Halogen-Free Cat5e–Cat7 Marine Ethernet Cable
Screen-protected marine Ethernet data cables in Cat5e (100 MHz), Cat6 (250 MHz), Cat6A (500 MHz), Cat7 (600 MHz) and Cat7A (1000 MHz) S/FTP and SF/UTP constructions. Available with halogen-free SHF1, oil-resistant SHF2, NEK 606 mud-resistant, PUR seawater-submersible and −65 °C Arctic outer jackets for shipboard IT, bridge navigation and offshore networks.
Marine Ethernet cables form the high-speed digital backbone for Integrated Bridge Systems (IBS), ECDIS radar interconnect, engine-room automation, passenger Wi-Fi/infotainment and offshore VoIP/CCTV networks. Unlike standard commercial building patch cables, shipboard LAN cables combine braided metallic EMI screening with IEC 60332-3-22 Category A bunched flame retardance and IEC 60092-359 / IEC 60092-360 halogen-free sheathing.
The range spans 4-pair horizontal and backbone cables from Cat5e (100 MHz, 1000BASE-T) and Cat6A (500 MHz, 10GBASE-T) to individually foil-screened and overall copper-braided Cat7 (600 MHz) and Cat7A (1000 MHz) S/FTP designs. Both solid copper conductors (22–24 AWG) for permanent punch-down links and flexible 7-wire stranded conductors (24/7 or 26/7 AWG) for vibration-prone equipment racks and workboat patch runs are supported.
Five jacket grades match every vessel zone: standard SHF1 for dry accommodation and bridge decks; cross-linked oil-resistant SHF2 for machinery spaces; dual-certified SHF2 + NEK 606 MUD for offshore drilling units; halogen-free PUR for AD8 permanent seawater submersion; and Arctic SHF2 rated down to −65 °C for polar icebreakers.
Specialised shipboard topologies—including 2-pair 22 AWG PROFINET Type B cables, figure-8 Duplex Cat7 cables, 24-pair trunk LAN cables, and hybrid Ethernet-plus-power cables for PoE+ cameras and access points—allow engineers to consolidate tray space. Compare the dimensional and high-frequency attenuation tables below and specify category, solid or stranded conductor, and sheath grade for quotation.
Explore the marine and offshore cable range for related configurations.
Construction
The representative cutaway shows a 4-pair Cat7 S/FTP marine Ethernet cable featuring cellular PE insulated twisted pairs, individual aluminium/polyester pair foil shields, a high-coverage tinned copper wire braid and a black halogen-free SHF1/SHF2/MUD outer jacket.
| Component | Material and construction |
|---|---|
| Conductors | Solid bare copper (22, 23 or 24 AWG) for low-attenuation permanent links, or stranded bare/tinned copper (24/7 or 26/7 AWG, plus 22/7 AWG for 2-pair PROFINET) for flexible rack and machinery routing. |
| Insulation & pairing | Low-permittivity cellular / foam-skin polyethylene (PE) core insulation twisted into 4 balanced pairs (or 2 pairs for PROFINET) with colour coding to IEC 61156-5. |
| Individual pair shield (S/FTP) | Laminated aluminium/polyester tape wrapped around each individual twisted pair (100% coverage) to eliminate alien and pair-to-pair NEXT up to 1000 MHz. |
| Overall braid screen | Tinned copper wire braid (≥85% optical coverage on MUD/industrial series) providing low transfer impedance and 360° EMC gland termination. |
| Outer sheath | Halogen-free flame-retardant compound to IEC 60092-359 / IEC 60092-360: SHF1 (grey, orange or black), cross-linked SHF2, NEK 606 mud-resistant SHF2, seawater-resistant PUR, or −65 °C Arctic elastomer. |
Applications
Select the transmission category, conductor stranding and sheath chemistry to match link distance, PoE load and compartment environment.
- 1000BASE-T and 10GBASE-T shipboard Ethernet backbones, bridge navigation radars, ECDIS and voyage data recorders (VDR).
- Machinery-space PLC networks, propulsion control links and PROFINET real-time industrial Ethernet (4-pair and 2-pair 22 AWG).
- Cruise ship and ferry cabin infotainment, IP telephony, public address / general alarm (PAGA) and high-density Wi-Fi 6/6E access points (IEEE 802.3af/at/bt PoE++).
