Armored Fiber Optic Patch Cables | Rugged & Flexible Solutions
Built with a rugged steel armor layer, these cables are engineered to resist crushing, impact, and rodent damage—without the bulk, weight, or stiffness of traditional armored cables.
How to classify lightweight armored optical cables
Home / How to classify lightweight armored optical cables
Steel Armored: Commonly used in industrial applications, steel-armored cables provide robust protection but are heavier, which may limit flexibility. This Cable Jacket Selection Note is intended to provide the reader with an organized selection methodology when selecting the optimum optical cable for a specific application. It systematically sorts out the structure, classification, and performance differences of the two types of Fiber Optic cables, and combines industry standards, market data. An armored optical cable is a type of fiber optic cable reinforced with a protective layer—usually corrugated steel tape (STA) or steel wires (SWA) —to shield the internal fibers from external threats such as crushing, rodent bites, moisture, and harsh installation conditions. You select between them based on route exposure, rodent risks, burial requirements, tension loads, and overall ODN architecture.
