# Telephone wiring colour code standard



## sprdave

Im kinda in a disagreement with someone about this. From what I know, there is a standard colour code used for telephone wiring (i.e. lines and jacks in houses).
Which is
Line 1: blue and white/blue or red and green
Line 2: orange and white/orange or yellow and black
and so on...
I realize it's not mandatory like say the electrical code, but more like an industry standard/usual practice.

But this guy says "there is no standard for which colour the installer uses",
and that there is a standard for rj45 called EIA/TIA 568 (which isn't technically correct from what I understand - it is for 8P8C connectors, not true RJ45) but no standard for telephone wiring. "People are free to do whatever they want and installers often do"

So is there a standard for this? Preferably some official standard, or if not, some documented standard by telecom companies like Bell and ATT for installation. Or something saying what should be done...cause in a way I don't want to just drop this as He's basically telling everyone to use whatever colour you feel like, which is annoying when you go to fix it.


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## erics37

If you follow T568B for 8P8C connectors on a regular 6P4C RJ-14 jack then your first two pairs will be blue and green.

If you follow T568A then it'll be Blue and Orange.


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## wcord

erics37 said:


> If you follow T568B for 8P8C connectors on a regular 6P4C RJ-14 jack then your first two pairs will be blue and green.
> 
> If you follow T568A then it'll be Blue and Orange.


Here in Manitoba we use T568A for phones and also for data.


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## sprdave

erics37 said:


> If you follow T568B for 8P8C connectors on a regular 6P4C RJ-14 jack then your first two pairs will be blue and green.
> 
> If you follow T568A then it'll be Blue and Orange.


With T568B, pair 1 is still blue and pair 2 orange (same as T568A), it's just the pin location changes. So you could say pair 1 = line 1 and pair 2 = line 2 and it would all match the colour code Im talking. I did mention that 568 specifies pair 1 is blue and so on, but didn't get anywhere. The question would be does EIA/TIA 568 apply to telephone lines and using blue for line 1 in a house?



wcord said:


> Here in Manitoba we use T568A for phones and also for data.


Everywhere I know or have seen (other than maybe a DIY), including at work or on the internet, uses the colour code I mentioned. But He's saying there's no "standard" and I need some sort of documentation to prove it's standard.


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## etb

The old 25 pair color code is still in use. Tip is the main wire color (WT,RD,BK,YL,VI) and ring is the tracer (BL,OR,GR,BR,SL[slate=gray]). See 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/25-pair_color_code

If you're splicing into older wire, you might find solid colors from USOC or similar. Their correlation is (tip/ring):
pr1: WT/BL = GR/RD
pr2: WT/OR = BK/YL
pr3: WT/GR = WT/BL

or if it's 4pair:
pr3: WT/GR = BL/OR
pr4: WT/BR = BR/WT

A standard is a standard, doesn't mean anybody has to follow it, it just makes sense to do so. As you mentioned, other than hackwork I've never seen anybody wire it differently.


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## mikeh32

there are three main color codes

usoc, t658a, and t658b

the other way you said, is true too.


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## triden

Always use T568A because B has been depreciated....


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## electric mike

does it matter if both ends are the same?


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## crazyboy

electric mike said:


> does it matter if both ends are the same?


No, but it wouldn't be following the standard. Lights still work if you use white for a hot and a black for a neutral. :whistling2:


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## LARMGUY

electric mike said:


> does it matter if both ends are the same?


Yes it does matter if you are trying to get line seizure with a fire alarm. Follow the standard.


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## electric mike

crazyboy said:


> No, but it wouldn't be following the standard. Lights still work if you use white for a hot and a black for a neutral. :whistling2:





LARMGUY said:


> Yes it does matter if you are trying to get line seizure with a fire alarm. Follow the standard.


 
well I thought we were talking about phone lines :laughing:


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## Mulder

LARMGUY said:


> Yes it does matter if you are trying to get line seizure with a fire alarm. Follow the standard.





What standard?


