A Blog on Cable Colour Codes

Ever wondered what colour codes multicore data cables use?  Or why cable cores have different colours?  If so, this week’s blog is just for you!

To the untrained eye, the array of colours used on multicore can be confusing.  It can often seem random when you have two identical cables using different colours, for example an 8 way cable and 24 AWG cable using totally different colours.

The reason for these differences is quite simple – when you know what you’re looking for.

The simple way to look at cables is to understand that there are three main specifications; there are many more but, to keep things simple, we will stick with the most common:

UK BS Def 61-12, USA Mill Spec Standard & German DIN 47100.

These specifications are not conductor-size specific.  These are the most commonly-used colours and they employ the following colour coding:

UK BS Def 61-12

USA Mill Spec:

DIN 47100

The above colour charts will really help you to identify what type of colour coding your cables are using, so if you need to get an identical cable to match then this will help you to make a start at doing so.

There will, of course, be other factors involved when matching cables. However, the colour coding is a great place to start because if you can match the colour coding you are on the right track – the rest should then follow easily.

Also, once you have the colour charts you can then compare how things are wired-up in devices and things will start to become much clearer because the way colours are used often matches the numbering of the codes.  Simple!  Try it next time you are looking at a pre-wired device and see if you can identify the colour codes!