Optical fiber is made up of a long and thin glass or plastic fiber, thinner than that of human hair. Fiber optic patchcords consist of this optical fiber with a protective exterior cable and connectors at both ends, which is collectively called a fiber cable assembly, ready for installation in a fiber optic network. 


 
A pigtail is a type of patchcord in which a short optical fiber is permanently attached to a device or source and has a connector at the other end.

While the connectors and cables are important components of the patchcord, the manufacturing process determines the quality of the patchcord.

There are close to a dozen different connector types used on fiber optic patchcords, such as FC, LC, SC, and ST. A, single mode assembly has one pair and a double mode assembly has two sets. Patch cords can also be simplex, duplex, or multi-fiber, depending on the number of optical fibers within the assembly.



Fiber optic patchcords are used in network assemblies such as broadcasting, fiber to the desk (FTTD), fiber to the x (FTTx) used in broadband networks, and other tough environments. Generally, the color of the jacket of the patchcord is indicative of the type of fiber used. Yellow denotes single mode optical fiber while orange stands for multi mode. Other colors are also used for different variations.


 
Maximum cable diameter and insertion loss are important factors for a patchcord. Insertion loss is the reduction in the output of a system before and after the patchcord is inserted into the system.
 
Fiber optic patchcords range from standard setups to patchcords tailor made for different industries. The quality of patchcords has increased over the years and the new generation of patchcords ensures the best performance of any network.