TELECOM SPECIALTIES · BUYING GUIDE
The best pathway depends on where it goes, how the cable gets installed, and how the network will grow. Learn why different conduit and innerduct designs suit different jobs.
Compare conduit types Size, wall & ratings
Understand the pathway. Plan the installation.01 / COMPARE THE OPTIONS
Conduit creates the protective pathway. Innerduct divides space within a larger conduit. Some HDPE products can serve either role, depending on their construction and application.
Choose it for long, continuous cable pathways.
Flexible HDPE can follow gradual changes in the route. Long reel lengths reduce the number of joints, making it useful for underground network runs and future cable replacement.
Plan around: The installation method, conduit wall thickness, bend radius, and reel handling. These determine the construction needed for the run.
Choose it to reduce friction during cable placement.
Longitudinal ribs inside the conduit reduce contact with the cable jacket. Ribbed-in designs are useful where cable installation is a major consideration; ribbed-in/out designs also help when pulling innerduct into a larger conduit.
Plan around: Cable size, pulling or jetting method, and the complete route. Ribbing improves the pathway surface but does not replace correct sizing.
Choose it for a rigid route assembled from straight sections and fittings.
PVC provides a corrosion-resistant, nonmetallic pathway. It is useful for planned duct runs and building approaches where a rigid layout and formed bends suit the installation.
Plan around: Joints, sweeps, supports, expansion, and the specified wall construction. Schedule 40 and Schedule 80 provide different wall thicknesses and clearances.
Choose it for flexible routing through confined spaces.
The corrugated construction makes shorter, changing routes easier to organize, including interior fiber pathways. It is useful where handling and flexibility matter more than a long straight run.
Plan around: The product’s application, bend limits, and flame rating. Standard, riser, and plenum versions are selected for different environments.
Choose it to make better use of space inside an existing conduit.
Flexible fabric cells separate cable paths while conforming around the cables. This can make more of the available duct space usable and provide organized paths for later additions.
Plan around: Outer conduit inside diameter, existing cables, cell count, and cable diameter per cell. Fabric innerduct works inside an outer conduit.
Choose them for staged fiber growth and separate small cable routes.
Individual small ducts provide dedicated paths for compatible fiber microcables. Bundles let a network reserve multiple pathways and branch toward different destinations as connections are added.
Plan around: Microcable diameter, duct inside diameter, couplers, and the intended pulling or blowing system. Select the bundle construction for the placement environment.
02 / MATCH THE CONSTRUCTION
Diameter, wall thickness, and the installation environment determine how the pathway fits the project.
Use actual inside diameter to plan cable space and outside diameter to match connections. Cable size, existing cables, bends, and installation equipment all affect the space needed.
SDR relates outside diameter to wall thickness. At the same outside diameter, a lower SDR means a thicker wall and less clear inside space. Choose the wall for the installation loads and route, then size the cable pathway.
Schedule 80 has a thicker wall than Schedule 40 at the same trade size, providing greater physical protection with less internal space. Choose the specified schedule for the exposure and protection the installation needs.
Riser-rated products serve the specified vertical building pathways. Plenum-rated products address the flame and smoke requirements of environmental air spaces. Select the raceway and cable ratings separately for the route.
Choose a locatable system when identifying the buried route later is a priority. An integrated locating conductor provides a way to trace a nonmetallic pathway; plan accessible connections for that locating system.
Choose aerial constructions for their intended self-supported or lashed installation. Armored designs add protection for harsher conditions, including certain rocky or rodent-exposed routes. The support method and exposure drive the choice.
Pull tape is an installation accessory. Choose its length and strength for the planned pull, together with the cable’s pulling limits and the required pulling hardware. Couplers and seals complete the selected pathway system.
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