Fiber cable order calculator
How much cable to actually order for a route, not just the bare footage: slack at every structure, service loops, and a waste allowance, so the crew never runs short mid-pull.
Breakdown: 5,000 ft route + 250 ft slack (10 structures) + 200 ft loops + 273 ft waste = 5,723 ft. Order to the next reel length up, and confirm the slack and loop lengths your prime spec calls for.
How much fiber cable should I order for a route? Start with the route footage, then add a slack coil at every structure (handhole or splice point), the length of any service loops, and a waste allowance for damage, re-pulls and the unusable tail on a reel. The calculator above sums those and rounds up. A common result is roughly 10 to 20 percent more cable than the bare route distance.
Common questions
Start with the route footage, then add a slack coil at every structure (handhole or splice point), the length of any service loops, and a waste allowance for damage, re-pulls and the unusable tail on a reel. The calculator above sums those and rounds up. A common result is roughly 10 to 20 percent more cable than the bare route distance.
It depends on the spec, but a coil of about 25 feet at each handhole and considerably more at a splice enclosure is typical, so a technician has enough cable to bring it up and work it in the closure. The calculator defaults to 25 feet per structure and lets you change it to match your prime's standard.
A waste allowance covers cable damaged on the pull, a re-pull, and the short unusable length left on the reel. Five percent is a reasonable default for a clean job; add more for a difficult route, a lot of bends, or long pulls where a re-pull is likely.
Round up to the reel length your supplier stocks, since you buy cable by the reel, not the foot. Ordering a full reel above the calculated need also leaves a working reserve for the inevitable field change, and avoids splicing in a short piece to finish a run.
It includes service loops as a separate input. Drop cable is usually a different cable type and count, so estimate it separately. This tool sizes the distribution or backbone cable for the route itself.
TrackOver's FiberOps tracks cable reels start-to-empty, logs each pull, flags a low reel, and ties it to the route and daily footage so ordering and field use stay in sync.