FREEDM
®
Loose Tube Interlocking Armored
Cables, Riser
Features and Benefits
Flexible, interlocking armor design
Seven times crush protection compared to unarmored
cables
Gel-free waterblocking technology
Craft-friendly cable preparation
Color-coded tubes and fibers
Quick and easy identification
UV-resistant, flame-retardant jacket
Rugged, durable and easy to strip
Corning FREEDM
®
loose tube gel-free interlocking
armored cables are flame-retardant, indoor/outdoor,
riser-rated cables for interbuilding and intrabuilding back-
bones in aerial, duct and riser applications. Encased
in a spirally wrapped, aluminum interlocking armor for
ruggedness and superior crush resistance, these cables
are ideal for industrial and heavy traffic areas and instal-
lations requiring extra protection for optical cables and for
high-fiber-count trunking applications in areas with limited
conduit or vault space. The riser rating precludes the
need for a transition splice when entering the building.
These cables are available in fiber counts up to 72 fibers
and are protected against water penetration by innovative
waterblocking materials. These materials swell to absorb
water without the use of messy gels to provide more ef-
ficient and craft-friendly cable preparation, making cable
access easier and simplifying the use of buffer tube fan-
out kits. The buffer tubes and fibers in each tube are col-
or coded for quick, easy identification. The SZ-stranded,
loose tube design isolates fibers from installation, envi-
ronmental rigors and allows for easy mid-span access.
Available in 50 μm, 62.5 μm, single-mode and hybrid
versions, the cable design is NEC listed.
The armored design allows for easy one-step installation
which reduces overall installation costs. The UV-resistant,
flame-retardant jacket is rugged and easy to strip.
Standards
Approval and Listings
National Electrical Code
®
(NEC
®
) OFCR, CSA OFC
FT-4
Outdoor aerial and duct;
indoor vertical riser and
general purpose horizontal
according to NEC Article
770
ANSI/ICEA S-104-696
Common Installations
Design and Test Criteria
Interlocking
Armor
Ripcord
Water-Swellable
Tape
Buffer
Tube
Fiber
Dielectric Central
Element
Filling Element
FR / UV-Resistant
Inner Jacket
FR / UV-Resistant
Outer Jacket
FREEDM Loose Tube Interlocking Armored Cables,
36 Fibers
| Photo PIM0808
Family Spec Sheet 0019_NAFTA_AEN
Page 1 | Revision date 2014-08-08
FREEDM Loose Tube Interlocking Armored Cables,
36 Fibers
| Photo PIM1708
FREEDM
®
Loose Tube Interlocking Armored
Cables, Riser
Interlocking
Armor
Ripcord
FR / UV-Resistant
Inner Jacket
Water-Swellable
Tape
Buffer
Tube
Fiber
Dielectric Central
Element
Water-Swellable
Tape
Flame-Retardant
Tape
Water-Swellable
Tape
FR / UV-Resistant
Outer Jacket
FREEDM Loose Tube Interlocking Armored Cables,
288 Fibers
| Photo PIM0817
FREEDM Loose Tube Interlocking Armored Cables,
288 Fibers
| Photo PIM1717
Specifications
Temperature Range
Storage
Installation
Operation
-40 °C to 70 °C (-40 °F to 158 °F)
-10 °C to 60 °C (14 °F to 140 °F)
-40 °C to 70 °C (-40 °F to 158 °F)
*
Note: Corning recommends storing indoor/outdoor cable in a proper temperature environment prior to installation to allow the cable temperature to meet instal-
lation temperature range specifications for best installation results.
