Short Ethernet Cables
Short Ethernet cables (patch leads) from 15cm to 1m for patching switches to patch panels, linking equipment in the same rack and keeping desks and AV cabinets tidy. There are 658 short leads in the range, in CAT5e, CAT6 and CAT6A, slim 30 and 32 AWG versions and 12 colours, with 610 in stock.
Choose a length
Most ordered short leads
Patching a comms cabinet
Short leads are what make a cabinet easy to work in. With every lead cut to length there are no loops of spare cable hanging over the front of the switch, the airflow through the equipment is not blocked, and you can follow any port to its patch panel at a glance. A cabinet patched with the right lengths also makes moves and changes quicker and less likely to knock out the wrong connection.
Which length for which job
| Layout | Typical length |
|---|---|
| Switch and patch panel next to each other, ports above or below | 15cm to 30cm |
| Patch panel and switch a few units apart, or through a cable management bar | 50cm |
| Across the cabinet, or from a switch to a router or firewall on a shelf | 1m |
| Wall socket to a desk phone, PC or printer | 1m to 3m |
Before ordering a full set, patch a few ports with two lengths to see which sits best with your cable management.
Slim leads for high density patching
Slim patch leads use 30 or 32 AWG conductors in a much thinner jacket, so a fully patched 48 port switch takes up far less space and the leads bend round cable managers easily. They are made for short patching runs inside a cabinet; for long runs and for higher power PoE use standard 24 or 26 AWG leads. We list 100 slim short leads, in 30 AWG slim LSZH and 32 AWG ultra slim CAT6.
A colour scheme for your network
With 12 colours to choose from, you can give each kind of connection its own colour: for example uplinks between switches, PoE devices such as cameras and access points, voice, servers and guest or management networks. Agree the scheme once, write it inside the cabinet door, and it stays readable for everyone who works on it after you.
Matching the rest of the installation
Patch leads should be the same category as the fixed cabling, or better, so a CAT6A installation needs CAT6A leads to keep its 10 gigabit rating. In shielded installations, use shielded leads too. 348 of our short leads have low smoke zero halogen (LSZH) jackets, often specified for comms rooms in offices and public buildings, and 301 have snagless boots that protect the clip when leads are pulled out of a crowded panel.
Patch lead packs
Patching a whole cabinet? Many of our short leads also come in patch lead packs, which cost less per lead than buying them one at a time, and single leads have quantity discounts from 10 upwards.