- Offshore oil & gas platforms, FPSOs and drilling vessels requiring NEK 606 mud-resistant LSHF-FR SHF2 LAN cabling.
- Exposed weather decks, polar research vessels (−65 °C Arctic grade) and permanently submerged bilge/wet zones (PUR seawater grade).
Specifications
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Transmission categories | Cat5e (100 MHz), Cat6 (250 MHz), Cat6A (500 MHz), Cat7 (600 MHz) and Cat7A (1000 MHz) to ISO/IEC 11801 and IEC 61156-5 / -6. |
| Characteristic impedance | 100 Ω ± 15 Ω (1–100 MHz) / 100 Ω ± 5 Ω nominal at 100 MHz. |
| Velocity of propagation & delay | Nominal velocity of propagation (NVP) 75%–80%; propagation delay ≤ 430–538 ns/100 m; delay skew ≤ 25–40 ns/100 m. |
| DC loop resistance & voltage | ≤ 140 Ω/km (22/23 AWG) to ≤ 190 Ω/km (24 AWG) or ≤ 260 Ω/km (26 AWG); max operating voltage 60 V–125 V peak; supports IEEE 802.3bt PoE++. |
| Sheath options | SHF1, oil-resistant SHF2, SHF2 + NEK 606 MUD, seawater-submersible PUR (AD8), and −65 °C Arctic grade. |
| Fire & smoke compliance | IEC 60332-1-2, IEC 60332-3-22 Cat. A bunched fire test, IEC 60754-1/-2 halogen-free, IEC 61034-1/-2 low smoke. |
| Operating temperature | −20 °C to +75 °C (standard SHF1/MUD); −40 °C to +85 °C (extended SHF2); −65 °C to +90 °C (Arctic series). |
| Minimum bending radius | 8 × OD during installation / 4 × OD static installed (10 × OD / 5 × OD on heavy MUD and armoured/multipair builds). |
| Series & category | Conductor | Insulation & pairs | Screening architecture | Outer sheath grade | Dimensions & primary application |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cat5e SF/UTP SHF1 (100 MHz, 4-pair) | 24 AWG solid bare copper (0.52 mm) | Foam-skin PE; 4 twisted pairs | Overall Al/PET foil + tinned copper braid | Halogen-free SHF1 (grey) | 6.5 mm OD; 47 kg/km; bridge & accommodation 1000BASE-T LAN |
| Cat5e S/FTP LSHF-FR & MUD (100 MHz, 4-pair) | 24 AWG stranded bare copper | Cellular PE; 4 pairs | Individual pair foil + tinned copper braid (≥85%) | Black LSHF-FR SHF1 / SHF2 & NEK 606 MUD | 8.4 mm OD; 85 kg/km; machinery, deck & offshore mud zones |
| Cat5e S/FTP PUR Seawater-Resistant (100 MHz, 4-pair) | 24 AWG stranded bare copper | Cellular PE; 4 pairs | Individual pair foil + tinned copper braid | Black halogen-free PUR (AD8 submersion) | 8.8 mm OD; 82 kg/km; wet deck, bilge & permanent submersion |
| Cat6A F/UTP or S/FTP SHF1 / SHF2 / Arctic (500 MHz, 4-pair) | 23–26 AWG solid or stranded copper | Foam PE; 4 pairs | Foil + braid or individual pair foil + braid | SHF1, SHF2 or Arctic (−65 °C to +90 °C) | 7.3–9.0 mm OD; 10GBASE-T shipboard backbone & polar vessels |
| Cat7 S/FTP SHF1 (600–1000 MHz, 4-pair) | 23 AWG (0.56 mm) solid bare copper | Foam-skin PE; 4 pairs | Individual pair Al/PET foil + tinned copper braid | Halogen-free SHF1 (grey or orange) | 7.8–8.3 mm OD; 67–76 kg/km; high-EMI radar & bridge 10GbE |