Max. Tensile Strength, Short-Term
Max. Tensile Strength, Long-Term
2700 N (600 lbf)
810 N (180 lbf)
Mechanical Characteristics Cable
Fiber Count
Number of
Tube Positions
6
8
12
Number of
Active Tubes
1-4
8
12
Weight
Nominal Outer
Diameter
19.9 mm
(0.76 in)
20.6 mm
(0.81 in)
25.5 mm
(1 in)
Min. Bend
Radius Instal-
lation
299 mm
(11.8 in)
309 mm
(12.2 in)
383 mm
(15.1 in)
Min. Bend
Radius Ope-
ration
199 mm
(7.8 in)
206 mm
(8.1 in)
255 mm
(10 in)
12 - 24
96
144
306 kg/km
(206 lb/1000 ft)
367 kg/km
(247 lb/1000 ft)
502 kg/km
(337 lb/1000 ft)
Family Spec Sheet 0019_NAFTA_AEN
Page 2 | Revision date 2014-08-08
FREEDM
®
Loose Tube Interlocking Armored
Cables, Riser
Mechanical Characteristics Cable
Fiber Count
Number of
Tube Positions
18
24
Number of
Active Tubes
16 - 18
22 - 24
Weight
Nominal Outer
Diameter
25.5 mm
(1 in)
28.3 mm
(1.11 in)
Min. Bend
Radius Instal-
lation
383 mm
(15.1 in)
425 mm
(16.7 in)
Min. Bend
Radius Ope-
ration
255 mm
(10 in)
283 mm
(11.1 in)
192 - 216
240 - 288
475 kg/km
(319 lb/1000 ft)
562 kg/km
(377 lb/1000 ft)
Chemical Characteristics
RoHS
Free of hazardous substances according to RoHS 2002/95/
EG
Transmission Performance
Multimode
Fiber Core Diameter
(
µm
)
Fiber Category
Fiber Code
Performance Option Code
Wavelengths
(
nm
)
Maximum Attenuation
(
dB/km
)
Serial 1 Gigabit Ethernet
(
m
)
Serial 10 Gigabit Ethernet
(
m
)
Min. Overfilled Launch (OFL)
Bandwidth
(
MHz*km
)
Minimum Effective Modal
Bandwidth (EMB)
(
MHz*km
)
62.5
OM1
K
30
850/1300
3.4/1.0
300/550
33/-
200/500
220/-
50
OM2
T
31
850/1300
3.0/1.0
750/500
150/-
700/500
950/-
50
OM3
T
80
850/1300
3.0/1.0
1000/600
300/-
1500/500
2000/-
50
OM4
T
90
850/1300
3.0/1.0
1100/600
550/-
3500/500
4700/-
50
OM4 Extended
Distance
T
91
850/1300
3.0/1.0
1100/600
600/-
3500/500
5350/-
*
Single-mode (OS2) fiber is ITU-T G.652.D compliant.
Family Spec Sheet 0019_NAFTA_AEN
Page 3 | Revision date 2014-08-08
FREEDM
®
Loose Tube Interlocking Armored
Cables, Riser
Single-mode
Fiber Name
Fiber Category
Fiber Code
Performance Option Code
Wavelengths
(
nm
)
Maximum Attenuation
(
dB/km
)
Typical Attenuation*
(
dB/km
)
SMF-28e+
®
fiber
G.652.D
E
01
1310/1383/1550
0.4/0.4/0.3
0.33/0.33/0.19
Ordering Information |
Note: Contact Customer Care at 1-800-743-2675 for other options.
Note: This cable is available in 12 different jacket colors: blue, orange, green, brown, slate, white, red, black, yellow, violet, rose and aqua. Black is the standard
jacket color using the part number configurator above. Contact Customer Care at 1-800-743-2675 to order other color options.
Family Spec Sheet 0019_NAFTA_AEN
Page 4 | Revision date 2014-08-08
FREEDM
®
Loose Tube Interlocking Armored
Cables, Riser
Notes
Corning Optical Communications LLC • PO Box 489 • Hickory, NC 28603-0489 USA
800-743-2675 • FAX: 828-325-5060 • International: +1-828-901-5000 • www.corning.com/opcomm
A complete listing of the trademarks of Corning Optical Communications is available at www.corning.com/opcomm/trademarks.
Corning Optical Communications is ISO 9001 certified. © 2014 Corning Optical Communications. All rights reserved.
Family Spec Sheet 0019_NAFTA_AEN
Page 5 | Revision date 2014-08-08