Panduit NK6APC16 Cat6A 16ft CM/LSZH Patch Cord

Panduit NK6APC16 Cat6A CM/LSZH Patch Cord

The Panduit NK6APC16 is a 16-foot Category 6A F/UTP patch cord engineered for 10GBASE-T deployments where fire-safety compliance and stranded-copper flexibility both matter. The CM/LSZH dual rating clears both NEC Article 800 general-purpose cable requirements and low-smoke-zero-halogen mandates common in healthcare, education, and international installations—eliminating the need to stock separate cord SKUs for mixed-occupancy buildings. Twenty-six AWG stranded copper conductors deliver the bend radius and strain relief installers need for dense patch-panel dressing and switch-to-rack runs, while exceeding ANSI/TIA-568-C.2 Category 6A channel performance across the full 500 MHz bandwidth. Off-white jacket maintains neutral aesthetics in customer-facing IDF closets and open-ceiling deployments.

Key Features

• Category 6A F/UTP construction supports 10GBASE-T Ethernet to 100 meters, backward compatible with Cat6/5e infrastructure
• CM/LSZH dual flammability rating: NEC Article 800 compliant + low-smoke-zero-halogen for occupied spaces and international fire codes
• 26 AWG stranded copper conductors: tighter bend radius and vibration resistance vs. solid-core patch cords
• Supports IEEE 802.3af/at PoE and proposed 802.3bt Type 3/4 PoE++ (up to 90W), critical for high-power access points and PTZ cameras
• NetKey modular plugs on both ends with 50-microinch gold-plated contacts; tool-less field termination not required
• 16-foot length spans typical rack-to-patch or in-row switch connections without excess slack
• Exceeds ANSI/TIA-568-C.2 and ISO 11801 Class EA component and channel requirements; complies with ANSI/TIA-1096-A
• cULus Listed to UL 1863 and CAN/CSA-C22.2; RoHS compliant

The F/UTP (foiled/unshielded twisted pair) construction uses an overall aluminum foil shield around four unshielded pairs—offering better alien crosstalk rejection than basic UTP in bundled or high-density runs, without the termination complexity and ground-loop risk of S/FTP shielded systems. Installers get the crosstalk margin needed for 10GBASE-T at full 100-meter distances when deployed in TIA-compliant Cat6A channels, while maintaining compatibility with standard 8P8C keystone jacks and patch panels. The 26 AWG stranded gauge strikes the balance between flexibility (easier routing through vertical cable managers and tight bend-radius troughs) and DC loop resistance (stays within PoE++ power-budget limits for IEEE 802.3bt Type 3 and Type 4 applications). Each conductor is stranded copper, not CCA (copper-clad aluminum), ensuring the cord meets NEC and TIA requirements for permanent-link and PoE installations.

The CM/LSZH dual rating addresses the fire-safety gap many installers face in mixed-use or retrofit projects. The CM (communications) rating satisfies NEC 800.154 for general-purpose horizontal and riser cable installations in commercial buildings, while the LSZH (low-smoke-zero-halogen) designation meets IEC 60754-1/2 and EN 50267 smoke-density and hydrogen-halide-emission limits. This dual compliance eliminates the need to spec separate cord SKUs for LSZH-mandated spaces (hospitals, schools, transportation hubs, data centers with occupied hot aisles) versus standard CM environments—reducing inventory complexity and field errors. Installers working under NFPA 70 (NEC) or international fire codes can deploy the same cord stock across the entire project, confident it clears both the electrical inspector's requirements and the architect's low-toxicity specifications. The off-white jacket provides a neutral appearance that blends with white or gray rack infrastructure, maintaining a clean aesthetic in customer-facing IDF closets or open-ceiling deployments where cable visibility matters.

NetKey modular plugs arrive factory-terminated with 50-microinch gold-plated contacts and strain-relief boots molded directly to the cable jacket—no field-termination tools, crimp dies, or pass-through connectors required. The plug body is keyed for TIA-568-B wiring (also compatible with 568-A keyed jacks), and the latch design survives 750+ insertion cycles per ANSI/TIA-568-C.2 durability testing. Because the cord is sold as a finished assembly with both ends terminated, installers avoid the inconsistency and rework risk associated with field-terminated patch cords—every cord ships tested to the same insertion-loss and return-loss spec, ensuring plug-and-play performance in 10GBASE-T links. The 16-foot length is purpose-built for rack-to-patch or switch-to-adjacent-rack runs: long enough to route from a 42U rack-mount switch at mid-height to a wall-mount patch panel with service loop, but short enough to avoid the cable-management clutter and excess attenuation of 25- or 50-foot cords. For top-of-rack to in-row patch connections or switch-to-KVM runs, this length minimizes slack without forcing installers into tight bends that violate the 4x-diameter minimum bend-radius rule.

The cord supports IEEE 802.3af (15.4W), 802.3at (30W), and proposed 802.3bt Type 3 (60W) and Type 4 (90W) Power over Ethernet applications—critical for high-power devices like 802.11ax access points, multi-radio small cells, and PTZ surveillance cameras with integrated heaters and wipers. The 26 AWG conductor gauge keeps DC loop resistance within the power-budget limits specified in IEEE 802.3bt Table 104-5, ensuring end-devices receive adequate voltage after resistive losses across the 16-foot cord plus the permanent link. Installers deploying PoE++ infrastructure can use this cord for switch-to-mid-span injector or mid-span-to-patch connections, confident the cord won't become the bottleneck in the power delivery path. Standards compliance is comprehensive: the cord exceeds ANSI/TIA-568-C.2 Category 6A component requirements (insertion loss, return loss, NEXT, PS NEXT, FEXT, PS ELFEXT, and alien crosstalk), meets ISO 11801 Class EA performance, and complies with ANSI/TIA-1096-A (the performance standard for field-test instruments). It's cULus Listed to UL 1863 and CAN/CSA-C22.2 No. 214, RoHS compliant, and tested to IEC 60603-7 for modular-plug mechanical and electrical requirements. Each cord ships individually in poly bag packaging; cartons contain 10 units for stock replenishment or multi-drop installations.