Fiber Patch Cord and Pigtail

Patch Cords are a type of optical fiber cable that comes with pre-terminated connectors at both ends. The connectors terminated at both ends can be of the same type (LC-LC or SC-SC) or can be of different types (LC-SC) basis the application. These patch cords are typically LSZH jacketed and are available in different fiber counts with different fiber types. Simplex patch cords come with 1 fiber count whereas duplex comes with 2 fiber counts and we can have patch cords with multiple fiber counts too. These patch cords come in different colors and are typically used to cross-connect patch panel to patch panel.

Pigtails are a type of optical fiber cable that comes with a pre-terminated connector at one end only and the other end is ready for splicing to another fiber. The pre-terminated connector can be of male or female type and can be used  to cross-connect with another patch panel. The other end of the pig tail is bare open and can be spliced to another fiber for extending the connectivity. These pigtails are usually unjacketed in order to be spliced and then protected in a fiber splice tray with a mechanical or thermal splice joint protector.