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288 fiber color code chart

Every fiber in a 288-count loose tube cable, 24 buffer tubes of 12 fibers, with its tube and fiber color under TIA-598. Find the fiber number in the grid: its row is the tube and its column is the fiber color. Use your browser's print button for a paper copy.

Updated

288-fiber cable, 24 tubes × 12 fibers. Rows are buffer tubes; columns are fiber colors within the tube.
Tube
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
1 Blue123456789101112
2 Orange131415161718192021222324
3 Green252627282930313233343536
4 Brown373839404142434445464748
5 Slate495051525354555657585960
6 White616263646566676869707172
7 Red737475767778798081828384
8 Black858687888990919293949596
9 Yellow979899100101102103104105106107108
10 Violet109110111112113114115116117118119120
11 Rose121122123124125126127128129130131132
12 Aqua133134135136137138139140141142143144
13 Blue with black stripe145146147148149150151152153154155156
14 Orange with black stripe157158159160161162163164165166167168
15 Green with black stripe169170171172173174175176177178179180
16 Brown with black stripe181182183184185186187188189190191192
17 Slate with black stripe193194195196197198199200201202203204
18 White with black stripe205206207208209210211212213214215216
19 Red with black stripe217218219220221222223224225226227228
20 Black with yellow stripe229230231232233234235236237238239240
21 Yellow with black stripe241242243244245246247248249250251252
22 Violet with black stripe253254255256257258259260261262263264
23 Rose with black stripe265266267268269270271272273274275276
24 Aqua with black stripe277278279280281282283284285286287288

Look up a single fiber number instead, or switch the fibers-per-tube setting there for 6- or 24-fiber tubes.

Reading the 288 chart

A 288-count loose tube cable is most often 24 tubes of 12 fibers. Tubes 1 to 12 use the solid colors. Tubes 13 to 24 repeat the same colors with a black stripe or dash, and tube 20, black, gets a yellow stripe instead. The fibers inside every tube are the plain twelve colors.

Quick checks on the job

  • Fibers 1 to 144 are in the solid tubes, exactly as in a 144-count cable.
  • Fiber 145 is the first fiber in tube 13: blue in blue-with-black-stripe.
  • Fiber 230 is in tube 20 (black with a yellow stripe), position 2: orange.
  • Fiber 288 is aqua in aqua-with-black-stripe.

Some 288 designs use 12 tubes of 24 fibers instead, with fibers 13 to 24 in each tube carrying a mark (black dashes or rings, depending on the maker). In that construction fiber 13 is in the blue tube, not the orange one. Set "24 per tube" in the lookup for those.

Printable 288 fiber chart image

288 fiber color code chart, 24 buffer tubes of 12 fibers with tubes 13 to 24 striped, every fiber number from 1 to 288
The full 288-fiber chart as a single image. It prints on one page and stays sharp at any size. Save the chart image.

This chart assumes 12 fibers per tube and no fillers, which is the most common construction for a 288-count cable but not the only one. Confirm against the manufacturer's construction sheet for the cable on your reel.

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