CAT6 Direct Burial Cable 1000ft - Shielded, 23AWG Solid Copper

This is the standard Cat6 for going underground. A polyethylene jacket is the right material for burial because it doesn't absorb water the way PVC does, and inside, an aluminum-mylar foil with a tinned copper drain wire blocks interference, which matters when the trench shares a route with power. It's rated for direct burial and conduit across a -40 °C to 60 °C range, and for ordinary ground that drains, it's the burial cable most jobs need.

Underneath are 23 AWG solid bare copper conductors with HDPE insulation, a size up from Cat5e, which is where Cat6 gets its lower loss and its headroom for 2.5G and 5G links. It comes on a 1000 ft wooden spool.

Features

• F/UTP overall foil shield with tinned copper drain wire. It blocks EMI and RFI from buried power lines and nearby equipment, and the tinned drain resists corrosion in damp conditions.
• Outdoor LDPE jacket, direct burial rated. Polyethylene resists moisture and soil chemicals, and the jacket is UV-resistant enough to sit out during installation.
• 23 AWG solid bare copper. Heavier than Cat5e's 24 AWG, for lower resistance over a full 100 m channel and less voltage drop on PoE runs. No copper-clad aluminum.
• Gigabit and multi-gig rated. It runs 10/100/1000 Mbps, 2.5G, and 5G links over a full channel, and 10GBase-T over short runs.
• HDPE insulation. Moisture-resistant, with tight pair twists for crosstalk control.
• -40 °C to 60 °C operating range. It works through frozen ground and summer heat.
• 1000 ft wooden spool. Standard TIA-568 pair colors inside.

Where It Fits

It suits underground runs between buildings on a campus, farm, or industrial site, buried feeds to security cameras and gate controllers, remote access points and wireless bridges, parking lot and perimeter surveillance, and any multi-gig run in a trench or conduit that passes near power.

Good to Know

Outdoor cable brings lightning and surge risk into the building with it. Put a gas-discharge Ethernet surge protector at each entry point, bonded to the building ground, and ground the shield's drain wire at one end. Outdoor-rated cable is limited to 50 feet inside a building by the NEC, so transition to CM, CMR, or CMP cable at the entry. Bury it at least 18 to 24 inches deep, or per local code, and consider conduit anyway where the ground gets dug up. This cable relies on its jacket to keep water out and isn't meant for long-term sun exposure; for damp ground, the water-blocked version adds a swellable tape, for standing water the gel-filled version fills the core, and for a run beside high-voltage feeders the dual-shielded version adds a braid. Cat6 carries 10G over short distances only; for 10G on a full channel, use Cat6A. A shield only works when it's grounded, so terminate on shielded Cat6 jacks. Solid conductors are for permanent runs; terminate on jacks and patch panels, not crimped plugs.

Specifications