Industrial networking
M8 vs M12 Sensor Cables: Two Phoenix Contact A-Coded Examples
Match the shell on the device. These two A-coded cables both list 4 A, and they do not share a thread, a pin count, or a cable diameter.
On this page
Use the M8 cable when the device port is an M8. Use the M12 cable when the device port is an M12. On the two Phoenix Contact pages opened October 20, 2026, part 1681923 is a 3-position A-coded M8 cable at 48 V AC, 60 V DC, and 4 A, with a 3.60 mm outside diameter. Part 1697098 is a 5-position A-coded M12 cable at the same 48 V AC, 60 V DC, and 4 A, and its black PUR option has a 4.55 mm outside diameter. Connector current is 4 A on both pages. Shell, position count, wire size, and the named IEC standard are different, and the sections below list them.
What part 1681923 publishes for an M8 port
Part 1681923, as of October 20, 2026, is a 1.5 m sensor and actuator cable: straight M8 plug to straight M8 socket, A-coded, 3 positions, unshielded, PUR halogen-free jacket in black-gray RAL 7021. Connector nominal voltage is 48 V AC and 60 V DC. Nominal current is 4 A. The UL Listed and cUL Listed lines on the same page say 60 V and 4 A, file E221474. The cable's own nominal voltage is 300 V or under. Those are three voltage statements. The connector lines are the ones that match the M8 ends. The 300 V line is the cable.
Conductors are 3 x 0.25 mm², 24 AWG, colors brown, blue, and black. Outside diameter is 3.60 mm, plus or minus 0.15 mm. Fixed-installation bend radius is 18 mm. Movable bend radius is 36 mm. Tightening torque for the M8 connectors is 0.2 Nm. The standard line says IEC 61076-2-104. Degree of protection is IP65, IP67, and IP68. Insertion and withdrawal cycles are 100 or more. Minimum order quantity is 1. Country of origin is DE. Weight including packing is 36 g. Phoenix Contact's address on the page is 586 Fulling Mill Road, Middletown, PA 17057.
Temperature on this page is printed in more than one block, as of October 20, 2026. The cable section lists -40°C to 80°C for fixed installation and -25°C to 80°C for flexible installation. The environmental section lists -25°C to 90°C for the plug and socket, -40°C to 80°C for the cable in fixed installation, and -5°C to 80°C for the cable in flexible installation. The two flexible-installation lows, -25°C and -5°C, are both on the page. Ask Phoenix Contact which line applies to the installed cable before you treat either number as the limit.
What part 1697098 publishes for a 5-position M12 port
Part 1697098 is a configurable sensor and actuator cable: straight M12 plug, A-coded, 5 positions, free cable end, length entered from 0.2 m to 100.0 m. Connector nominal voltage is 48 V AC and 60 V DC. Nominal current is 4 A. The UL Listed line on the page says 125 V and 4 A. The product property says the item is not shielded. The standard line says IEC 61076-2-101. The M12 sensor guide uses this part as one 5-position example among other makers. The figures here were read again on October 20, 2026.
The black PUR halogen-free option on that page, as of October 20, 2026, is 5 x 0.34 mm², 22 AWG, outside diameter 4.55 mm plus or minus 0.15 mm, cable weight 33 kg/km. Wire colors listed for that option are brown, white, blue, black, and green-yellow. Fixed bend radius is 23 mm. Movable bend radius is 46 mm. Cable nominal voltage for that option is 300 V. The connector is still the 48 V AC and 60 V DC line. A 300 V cable rating does not raise the connector to 300 V.
| Item | 1681923, M8 | 1697098, M12, black PUR option |
|---|---|---|
| Coding and positions | A-coded, 3 positions | A-coded, 5 positions |
| Ends | Straight M8 plug to straight M8 socket, 1.5 m | Straight M12 plug to a free end, 0.2 m to 100.0 m |
| Connector voltage and current | 48 V AC, 60 V DC, 4 A | 48 V AC, 60 V DC, 4 A |
| UL line on the page | 60 V, 4 A | 125 V, 4 A |
| Conductors | 3 x 0.25 mm², 24 AWG | 5 x 0.34 mm², 22 AWG |
| Outside diameter | 3.60 mm | 4.55 mm |
| Bend radius, fixed / movable | 18 mm / 36 mm | 23 mm / 46 mm |
| Standard named | IEC 61076-2-104 | IEC 61076-2-101 |
| Shield on the product property | No | No |
When each shell fits
The device drawing chooses the shell. An M8 port takes 1681923's thread and its 3-position A-coding. An M12 port takes 1697098's thread and its 5-position A-coding. The shared 4 A connector current is why a current number alone cannot pick the cable. A machine that needs five conductors, or a free cable end in a length other than 1.5 m, is in the 1697098 description. A machine with M8 ports at both ends, at 1.5 m, is in the 1681923 description.
Pin functions still come from the device sheet. Brown, blue, and black on the M8 cable are the colors that page lists. They are not a map you can copy onto the five M12 colors. D-coded and X-coded Ethernet uses other keys in the same M12 shell size. Those keys are not A-coding.
Which voltage line belongs on the request
Write the connector nominal voltage when you are matching the port: 48 V AC and 60 V DC, 4 A, on both of these pages. Write the UL line when the equipment requires that approval: 60 V and 4 A on 1681923, 125 V and 4 A on 1697098. Write the cable nominal voltage, 300 V on the options cited here, when the question is the jacket and the conductors. Putting the cable's 300 V into the connector field overstates what the ends are listed at.
What to put on the cable note
- Device and port, including male or female.
- Shell: M8 or M12.
- Coding and position count.
- Connector voltage and current the device requires.
- Shield, jacket, and whether the route moves.
- Length. 1681923 is a fixed 1.5 m. 1697098 takes an entry from 0.2 m to 100.0 m.
Questions before treating the cables as equivalents
Does 4 A mean the cables are interchangeable?
The connector current matches and the mechanical interface does not. Thread, position count, wire size, outside diameter, and the named IEC standard all differ on the pages above. A 4 A device on an M12 port still needs the M12 cable.
Will an adapter fix a shell mismatch?
This comparison did not open an adapter page. The two cables here mate M8 to M8, or M12 to a free end. Add an adapter only after its own page lists the codings, the current, and the voltage. Those ratings can be lower than either cable.
Which flexible temperature applies to 1681923?
The page prints -25°C and -5°C as lows for flexible installation in different sections. Until Phoenix Contact says which block governs, keep both numbers on the note and do not drop one of them to make the table tidy.
Sources
Both pages were opened October 20, 2026. The M12 construction figures are the black PUR option on 1697098. Other jacket choices on that configurable item can differ. No continuity test was run on either cable.