Table of Contents:

What Are Fiber Optic Pigtails?

A fiber pigtail is a single, short, usually tight-buffered fiber optic cable with a factory-installed connector on one end, and un-terminated fiber on the other end.

Applications

Fiber optic pigtails are used to terminated fiber optic cables via fusion splicing or mechanical splicing as shown in the picture below.

The end of the pigtail is stripped and fusion spliced to a single fiber or a multi-fiber trunk. Splicing of pigtails to each fiber in the trunk "breaks out" the multi-fiber cable into its component fibers for connection to the end equipment.

High quality fiber pigtails combined with correct fusion splicing practices offer the best performance for fiber optic cable termination.

99% of single mode applications use pigtails, but pigtails are also used in many multimode applications.

Advantages of Using Factory-Terminated Pigtails

Lower labor costs

Installers working with single mode fiber typically have a fusion splicer machine. With a fusion splicer, you just splice the pigtail right onto the fiber cable in a minute or less

Factory guaranteed high quality

The factory-terminated pigtails are made in a controlled environment (the factory) and high quality polishing machines. The factory promises low insertion loss, high return loss (low reflection).

Each pigtail is labeled with factory-tested insertion loss and return loss. Also a serial number that you can trace to the factory measurements.

Fiber Pigtail versus Fiber Patch Cords

Pigtail has only one end with connector installed, the other end is left open. While both ends of a fiber patch cord has connectors installed.

Fiber patch cord could have two different connectors installed on each end, such as from SC to ST. While fiber pigtails have only one connector.



SC to ST Fiber Patch Cord

Fiber optic patch cords are usually jacketed, while fiber pigtails are usually unjacketed. Since fiber pigtails are usually spliced and protected such as in a fiber splice tray.

Fiber pigtail in a splice tray





Fiber patch cords come in simplex (1 fiber), duplex (2 fibers), or even 12 fibers count (MPO connector patch cables)



Simplex LC-LC patch cord (1 fiber) Duplex LC-LC patch cord (2 fibers) MPO-MPO patch cord (12 fibers) MPO fan out to 12 LC connector patch cable

Fiber patch cords can be cut into two pieces to make two pigtails.



This is because testing a pigtail in the field is not easy. The unterminated end is difficult to check until the pigtail is actually spliced to the equipment.



Some installers avoid this problem by buying unjacketed fiber patch cord, testing its performance, then cutting it into halves as two pigtails.

Fiber Optic Pigtail Splicing

Fusion Splicing:

Fusion splicing is the process of fusing or welding two fibers together by an electric arc. Fusion splicing is the most widely used method of splicing as it provides for the lowest loss and least reflection, as well as providing the strongest and most reliable joint between two fibers.

This video shows the fusion splicing process.

Fiber Pigtail Specifications

Fiber pigtail specification shows fiber type, connector type, polishing type, ferrule material, insertion loss, return loss, tensile strength, operation temperature and other critical parameters.

Here is one example from two MU connector pigtails.

MU Single Mode Fiber Pigtail MU 50/125µm OM2 Multimode Fiber Pigtail Type Single-mode Multimode Patch cord Type MU Fiber Optic pigtail Polishing Type PC UPC APC PC Insertion Loss (dB) ≤0.2 ≤0.25 Return Loss (dB) ≥45 ≥50 ≥60 N/A Repeatability (dB) IL≤0.2 RL≤5 IL≤0.1 Vibration (dB) IL≤0.2 dB RL≤5dB IL≤0.2 dB Exchangeability (dB) IL≤0.2 dB RL≤5dB IL≤0.2 dB Tensile Strength F200N Durability n=1000 Operation Temperature (℃) -40℃ ～+80℃ Ferrule Material Zirconia Ceramic Cable Diameter (mm) Ø0.9, Ø2.0, Ø3.0

Fiber Optic Pigtail Types

Fiber optic pigtails are available in various types based on several factors:

Connector Types

Fiber Types

Application Environment

Fiber Counts

Connector Types:

LC Connector Pigtail SC Connector Pigtail ST Connector Pigtail FC Connector Pigtail MTRJ Connector Pigtail MU Connector Pigtail E2000 Connector Pigtail

Fiber Types:

Fiber optic pigtails can be made with any optical fiber types. Here we are listing the most common ones.

Multimode Fiber Types List



Fiber Size List

OM1 Multimode Fiber

Fiber Core Diameter: 62.5µm

Fiber Cladding Diameter: 125µm

Jacket Color: Orange OM2 Multimode Fiber

Fiber Core Diameter: 50µm

Fiber Cladding Diameter: 125µm

Jacket Color: Orange OM3 10G Multimode Fiber

Fiber Core Diameter: 50µm

FIber Cladding Diamter: 125µm

Jacket Color: Aqua OM4 10G Multimode Fiber

Fiber Core Diameter: 50µm

Fiber Cladding Diameter: 125µm

Jacket Color: Aqua OS2 Single Mode Fiber

Fiber Core Diameter: 9µm

Fiber Cladding Diameter: 125µm

Jacket Color: Yellow

Application Environment:

Regular Indoor Pigtail Regular indoor pigtail has no special protection, just bare fiber. Armored Pigtail Enclosed with stainless steel tube inside the outer jacket, armored fiber pigtails could provide extra protection to prevent damage caused by rodents, construction work, weight of other cables. Waterproof Pigtail Designed with a stainless steel strengthened waterproof unit and armored outdoor PE jacket, this pigtail can be used in harsh environment like communication towers, military applications, etc. It is mainly deployed in outdoor connection of fiber transmitters.

Fiber Counts:

Fiber optic pigtails are usually sold in packs of 6 or 12. Each individual pigtail is color coded according to industry standard TIA-EIA-598-A.

LC Connector Pigtail (6 pack, color coded) LC Connector Pigtail (12 pack, color coded)

Pigtail Color Code

Fiber optic industry standard TIA-EIA-598-A defines the color coding to identify individual fibers in a single fiber cable tube.

Optical fiber pigtails follow the industry standard TIA-EIA_598-A color coding scheme to identify themselves.

Here are the colors and the position they represent.

For 13 fibers and higher the color code is repeated every 12 and the buffered fibers or sub-cables are striped once for every additional 12.

13 = Blue with one stripe

14 = Orange with one stripe

....

24 = Aqua with one stripe

25 = Blue with two stripes