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Overview

General comment

OS2 (ITU-T G.652.D compliant) singlemode fiber duplex patch cable with LC/UPC connectors. Supports long-reach optical links including 10G-LR, 40G-LR4, 100G-LR4, and 400G-LR4, all at 10 km on the same two strands; ER-class optics extend reach to 40 km. Used for campus, inter-building, and metro links where distance does not derate speed. Yellow jacket per TIA-598 standard. Low water peak design for full spectrum operation.

Technology
Optical Fiber Cable, Singlemode Fiber (SMF)
Geography
Global average data from equipment vendor specifications and industry literature

System boundary

System boundary - Fiber OS2 LC DuplexSystem boundary figure: identity, gate in, entering flows, the dashed system boundary and the unit processes inside it, the reference product, emissions and waste, and below it the flows that are recorded but not quantified. No inventory quantities.Fiber OS2 LC DuplexGATE INPurchased coated optical fiber and othersub-componentsENTERING FLOWSElectricityMaterialsSYSTEM BOUNDARYMODELLED PROCESS SEQUENCEProcess sequenceCable JacketingLC Connector TerminationOptical TestingREFERENCE PRODUCTFiber OS2 LC DuplexAssembled and tested componentEMISSIONS AND WASTEEmissions to airEmissions to waterWaste routesRECORDED BUT NOT QUANTIFIEDExclusions not yet characterisedNo exclusion record was found for this datasetNOT CHARACTERISEDsystem boundaryreference flowentering flowemission / waste

The figure groups this dataset's unit processes by class. It is not a count of manufacturing steps — each process runs over as many passes as the flow requires, and those pass counts ship with the dataset.

Download this figure (SVG)

Data quality and references

Composite DQI 2.1 Good
Reliability
3.0
Completeness
3.0
Temporal
1.0
Geographic
2.0
Technological
2.3

Pedigree scores follow the ecoinvent data-quality matrix: 1 is the best attainable, 5 the weakest. The composite is their aggregate.

Sampling procedure
Component vendor specifications, academic papers, industry literature
Coverage status
Partial
Pedigree-scored source files
3 — the source records behind this dataset's manufacturing operations. Each carries the five pedigree axes above; the composite DQI aggregates them.

Technosphere inputs

9 flows. Quantities are not published; they ship with the dataset on Circa.

Electricity, China (CN) ElectricitykWh · -45.4% / +354.8%
Derivation basis
  • Calculated from equipment energy across all manufacturing operations. This model includes no facility support, so the total is the manufacturing operations alone.

The sources below come from the manufacturing operations behind this row.

Sources (inherited)
Inherited, rolled up from the contributing process steps:
  • Komax Alpha 530 termination line specifications
  • Cirris 1100H+ User's Manual Version 4.7c, Cirris Systems Corporation
  • E5071C Network Analyzer Installation Guide, Keysight Technologies
Background data
ecoinvent 3.12
Background dataset
electricity, medium voltage
Uncertainty
-45.4% / +354.8% around the published quantity. The bounds themselves ship with the dataset on Circa.
Unit
kWh
Silica glass optical fiber Materialkg · ±25%
Derivation basis
  • Calculated from per-operation consumption, operation counts, and manufacturing yield.
  • REEL derivation: engineering estimate of cable and interconnect component mass and material split, built from vendor catalogue and product-page data for representative parts; no single published inventory covers this component class

The sources for this row are listed below.

Source citations (dataset-level)
  • TIA Fiber Optics Tech Consortium, IEEE 802.3 single-mode Ethernet reach tables; ITU-T G.652 (08/2024)
  • ISO/IEC 11801 Structured Cabling Standards
  • ITU-T G.652 Single-mode Optical Fibre Standard
Background data
proxy-mapped
Background dataset
glass fibre
Uncertainty
±25% around the published quantity. The bounds themselves ship with the dataset on Circa.
Unit
kg
UV-cured acrylate Materialkg · -25% / +24.9%
Derivation basis
  • Calculated from per-operation consumption, operation counts, and manufacturing yield.
  • REEL derivation: engineering estimate of cable and interconnect component mass and material split, built from vendor catalogue and product-page data for representative parts; no single published inventory covers this component class

The sources for this row are listed below.

