Panduit FDSZA-24-10R 24-Fiber OM4 LC Front-Access Splice Cassette
Overview
The Panduit FDSZA-24-10R is a 24-fiber, OM4 multimode front-access splice cassette from the Panduit FlexCore family, designed for deployment inside FlexCore ODF and OSF enclosures. It terminates LC duplex connectors on the front face against unterminated ribbon pigtails at the rear — the configuration used when you need to fusion-splice pre-ribbonized fiber plant into a high-density patch panel without disturbing adjacent ports. At 0.46 in (11.7 mm) tall and 11.53 in (292.8 mm) wide, it slots into a fiber optic cassette bay with no extra height penalty, leaving room to stack density in a shallow rack or wall-mount enclosure.
Key Features
- 24-Fiber Capacity per Cassette: Packs 24 OM4 fibers into a single field-replaceable unit. At 12 LC duplex ports per cassette face, you can build 144-fiber panels in a 1U FlexCore ODF using six cassettes — practical for MDA-to-EDA trunk runs in structured cabling builds following OM4 cabling best practices.
- OM4 50µm Multimode Fiber: OM4 supports 40GbE and 100GbE over distances up to 150 m and 100 m respectively — the grade specified by ANSI/TIA-568-C.3 for enterprise horizontal and backbone links where laser-optimized multimode is the design choice over OS2 single-mode.
- Front-Access Splice Design: Ribbon pigtails splice at the rear; LC duplex patch connections at the front. Technicians can re-patch the front without touching splice trays, which matters in live-production data centers where rear-access disturbance risks adjacent fiber pulls.
- LC Duplex to Unterminated Ribbon: The unterminated ribbon rear matches fusion-splice workflows. If your plant arrives as ribbon cable — common in high-count backbone pulls — this cassette accepts it directly without requiring fanout kits or loose-tube pigtail adapters.
- Polycarbonate Housing: Polycarbonate is impact-resistant and dimensionally stable across typical data center temperature ranges. It keeps the cassette body rigid during insertion/removal cycles without adding the weight of a metal chassis to a densely loaded panel.
- Multi-Standard Compliance: Meets ISO/IEC 11801, ANSI/TIA-568-C.3, TIA-604-5 (FOCIS-5), TIA-604-10 (FOCIS-10), and RoHS 2002/95/CE. Compatible with IEEE 802.3 and ANSI T11.2 (Fibre Channel) — covers both Ethernet and FC SAN fabrics, so the same cassette works in converged infrastructure racks running iSCSI and native FC simultaneously.
- RoHS Compliance: Required for EU deployments and for enterprise procurement programs with environmental material restrictions. No exemption waiver needed for standard commercial data center installs.
Integration & Compatibility
The FDSZA-24-10R (often searched as FDSZA 24 10R) is designed exclusively for Panduit FlexCore ODF and OSF enclosures. Verify your enclosure model accepts front-access splice cassettes — FlexCore panels distinguish between splice-cassette bays and adapter-plate bays; they are not interchangeable. Pair with OM4-rated LC duplex patch cords and OM4 ribbon fiber trunk cables. For higher-density or network switching applications requiring OS2 single-mode, a separate single-mode cassette variant is required — OM4 and OS2 are not interchangeable in the same link.
What's in the Box
- 1x Panduit FDSZA-24-10R FlexCore 24-fiber OM4 LC duplex front-access splice cassette
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is the FDSZA-24-10R compatible with all FlexCore ODF enclosures?
A: The FDSZA-24-10R is designed for Panduit FlexCore ODF and OSF enclosures specifically. Confirm your enclosure accepts front-access splice cassettes before ordering — splice-cassette bays and adapter-plate bays within the FlexCore platform are not the same form factor.
Q: What fiber type does the FDSZA-24-10R support?
A: It supports OM4 50µm multimode fiber only. OM4 is suited for 40GbE up to 150 m and 100GbE up to 100 m per ANSI/TIA-568-C.3. This cassette is not compatible with OS2 single-mode plant.
Q: What connector type is on the front face of the FDSZA-24-10R?
A: The front face uses LC duplex connectors (12 duplex ports = 24 fibers). The rear is unterminated ribbon pigtails intended for fusion splicing to ribbon trunk cable.
Q: Does the FDSZA-24-10R meet RoHS requirements?
A: Yes. The cassette is compliant with RoHS 2002/95/CE, making it suitable for EU deployments and enterprise procurement programs with environmental material restrictions.
Q: What standards does the FDSZA-24-10R comply with?
A: It meets ISO/IEC 11801, ANSI/TIA-568-C.3, TIA-604-5 (FOCIS-5), TIA-604-10 (FOCIS-10), and RoHS 2002/95/CE. It is also compatible with IEEE 802.3 and ANSI T11.2 (Fibre Channel), supporting both Ethernet and FC SAN fabrics.
Q: How many cassettes are included per carton?
A: Carton quantity is 10 units. The package quantity (single purchase unit) is 1 cassette.
The FDSZA-24-10R is the cassette I specify when a structured cabling project arrives with pre-ribbonized OM4 trunk cable and the client needs LC duplex patch access at the panel face without a fanout kit in the chain. The front-access splice design keeps the fusion-splice zone at the rear, isolated from daily patching activity — a real operational advantage in environments where the panel gets touched regularly.
Technical Highlights:
- 24-Fiber / 12 LC Duplex Ports: Six cassettes fill a 1U FlexCore ODF bay at 144 fibers — the density math works cleanly for 40GbE or 100GbE backbone segments running OM4 ribbon trunks.
- OM4 50µm Multimode: Rated for 40GbE to 150 m and 100GbE to 100 m under TIA-568-C.3 — the correct grade for laser-optimized multimode in enterprise MDA-to-EDA runs, and one step above OM3 for longer reach at the same speed tier.
- Multi-Fabric Standard Coverage: IEEE 802.3 plus ANSI T11.2 (Fibre Channel) compatibility means the same cassette serves converged racks running both Ethernet switching and native FC SAN without needing separate infrastructure per fabric.
Deployment Considerations:
- This cassette installs only in FlexCore ODF/OSF enclosures — verify bay type before ordering. Splice-cassette bays and adapter-plate bays are distinct; the FDSZA-24-10R will not seat correctly in an adapter-plate position.
- The rear pigtails are unterminated ribbon — this is a fusion-splice termination, not a field-connectorize solution. If your plant is loose-tube rather than ribbon, you will need a different cassette variant or a ribbon fanout before splicing.
The FDSZA-24-10R is the right call for enterprise data center backbone builds and campus MDA installations where OM4 ribbon trunk cable is already specified and the patching face needs to stay clean and front-accessible under a Panduit FlexCore ODF framework.
