Every category, every speed, every distance — the most-looked-up table in Ethernet, with how to read it.
The single most-looked-up table in Ethernet: what speed each cable category delivers, and how far. Bookmark it, print it, tape it inside the gang box.
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| Category | Bandwidth | 1 Gbps | 10 Gbps | 25/40 Gbps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cat5 | 100 MHz | Not rated* | — | — |
| Cat5e | 100 MHz | 100 m | 45 m** | — |
| Cat6 | 250 MHz | 100 m | 55 m | — |
| Cat6a | 500 MHz | 100 m | 100 m | — |
| Cat7 | 600 MHz | 100 m | 100 m | — |
| Cat8 | 2000 MHz | 30 m*** | 30 m*** | 30 m |
* Cat5 was never qualified for gigabit — 1000BASE-T needs Cat5e minimum (IEEE 802.3ab). Old Cat5 often links at 1 Gbps in practice, but it is not rated.
** Not standards-rated at any distance: short Cat5e runs often link at 10 Gbps in practice, but IEEE/TIA specify Cat6 minimum for 10GBASE-T.
*** 30 m is the defined Cat8 channel length (TIA-568.2-D for 25/40GBASE-T); lower speeds will run farther, but that is outside the Cat8 channel spec.
Distances are maximum channel lengths (90 m permanent link + 10 m patch cords). “—” means not a rated application.
Nearly everything is rated to 100 meters — the length the standards were built around. If your run is under 100 m (and it almost always is), the question is never distance, it is speed: pick the category that carries your target speed at 100 m.
The 100 m “channel” = 90 m of in-wall cable + up to 10 m of patch cords. Certifiers test the permanent link (the 90 m); the channel is the whole path. When a run fails certification, the patch cords are suspects too.
Equipment auto-negotiates to the fastest speed the whole channel supports. A 10-gig switch on a Cat5e run gets 1-gig (or a 45 m gamble at 10-gig). The cable is the ceiling — everything else negotiates down to it.
When the run exceeds 100 meters, the options: fiber (the correct answer for permanent infrastructure — see our fiber vs copper guide), an intermediate switch (a powered repeater point, splitting the run into two compliant segments), or Ethernet extenders (VDSL or coax-based, trading speed for distance — workable for a remote camera, not a backbone). What does not work: just running 150 meters of Cat6 and hoping. It might link at reduced speed, or it might not link at all — either way it will not certify, and the next tech will curse the installer. Distance rules are physics, not suggestions.
Data travels 100 meters; power has its own math. PoE voltage drops with distance and resistance — 24 AWG Cat5e loses more than 23 AWG Cat6. The standards guarantee PoE to the full 100 m on compliant cable, but marginal cable (CCA, damaged, high-resistance) can brown out powered devices at long runs while data still passes. Symptom: the camera works at 60 meters but reboots at 90. Fix: better cable (solid 23 AWG), shorter runs, or midspan injection. When troubleshooting PoE at distance, suspect the cable’s resistance before the switch’s budget.
About 55 meters. For the full 100-meter channel at 10-gig, use Cat6a.
100 meters per segment for twisted-pair (90 m permanent link + 10 m patch). Beyond that: fiber, or an intermediate switch.
To about 45 meters — not a rated application, but it often links. For reliable 10-gig, Cat6a.
Yes — the category rating assumes compliant cable, proper termination, and intact twists. Damaged cable, bad terminations, or CCA conductors drop the effective ceiling.
Jacket markings (category, footage, plenum/riser), box labels, and quantity. The jacket print is the entire specification.
Call or text 312-880-8174 or use the quote form. Tell us the category, footage, and whether it is new or pull-out.
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