Source citations (dataset-level)
  • TIA Fiber Optics Tech Consortium, IEEE 802.3 single-mode Ethernet reach tables; ITU-T G.652 (08/2024)
  • ISO/IEC 11801 Structured Cabling Standards
  • ITU-T G.652 Single-mode Optical Fibre Standard
Background data
proxy-mapped
Background dataset
methyl methacrylate
Uncertainty
-25% / +24.9% around the published quantity. The bounds themselves ship with the dataset on Circa.
Unit
kg
Aramid fiber (Kevlar) Materialkg · -24.6% / +26.2%
Derivation basis
  • Calculated from per-operation consumption, operation counts, and manufacturing yield.
  • REEL derivation: engineering estimate of cable and interconnect component mass and material split, built from vendor catalogue and product-page data for representative parts; no single published inventory covers this component class

The sources for this row are listed below.

Source citations (dataset-level)
  • TIA Fiber Optics Tech Consortium, IEEE 802.3 single-mode Ethernet reach tables; ITU-T G.652 (08/2024)
  • ISO/IEC 11801 Structured Cabling Standards
  • ITU-T G.652 Single-mode Optical Fibre Standard
Background data
proxy-mapped
Background dataset
nylon 6-6
Uncertainty
-24.6% / +26.2% around the published quantity. The bounds themselves ship with the dataset on Circa.
Unit
kg
LSZH (Low Smoke Zero Halogen) Materialkg · -24.6% / +25.4%
Derivation basis
  • Calculated from per-operation consumption, operation counts, and manufacturing yield.
  • REEL derivation: engineering estimate of cable and interconnect component mass and material split, built from vendor catalogue and product-page data for representative parts; no single published inventory covers this component class

The sources for this row are listed below.

Source citations (dataset-level)
  • TIA Fiber Optics Tech Consortium, IEEE 802.3 single-mode Ethernet reach tables; ITU-T G.652 (08/2024)
  • ISO/IEC 11801 Structured Cabling Standards
  • ITU-T G.652 Single-mode Optical Fibre Standard
Background data
proxy-mapped
Background dataset
polyethylene, high density, granulate
Uncertainty
-24.6% / +25.4% around the published quantity. The bounds themselves ship with the dataset on Circa.
Unit
kg
Zirconia ceramic (ZrO2) Materialkg · -23.8% / +25%
Derivation basis
  • Calculated from per-operation consumption, operation counts, and manufacturing yield.
  • REEL derivation: engineering estimate of cable and interconnect component mass and material split, built from vendor catalogue and product-page data for representative parts; no single published inventory covers this component class

The sources for this row are listed below.

Source citations (dataset-level)
  • TIA Fiber Optics Tech Consortium, IEEE 802.3 single-mode Ethernet reach tables; ITU-T G.652 (08/2024)
  • ISO/IEC 11801 Structured Cabling Standards
  • ITU-T G.652 Single-mode Optical Fibre Standard
Background data
ecoinvent 3.12
Background dataset
zirconium oxide
Uncertainty
-23.8% / +25% around the published quantity. The bounds themselves ship with the dataset on Circa.
Unit
kg
PBT (Polybutylene Terephthalate) Materialkg · -23.8% / +25%
Derivation basis
  • Calculated from per-operation consumption, operation counts, and manufacturing yield.
  • REEL derivation: engineering estimate of cable and interconnect component mass and material split, built from vendor catalogue and product-page data for representative parts; no single published inventory covers this component class

The sources for this row are listed below.

Source citations (dataset-level)
  • TIA Fiber Optics Tech Consortium, IEEE 802.3 single-mode Ethernet reach tables; ITU-T G.652 (08/2024)
  • ISO/IEC 11801 Structured Cabling Standards
  • ITU-T G.652 Single-mode Optical Fibre Standard
Background data
proxy-mapped
Background dataset
glass fibre reinforced plastic, polyamide, injection moulded
Uncertainty
-23.8% / +25% around the published quantity. The bounds themselves ship with the dataset on Circa.
Unit
kg
Stainless steel (SUS304) Materialkg · -26.8% / +30.1%
Derivation basis
  • Calculated from per-operation consumption, operation counts, and manufacturing yield.
  • REEL derivation: engineering estimate of cable and interconnect component mass and material split, built from vendor catalogue and product-page data for representative parts; no single published inventory covers this component class

The sources for this row are listed below.

Source citations (dataset-level)
  • TIA Fiber Optics Tech Consortium, IEEE 802.3 single-mode Ethernet reach tables; ITU-T G.652 (08/2024)
  • ISO/IEC 11801 Structured Cabling Standards
  • ITU-T G.652 Single-mode Optical Fibre Standard
Background data
ecoinvent 3.12
Background dataset
steel, chromium steel 18/8, hot rolled
Uncertainty
-26.8% / +30.1% around the published quantity. The bounds themselves ship with the dataset on Circa.
Unit
kg
Phosphor bronze (CuSn8) Materialkg · -26.8% / +22%
Derivation basis
  • Calculated from per-operation consumption, operation counts, and manufacturing yield.
  • REEL derivation: engineering estimate of cable and interconnect component mass and material split, built from vendor catalogue and product-page data for representative parts; no single published inventory covers this component class

The sources for this row are listed below.

