Cat6 Bare Copper vs CCA, Riser vs Plenum: Choosing Cable That Actually Carries PoE
Oct 06, 2026
Cat6 cables that look identical on the shelf can perform very differently once you put PoE cameras, access points and 10 Gb uplinks on them. The difference is usually the conductor. This guide covers bare copper vs copper-clad aluminum (CCA), riser vs plenum, and when a made-to-length cable beats a stock patch cord or a field termination.
Bare copper vs CCA
CCA is an aluminum core with a thin copper skin. It is cheaper and lighter, and it causes problems:
- Higher resistance. Aluminum has roughly 1.6 times the resistance of copper, so DC resistance per pair is well above what the Cat6 standard allows.
- PoE heat and voltage drop. PoE pushes DC power down the pairs, up to 90 W at the switch under IEEE 802.3bt. Higher resistance means more heat in the bundle and less power at the device, and failures show up as cameras that reboot at night when IR turns on.
- Not standards-compliant. TIA-568 specifies copper conductors. CCA cannot meet it, so it cannot honestly be sold as Category 6, whatever the jacket says.
- Brittle terminations. Aluminum work-hardens and breaks at plugs and punch-downs, and it oxidizes where the copper skin is cut.
If the cable is going in a building, carrying PoE, or going on a test report, use solid bare copper.
CMR riser vs CMP plenum
NEC Article 800 sets where each listing can go. CMP plenum cable has low-smoke, flame-retardant jacketing for air-handling spaces such as drop ceilings and raised floors used as return air. CMR riser is for vertical runs between floors and general building use outside plenums. Plenum cable can be used anywhere riser is allowed, not the other way around. If you are not sure whether a ceiling is a plenum, ask the mechanical contractor or specify CMP.
Distance and speed
| Application | Cat6 channel limit |
|---|---|
| 1000BASE-T Gigabit | 100 m (328 ft) |
| 10GBASE-T | Up to 55 m (about 180 ft), less in dense bundles |
| PoE (802.3af/at/bt) | 100 m, with bundle size and temperature limits for high-power PoE |
For 10 Gb beyond 55 m, specify Cat6A.
Solid vs stranded
Solid conductor is the standard for horizontal runs and has lower attenuation. Stranded is more flexible for patch cords that get moved. Our made-to-length cables use solid 23 AWG for runs where the cable will be installed and left in place.
Made-to-length vs field termination
Field-terminated plugs are where most link failures happen: untwisted pairs, wrong pinout, conductors not fully seated. A factory-terminated, wiremap-tested cable arrives working. For camera, access point and AV runs with known lengths, ordering to length saves labor and callbacks.
Ordering
Our custom Cat6 cables are 23 AWG solid bare copper, 550 MHz, CMR riser or CMP plenum, terminated T568B with snagless boots and tested, 3 to 150 ft in blue, gray or white. Labeled and numbered sets for integrators are available on request. For bulk, see our 1000 ft boxes, or send a cut list to the engineering desk at 307-206-0534.