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## LARMGUY

electric mike said:


> well I thought we were talking about phone lines :laughing:


We are. What is going to call the fire department or police department when you aren't home? The fire system is just going to melt with the house.


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## Ty Wrapp

LARMGUY said:


> Yes it does matter if you are trying to get line seizure with a fire alarm. Follow the standard.


Are you talking about wiring the RJ31X ?


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## LARMGUY

Ty Wrapp said:


> Are you talking about wiring the RJ31X ?


The RJ and the whole house. They don't want to follow standard wiring color codes. They think if it is all wired the same what difference does it make. Nothing to the initial installer. Headaches to the next guy if anything goes wrong or installed using phone lines. I couldn't even begin to tell you the hours I have spent toning someone else's phone wiring just to gain line seizure.


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## leland

LARMGUY said:


> The RJ and the whole house. They don't want to follow standard wiring color codes. They think if it is all wired the same what difference does it make. Nothing to the initial installer. Headaches to the next guy if anything goes wrong or installed using phone lines. I couldn't even begin to tell you the hours I have spent toning someone else's phone wiring just to gain line seizure.



Your selfish.:whistling2:

Just go with line reversal and all the problems are solved- quick meter check and... done.


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## sprdave

mikeh32 said:


> there are three main color codes
> 
> usoc, t658a, and t658b
> 
> the other way you said, is true too.


I was actually referring to the USOC in the OP, forgot to mention that.

I was hoping to find at least a Bell document or something saying that's the colour code to use... Maybe USOC is the best I'm going to get?...

Has anyone seen any telephone company document (or even do) a different colour code (other than hack work as mentioned)? To me that kinda makes it a standard if that's all that's documented/done....


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## Ty Wrapp

sprdave said:


> I was actually referring to the USOC in the OP, forgot to mention that.
> 
> I was hoping to find at least a Bell document or something saying that's the colour code to use... Maybe USOC is the best I'm going to get?...
> 
> Has anyone seen any telephone company document (or even do) a different colour code (other than hack work as mentioned)? To me that kinda makes it a standard if that's all that's documented/done....


Yes, USOC is the correct color code for phones. Most of the time I see pairs split to match the old quad color code...solid orange wire to red on jack, green wire to green on jack.


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## Ty Wrapp

LARMGUY said:


> The RJ and the whole house. They don't want to follow standard wiring color codes. They think if it is all wired the same what difference does it make. Nothing to the initial installer. Headaches to the next guy if anything goes wrong or installed using phone lines. I couldn't even begin to tell you the hours I have spent toning someone else's phone wiring just to gain line seizure.


Why not take a home run to the demarc and tie in there. I agree residential phone service can be a nightmare. Around here, commercial alarm service requires 2 dedicated phone lines so a home run to the demarc is the only option. Blue for line 1, orange for line 2, no return needed.


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## Hippie

Ty Wrapp said:


> Yes, USOC is the correct color code for phones. Most of the time I see pairs split to match the old quad color code...solid orange wire to red on jack, green wire to green on jack.


I've only seen this done once, it was real hack work. Blue/white from the demarc to a bundle of duct tape, then orange and green to the jack


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## sprdave

Ty Wrapp said:


> Yes, USOC is the correct color code for phones. Most of the time I see pairs split to match the old quad color code...solid orange wire to red on jack, green wire to green on jack.


Yes I agree that's the correct colour code, I was just hoping for some documentation backing it up...or where/who it came from and if it's as legitimate as the EIA/TIA 568...but doesn't sound like Im going to get it.


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## Ty Wrapp

sprdave said:


> Yes I agree that's the correct colour code, I was just hoping for some documentation backing it up...or where/who it came from and if it's as legitimate as the EIA/TIA 568...but doesn't sound like Im going to get it.


Maybe this is what you are looking for....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Registered_jack


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## zwodubber

I use cat5/6 to 66 blocks for RJ25 voice and let the phone company take it from there. I follow 568B.