| Cat7 S/FTP LSHF-FR & MUD (600 MHz, 4-pair) | 23 AWG solid or 26 AWG stranded copper | Cellular PE; 4 pairs | Individual pair foil + tinned copper braid | Black LSHF-FR SHF1 / SHF2 & NEK 606 MUD | 8.7 mm (26 AWG) or 10.0 mm (23 AWG); 95–125 kg/km |
| Cat7A S/FTP LSHF-FR & MUD (1000 MHz, 4-pair) | 22 AWG solid or 24/7 AWG tinned copper | Cellular PE; 4 pairs | Individual pair foil + tinned copper braid | Black LSHF-FR SHF1 / SHF2 & NEK 606 MUD | 10.3 mm (22 AWG) or 10.6 mm (24/7 AWG); 120–137 kg/km |
| 2-Pair PROFINET Type B Cat5e SF/UTP (100 MHz, 2-pair) | 22 AWG (7-wire stranded) tinned copper | Solid/foam PE; 2 star-quad/pairs | Overall Al/PET tape + tinned copper braid | Green or black SHF1 / SHF2 | 6.5 mm OD; 65 kg/km; industrial marine PROFINET I/O |
| Hybrid Ethernet + Power / CCTV Coax + Power | 4×2×26 AWG data + 2×1.5 mm² (or 3×1.0 mm²) power | Foam PE (data) + XLPE (power) | Individual pair foil + braid on data element | Black SHF1 / SHF2 composite jacket | 12.7 mm OD; 195 kg/km; IP cameras, Wi-Fi APs & PoE+ devices |
| Construction & DIN/VDE type | Pair count × conductor size | Core Ø (mm) | Nominal outer Ø (mm) | Approx. mass (kg/km) | Min. bend radius install / static (mm) | Bandwidth & class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cat5e SF/UTP SHF1 (02YS(ST)CH 4×2×0.52/0.95) | 4 × 2 × 24 AWG (0.52 mm solid) | 0.95 | 6.5 | 47 | 52 / 26 | 100 MHz / 1GbE |
| Cat5e S/FTP LSHF-FR & MUD (4×2×24 AWG) | 4 × 2 × 24 AWG (stranded) | 1.07 | 8.4 | 85 | 84 / 42 | 100 MHz / 1GbE |
| Cat5e S/FTP PUR Seawater (4×2×24 AWG) | 4 × 2 × 24 AWG (stranded) | 1.07 | 8.8 | 82 | 88 / 44 | 100 MHz / 1GbE |
| Cat7 S/FTP SHF1 (02YSCH 4×2×0.56/1.35-100) | 4 × 2 × 23 AWG (0.56 mm solid) | 1.35 | 7.8 | 67 | 63 / 32 | 600 MHz / 10GbE |
| Cat7 10G S/FTP SHF1 (02YSCH 4×2×0.56/1.44-100) | 4 × 2 × 23 AWG (0.56 mm solid) | 1.44 | 8.3 | 76 | 67 / 34 | 1000 MHz / 10GbE |
| Cat7S S/FTP LSHF-FR & MUD (4×2×26 AWG) | 4 × 2 × 26 AWG (stranded) | 1.07 | 8.7 | 95 | 87 / 44 | 600 MHz / 10GbE |
| Cat7 S/FTP LSHF-FR & MUD (4×2×23 AWG) | 4 × 2 × 23 AWG (solid) | 1.40 | 10.0 | 125 | 100 / 50 | 600 MHz / 10GbE |
| Cat7A S/FTP LSHF-FR & MUD (4×2×22 AWG) | 4 × 2 × 22 AWG (solid) | 1.52 | 10.3 | 137 | 103 / 52 | 1000 MHz / 10GbE |
| Cat7A S/FTP Flex LSHF-FR & MUD (4×2×24/7 AWG) | 4 × 2 × 24/7 AWG (stranded tinned) | 1.52 | 10.6 | 120 | 106 / 53 | 1000 MHz / 10GbE |
| PROFINET 2-Pair Cat5e SHF1/SHF2 | 2 × 2 × 22/7 AWG (tinned) | 1.50 | 6.5 | 65 | 65 / 33 | 100 MHz / PROFINET |
| Duplex Cat7 S/FTP SHF1 (2 × 4-pair figure-8) | 2 × (4 × 2 × 23 AWG) | 1.40 | 7.8 × 16.0 | 140 | 80 / 40 | 1000 MHz / Dual 10GbE |
| Multipair Backbone Cat7 (6 × 4 × 2 × 24 AWG) | 24 pairs (6 × 4-pair S/FTP) | 1.40 | 26.6 | 750 | 266 / 133 | 1000 MHz / Trunk LAN |
| Frequency | Cat5e Solid atten. (dB) | Cat5e Stranded MUD atten. (dB) | Cat7 23 AWG Solid atten. (dB) | Cat7S 26 AWG MUD atten. (dB) | Cat7A 22 AWG MUD atten. (dB) | Cat7A 24/7 Flex MUD atten. (dB) | Cat5e min. NEXT (dB) | Cat7 / 7A min. NEXT (dB) | Min. Return Loss (dB) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 MHz | 2.1 | 3.1 | 2.0 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 65 | 78 | 20.0 |