Source citations (dataset-level)
  • TIA Fiber Optics Tech Consortium, IEEE 802.3 single-mode Ethernet reach tables; ITU-T G.652 (08/2024)
  • ISO/IEC 11801 Structured Cabling Standards
  • ITU-T G.652 Single-mode Optical Fibre Standard
Background data
ecoinvent 3.12
Background dataset
bronze
Uncertainty
-26.8% / +22% around the published quantity. The bounds themselves ship with the dataset on Circa.
Unit
kg

Outputs and waste

Rejected Assemblies Solid wastekg · ±50%
Derivation basis
  • Calculated from the mass balance of spent materials and consumables, with treatment selected from the waste classification.

No source is attached to this row.

Source citations
Not stated
Background data
ecoinvent 3.12 treatment route
Background dataset
treatment of inert waste, sanitary landfill
Uncertainty
±50% around the published quantity. The bounds themselves ship with the dataset on Circa.
Unit
kg
PVC Scrap Solid wasteg
Derivation basis
  • Calculated from the mass balance of spent materials and consumables, with treatment selected from the waste classification.

The sources below come from the manufacturing operations behind this row.

Sources (inherited)
Inherited, rolled up from the contributing process steps:
  • Niehoff Magazine EN. Double bow buncher, RBD line MSM 86 specific energy
  • Wire & Cable India Emagazine. Continuus-Properzi SAM machinery
  • HH-16 Multi wire Intermediate /fine wire drawing machine with annealing. Hooha HK
  • Niehoff 2017-2018 Cable Industry Guide. (MSM 86, R 502)
  • An Ultra-Fast Annealing Treatment by Electropulsing during Pure Copper Wire Drawing
  • Leading the way in sustainable lubrication. CONDAT Lubricants
Background data
ecoinvent 3.12 treatment route
Background dataset
treatment of inert waste, sanitary landfill
Uncertainty
No range defined.
Unit
g
Jacket Strip Solid wasteg
Derivation basis
  • Calculated from the mass balance of spent materials and consumables, with treatment selected from the waste classification.

The sources below come from the manufacturing operations behind this row.

Sources (inherited)
Inherited, rolled up from the contributing process steps:
  • Komax Alpha 530 / UniCrimp 208 Specifications, Komax Group, Published 2022
  • JacketStrip 8310 Technical Specifications, Symartech
  • Model TZ-PT500 & TZ-PT630 Pair Twist + Back Twist Machine Specifications, TaiZheng Machine
  • HK-500 Triple Twisting Machine for CAT5/CAT6 Cable Manufacturing, HK Cable Machine
  • 48 Spindles Steel Wire Braiding Machine Specifications, Shenzhen Adp Communication Technology
  • 16 Spindle Braiding Machine Product Data, Srichand Engineering
Background data
ecoinvent 3.12 treatment route
Background dataset
treatment of inert waste, sanitary landfill
Uncertainty
No range defined.
Unit
g
Conductor Trim Solid wasteg
Derivation basis
  • Calculated from the mass balance of spent materials and consumables, with treatment selected from the waste classification.

The sources below come from the manufacturing operations behind this row.

Sources (inherited)
Inherited, rolled up from the contributing process steps:
  • Komax Alpha 530 / UniCrimp 208 Specifications, Komax Group, Published 2022
  • JacketStrip 8310 Technical Specifications, Symartech
  • Model TZ-PT500 & TZ-PT630 Pair Twist + Back Twist Machine Specifications, TaiZheng Machine
  • HK-500 Triple Twisting Machine for CAT5/CAT6 Cable Manufacturing, HK Cable Machine
  • 48 Spindles Steel Wire Braiding Machine Specifications, Shenzhen Adp Communication Technology
  • 16 Spindle Braiding Machine Product Data, Srichand Engineering
Background data
ecoinvent 3.12 treatment route
Background dataset
market for copper scrap, sorted, pressed
Uncertainty
No range defined.
Unit
g
Label Backing Solid wasteg
Derivation basis
  • Calculated from the mass balance of spent materials and consumables, with treatment selected from the waste classification.

The sources below come from the manufacturing operations behind this row.