Maybe this link will help...

http://www.nadtec.to/doc/wiring/telephone_and_lan_wiring.htm


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## LARMGUY

Ty Wrapp said:


> Why not take a home run to the demarc and tie in there. I agree residential phone service can be a nightmare. Around here, commercial alarm service requires 2 dedicated phone lines so a home run to the demarc is the only option. Blue for line 1, orange for line 2, no return needed.


Agree whole heartedly but when the salesman didn't account for the nightmares the $10.00 per hour alarm tech encounters and has to spend a half day scratching his head. Then there is the telephone tech that is called, sees another cable going into the house and clips or removes it to solve his problem, he won't replace it. When I installed if I couldn't run a home run to the demarc I made damn sure I was in front of any phone line. 

I still laugh at those red and white stickers you are given to label the demarc and the individual phone line as an alarm. They might as well have said, "Cut here to disable this alarm."

Two dedicated lines for burg? I know fire requires two.


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## LARMGUY

*Some interesting reading and the answer to the question.*

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Registered_jack



Registered jacks were created by industry and regulated by the FCC to be the standard interface between a telephone company and a customer. The wired communications provider (telephone company) is responsible for delivery of services to a minimum point of entry (MPOE) (physically a utility box) which connects the telephone/network wiring on the customer's property (customer-premises equipment/CPE) to the communication provider's network. The customer is responsible for jacks, wiring, and equipment on their side of the MPOE. The intent is to establish a universal standard for wiring and interfaces, and to separate ownership of in-home (or in-office) telephone wiring away from the wiring owned by the telephone company.
Under the Bell System monopoly (following the Communications Act of 1934), the Bell System owned the phones and did not allow interconnection of separate phones or other terminal equipment. Phones were generally hardwired, or at times used proprietary Bell System connectors.

Bell System adaptor cable from proprietary connector (top center) to modular connector, ca. 1970


This began to change with the case Hush-A-Phone v. United States [1956] and the FCC's _Carterfone_ [1968] decision, which required Bell to allow some interconnection, which culminated in registered jacks.
Registered jacks were introduced by the Bell System under a 1976 FCC order ending the use of protective couplers provided exclusively by the telephone company. The new modular jacks replaced earlier, bulkier connectors. The Bell System issued specifications for the modular connectors and their wiring as _Universal Service Order Codes_, (USOC), which were the only standards at the time. USOCs are commonly specified to the communications provider by large businesses for a variety of services. Because there are many standardized interface options available to the customer, the customer must specify the type of interface required by RJ/USOC. For a multi-line interface such as the RJ21, the customer must denote which position(s) of the interface are to be used. If there are multiple RJ21 connectors, they are numbered sequentially and the customer must advise the communications provider of which one to use.
When the US telephone industry was opened to more competition in the 1980s, the specifications became US law, ordered by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and codified in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 47 CFR Part 68, Subpart F[1] superseded by T1.TR5-1999.[2]


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## Ty Wrapp

LARMGUY said:


> Agree whole heartedly but when the salesman didn't account for the nightmares the $10.00 per hour alarm tech encounters and has to spend a half day scratching his head. Then there is the telephone tech that is called, sees another cable going into the house and clips or removes it to solve his problem, he won't replace it. When I installed if I couldn't run a home run to the demarc I made damn sure I was in front of any phone line.
> 
> I still laugh at those red and white stickers you are given to label the demarc and the individual phone line as an alarm. They might as well have said, "Cut here to disable this alarm."
> 
> Two dedicated lines for burg? I know fire requires two.


I'm one of those phone techs that isolates the trouble to the alarm wire. 95% of the time unplugging the RJ31 clears the trouble, alarm company repair time. If it's the wire, I quote a price to repair it. I've been doing this since 1980 when the TELCO actually installed the RJ31 for the alarm company.Most phone techs don't understand how the RJ31 works so they pass on the repair.

Those stickers are a "Thanks for the warning".

Burg-1 line not dedicated. Fire-2 lines dedicated.


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