This post was contributed by Josh Taylor.

When it comes to fiber optic trunking, there are two major options for overall construction loose tube (round) or ribbon (square).  We believe that the loose tube construction is the bestoverall for most cabling applications.  The design lends itself to distinct advantages that make the choice clear to us.

The loose tube construction, being round, can bend on 3 axis points (any which way).  The ribbon cable, because of its square nature, has a preference to bend on axis only.  If bent on the “unnatural” axis, heavy insertion loss occurs which can lead to a myriad of problems on the network.  This also makes routing very difficult at times, and forces the installer to bend on the unnatural axis.  Loose tube design bending on 3 axis allows easy cable routing and takes away the danger of insertion loss due to improper bending.  Due to the round shape, the loose tube construction will displace crush force much more efficiently than the ribbon.

Years ago ribbon cable first boasted the highest density of fibers.  This is no longer the case, as now most loose tube designs boast a 25% smaller footprint than ribbon designs.

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