat6A), and Class II (Cat8.2), which uses TERA, GG45 or ARJ45 and is compatible with Class FA (Cat7A). Both are specified to 2000 MHz, so it is not the frequency that separates them — the minimum cable construction and the connector system are. So “Cat8” on its own is not a complete specification — the class and the connector system have to be named together, and the two are not interchangeable. Tell us which class you are designing to and we will confirm the construction that matches it.
This is an indoor / data-hall LSZH construction. The LSZH sheath is chosen for its fire and smoke behaviour inside buildings, not for weathering, and we do not present it as an outdoor cable. Where a route goes outside, the sheath has to be UV-stabilised and the construction selected for that environment — raise it with the enquiry and we will quote the right cable rather than force this one into the application.
Standard lengths are 305 m (1000 ft), 500 m and 1000 m per reel, with custom lengths on request, supplied on wooden drum, cardboard box or plastic reel. Sheath colour is specified on order and the stock colours are confirmed with the quotation. MOQ is 1 reel with sample length negotiable, and lead time is 7–15 working days.
Need a sample length to qualify?
Send the category, sheath colour and the channel arrangement and we will arrange a sample plus the transmission test data.
Get a Free Quote
Get a quotation for Cat6A / Cat8 S/FTP data cable
Tell us the category, the class and the route conditions, and we will come back within one working day with price, availability and documentation.
- Category and class — Cat6A, Cat8.1 (Class I) or Cat8.2 (Class II)
- Sheath colour and required CPR class (Eca or Dca)
- Total length and preferred reel size (305 m / 500 m / 1000 m / custom)
- Route conditions — bundle size, ambient temperature and proximity to power cabling
- Destination port and any packing or marking requirements
Inquiry received
Thanks — our engineers will reply within one working day.
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