Industrial networking
PROFINET vs Ethernet Cable: What to Check Before Buying
PROFINET runs on Industrial Ethernet. The purchase is the cable and connectors that match the device and the way the run is installed.
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PROFINET is an industrial communication system that uses Industrial Ethernet. A purchasing choice is which cable, connector, and installation rating meet the device and the route. An office Ethernet patch cord, a shielded industrial cord, and a PROFINET cable with a stated type can share an RJ45 outline and still be different products.
The short answer
Start from the device. If the port is a PROFINET port, use the cable and connector documents that belong to that installation. PI's cabling guideline, order 2.252 version 5.3 from May 2023, describes the passive side of PROFINET networks: connectors, cables, cordsets, and the checks for the link. The design guideline, order 8.062 version 1.38 from September 2019, describes a typical copper cable as 4-core shielded cable, with 8-core cable specified for 1000 Mbit/s, and a 100 m copper limit for the end-to-end link in that document. Those are properties of the cited guidelines. They are the checklist, not a slogan about one cable winning.
What a cable datasheet must tell you
Read for pair count and conductor type, the connector, the shield, the jacket and environment, the mechanical duty, and the document the maker says the cable follows. The 2023 cabling guideline organizes balanced copper cables into types, including Type A, Type B, and Type C, and it adds Type R on 2-pair cables. It also specifies connectors, including M12-D to IEC 61076-2-101 and M12-X to IEC 61076-2-109. A datasheet that stops at Cat5e or Cat6 has not yet answered the installation type.
- Pair count and whether the conductors are solid or stranded.
- Connector on each end, including M12 coding if the port is an M12.
- Shield construction and where the shield is terminated.
- Jacket material and the chemical or temperature duty, if the route needs it.
- