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How Tight Is the Buffer on the Cable That I Am Providing?

Published: April 13, 2018
, Last updated: September 18, 2025

QUESTION: How tight is the buffer on the cable that I am providing?

 

ANSWER:

I have been asked about this so many times, I wrote a blog article on this exact question.

Is it a “true tight buffer” or is it “semi tight” or “loose tight buffer” or one of the other various terms thrown around such as tight bound,  tight strippable, bonded, or even tension centered, etc.   The biggest single concerns are in how the fiber will react in termination processing either for connectorization, preparation for fusion splicing, mechanical splices or sealing into an enclosure or furcation tube. The reason for all of the concerns about how tight the buffer is placed on the fiber deal with whether or not there is enough gap or separation to allow independently removing the buffer from the coating or preventing the coating and buffer interstitial space from absorbing epoxy from connectorization or other termination operations.

 

 

ADDITIONAL CONTENT & RESOURCES:

 

 

  Answered by AskFOC Technical Team April 13, 2018

 

 

 

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About the Author
FOC FAQ Fiber Optic Center has a team of technical experts and marketing strategists with decades of years in the field. This team contributes to the fiber, cable and specialty industries coverage through news, alerts, reports and general media information.
About Fiber Optic Center, Inc.
Fiber Optic Center, Inc., (FOC), is an international leader in distributing fiber optic components, equipment, materials, and supplies known for helping customers make the best cable assemblies in the world for over three decades. Material property consultation is provided by technical experts for lapping film, epoxy, adhesives, optical coatings, and optical plastics during application specific material selection. Technical process expertise is offered in several key technology areas. Specialized expertise includes cable assembly line mastery, fiber broadband field installation best practices, and technical advancements in telecom, datacom, data centers, and hyperscale. Optical cable specification development includes design and quality testing. FOC's impact reaches the network physical capabilities through fiber manufacturing process expertise from preform fabrication and shaping, fiber drawing, and coating requirements for double clad fibers used for high power fiber laser applications to solution doping, vapor phase doping, rare earth chelates and halide recipe consultation. Fiber Optic Center is the preferred choice for the world’s fiber professionals as the industry connection to the most innovative optical products, technologies and technical experts who integrate their manufacturing knowledge and vast experience into customers' worldwide operations. @FiberOpticCntr

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Fiber Optic Center, Inc., 23 Centre Street, New Bedford, MA 02740-6322
Toll Free in US: 800-IS-FIBER or 800-473-4237 . Direct 508-992-6464. Email: sales@focenter.com or fiberopticcenter@focenter.com

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