Sources (inherited)
Inherited, rolled up from the contributing process steps:
  • Komax Alpha 530 / UniCrimp 208 Specifications, Komax Group, Published 2022
  • JacketStrip 8310 Technical Specifications, Symartech
  • Model TZ-PT500 & TZ-PT630 Pair Twist + Back Twist Machine Specifications, TaiZheng Machine
  • HK-500 Triple Twisting Machine for CAT5/CAT6 Cable Manufacturing, HK Cable Machine
  • 48 Spindles Steel Wire Braiding Machine Specifications, Shenzhen Adp Communication Technology
  • 16 Spindle Braiding Machine Product Data, Srichand Engineering
Background data
ecoinvent 3.12 treatment route
Background dataset
treatment of inert waste, sanitary landfill
Uncertainty
No range defined.
Unit
g

Emissions to air

No emissions to air are recorded at this level.

Emissions to water

No emissions to water are recorded at this level.

Flows not quantified

No flows are recorded for this dataset without a quantity.

Limitations and unquantified flows (2)

Limits this dataset declares about itself: first any limit stated in its own description, then any limit it declares flow by flow, grouped by channel. Each entry below is the model's own disclosure.

  • This dataset represents a cable plant that buys optical fiber already drawn and coated. Drawing the glass, the precursors that go into it and the emissions that come off that process are outside this dataset; they are covered by the separate optical fiber production dataset this project publishes.
  • The glass and coating masses are built from the fiber's declared diameters and the densities of the two materials. They are far lighter than the figures they replace, so the constituent bill of the finished cable now sits below the mass range quoted for commercial patch cords of this length, and no constituent has been added to close that difference.

The flows above are this dataset's own records. What follows are the scope rules set once for the whole database in the methodology report, repeated here so every dataset page carries them.

Database-wide boundary policy — applies to every REEL dataset

These boundaries are set once for the whole database, in Chapter 2 of the methodology report, and apply to this dataset wherever they are relevant to it. The excluded flows listed above are specific to this dataset.

Use phase
Product operation is outside the cradle-to-gate scope.
End-of-life treatment
Recycling and disposal are outside the cradle-to-gate scope.
Distribution and retail
The gate is a finished component ready for integration into a higher-level assembly.
Inbound transport of raw materials
Transport of purchased raw materials to the manufacturing facility is already inside the upstream "market for" datasets that users link to a background database, so it is not modelled a second time here. This does not cover freight between REEL production stages, which is modelled where a dataset authors it.
Returnable shipping containers
Where freight between production stages is modelled, the mass moved is the product itself. The shipping container (FOSB, SEMI M31) is returnable capital equipment whose per-trip share is unsourced, so its tare is excluded from the transport effort.
Photomask fabrication
A mask set's embodied burden is amortised across a high-volume production run and is not attributed per wafer. Users assessing low-volume production should add mask fabrication separately; the methodology report gives the basis for the exclusion.
Employee transport, administration and R&D overhead
Employee transportation, facility administration and R&D/pilot-production overhead are outside scope.
Capital goods
Manufacturing equipment, cleanroom construction and facility infrastructure are excluded, on the grounds of absent public data on equipment embodied energy, uncertainty in equipment lifetime and allocation, common practice in electronics LCA, and a focus on the operational inventory. Future versions may include capital goods when sufficient public data becomes available.
Precious metal recovery credits
Scrap recovery credits for precious metals are excluded pending data availability.
Wafer reclaim
Test wafers and scrap are outside the system boundary.

Inside the boundary, linked rather than modelled

Silicon ingot growth and wafer slicing
Inside the cradle-to-gate scope, but treated as upstream material inputs linked to background databases rather than modelled as REEL processes.
Freight between production stages
Where a dataset's product moves between REEL production stages - wafer fabrication to the packaging site, for example - that leg is authored as a transport service and linked to an ecoinvent freight activity. It is measured as a transport effort in tonne-kilometres, not as a mass. Route distances are authored per route class with a stated band; a lower bound of zero is a modelling statement that the two sites can be co-located, not a missing value.

Cut-off criteria

A flow is excluded from a process inventory when it contributes less than 1 % of the total mass of inputs to that unit process, or less than 1 % of its total energy input. The denominator is total process inputs, not product mass. That distinction matters in semiconductor manufacturing, where the input mass of water, chemicals and gases greatly exceeds the product mass, so the threshold removes only genuinely minor flows.

Included regardless of the cut-off

  • Perfluorocarbons (CF4, C2F6, SF6, NF3) - high GWP, EPA regulated
  • Heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Hg, Cr(VI)) - RoHS regulated, high toxicity
  • Volatile organics (photoresist solvents, PGMEA) - air quality
  • Precious metals (Au, Ag, Pd, Pt) - high embodied impacts
  • Ozone-depleting substances (legacy CFCs, HCFCs) - Montreal Protocol