Cable-Marking Supplies

One of the worst legacies of installed cabling systems (and those yet to be installed) is a profound lack of documentation. If you observe a professional data cable installer in action, you will notice that the cabling system is well documented. Though some professionals will even use color coding on cables, the best start for cable documentation is assigning each cable a number. ANSI/TIA-606-B provides specifications about how to document and label cables.

Cable-Marking Labels

The easiest way to number cables is to use a simple numbering system consisting of strips of numbers. These strips are numbered 0 through 9 and come in a variety of colors. Colors include black, white, gray, brown, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. You can use these strips to create your own numbering system. The cable is labeled at each end (the patch panel and the wall plate), and the cable number is recorded in whatever type of documentation is being used.

The numbered strips are often made of Tyvek, a material invented by DuPont that is well suited for making strong, durable products of high-density polyethylene fibers. Tyvek is nontoxic and chemically inert, so it will not adversely affect cables that it is applied to.

These wire-marking labels are available in two flavors: rolls and sheets. The rolls can be used without dispensers. Figure 1 shows a 3M dispenser that holds rolls of wire markers; the dispenser also provides a tear-off cutting blade.

Figure 1: A 3M dispenser for rolls of wire-marking strips

Figure 2 shows a booklet of wire-marker sheets that allow you to pull off individual numbers.

Figure 2: A booklet of wire-marker sheets

Wall-Plate Marking Supplies

Some wall-plate and patch-panel systems provide their own documentation tools, but others don't. A well-documented system includes identifying labels on the wall plates. Figure 3 shows self-adhesive letters, numbers, and icons that can be used with wall plates and patch panels. Check with the manufacturer of your wall plates and patch panels to see if these are part of the system you are using; if they are not, you should use some such labeling system.

Figure 3: Letters, numbers, and icons on self-adhesive strips