| 4 MHz | 4.0 | 5.8 | 3.6 | 5.4 | 3.5 | 4.6 | 56 | 78 | 23.0 |
| 10 MHz | 6.3 | 9.0 | 5.7 | 8.5 | 5.4 | 7.2 | 50 | 78 | 25.0 |
| 16 MHz | 8.0 | 11.4 | 7.2 | 10.7 | 6.8 | 9.1 | 47 | 78 | 25.0 |
| 20 MHz | 9.0 | 12.8 | 8.1 | 12.0 | 7.6 | 10.2 | 45 | 78 | 25.0 |
| 31.25 MHz | 11.4 | 16.1 | 10.1 | 15.1 | 9.5 | 12.7 | 43 | 78 | 23.6 |
| 62.5 MHz | 16.5 | 23.2 | 14.5 | 21.5 | 13.5 | 18.1 | 38 | 75 | 21.5 |
| 100 MHz | 21.3 | 29.9 | 18.5 | 27.5 | 17.1 | 23.0 | 35 | 72 | 20.1 |
| 200 MHz | — | — | 26.8 | 39.6 | 24.3 | 32.9 | — | 68 | 18.0 |
| 250 MHz | — | — | 30.2 | 44.6 | 27.3 | 36.9 | — | 66 | 17.3 |
| 500 MHz | — | — | 43.8 | 64.3 | 39.3 | 53.0 | — | 62 | 17.3 |
| 600 MHz | — | — | 48.6 | 71.2 | 43.4 | 58.8 | — | 60 | 17.3 |
| 1000 MHz | — | — | — | — | 57.3 | 79.0 | — | 54 | 15.1 |
Stranded 24 AWG and 26 AWG MUD-resistant patch/work-area cables exhibit higher high-frequency attenuation than 22 AWG or 23 AWG solid horizontal cables; factor the stranded derating multiplier (approx. 1.2 × to 1.5 × attenuation per 100 m) when designing 90 m permanent links.
All S/FTP constructions feature individual aluminium/polyester foil screening on each pair plus an overall tinned copper wire braid, meeting IEC 61156-5 / EN 50288-4-1 coupling attenuation and screening effectiveness requirements alongside power cables.
For offshore drilling rigs and FPSOs subject to drilling-fluid splash, specify the LSHF-FR SHF2 & MUD series tested to NEK TS 606 mud resistance.
For tethered ROVs, diving bells or dynamic underwater winches requiring pressure-rated submersible Ethernet cables, refer to our dedicated Underwater Cat5e / Cat6 Data Cable page.
Standards
| Standard or specification | Application |
|---|---|
| ISO/IEC 11801 & EN 50173 | Generic cabling system performance for Class D (Cat5e), Class E (Cat6), Class EA (Cat6A), Class F (Cat7) and Class FA (Cat7A). |
| IEC 61156-5 & IEC 61156-6 | Multicore and symmetrical pair/quad cables for digital communications—horizontal floor wiring (Part 5) and work-area/flexible wiring (Part 6). |
| IEC 60092-350 / IEC 60092-359 / IEC 60092-360 | Shipboard cable general test methods and halogen-free SHF1 / cross-linked SHF2 sheathing compounds. |
| NEK TS 606 | Oil and drilling-mud resistance requirements for LSHF-FR SHF2 MUD offshore data cables. |
| IEEE 802.3ab / 802.3an & IEEE 802.3af/at/bt | 1000BASE-T, 10GBASE-T and Power over Ethernet (PoE / PoE+ / 90 W PoE++) compatibility. |
| IEC 60332-1-2, IEC 60332-3-22, IEC 60754-1/-2 & IEC 61034-1/-2 | Single and bunched Category A flame retardance, zero halogen acid gas and low smoke opacity. |
IEC 61156-5 symmetrical pair/quad digital communication cable standard scope
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