Cat 6 vs Cat 6A vs Cat 7: What to Pull for New Construction
The Short Answer: Cat 6A
For any new construction or major refurbishment in 2026, pull Cat 6A. Full stop. The price delta over Cat 6 is ~15–20%, and it future-proofs the building for 10GBASE-T to every outlet.
Cat 5e vs Cat 6 vs Cat 6A vs Cat 7 vs Cat 8 at a glance
| Category | Bandwidth | Max speed | At what length | Connector | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cat 5e | 100 MHz | 1 Gbps | 100 m | RJ45 | Existing 1G floors only — don't install new |
| Cat 6 | 250 MHz | 1 Gbps (10 Gbps short runs) | 100 m (10G: ~37–55 m) | RJ45 | Budget 1G desk runs |
| Cat 6A | 500 MHz | 10 Gbps | 100 m | RJ45 | New builds, Wi-Fi 6E/7 AP uplinks |
| Cat 7 (ISO Class F) | 600 MHz | 10 Gbps | 100 m | GG45 / TERA | Avoid — not a TIA category, rare connectors |
| Cat 8 | 2,000 MHz | 25/40 Gbps | 30 m | RJ45 (Cat 8.1) | Data-centre top-of-rack only |
Need a cabling bill of materials for your floor plan? Request a quote.
Why Not Cat 6?
Cat 6 supports 1 Gbps at 100m and 10 Gbps only up to 37m (with alien crosstalk issues). That's fine for today, but Wi-Fi 7 APs already want 2.5G/5G/10G uplinks and client NICs are moving there. Refreshing cabling is the most expensive thing in a building — do it once, do it right.
Why Not Cat 7/7A/8?
Cat 7 uses non-standard GG45/Tera connectors that most installers haven't stocked in a decade. Cat 8 is designed for 25/40G short runs (30m) in data center top-of-rack — it's the wrong tool for horizontal floor runs.
Cat 6A Specs to Demand
- Shielded (F/UTP or S/FTP) for dense deployments and AV-heavy floors
- LSZH jacket (low smoke zero halogen) for building code compliance
- 23 AWG solid copper — never copper-clad aluminum (CCA)
- Permanent link certified — every run individually tested to 500 MHz, report archived
Brands We Source on Request
Panduit, CommScope (SYSTIMAX), Belden, Legrand, D-Link Pro. For Indian projects we typically specify CommScope GigaSpeed XL 2091B (Cat 6A F/UTP LSZH) and Panduit TX6A-SD for connector-matched links.
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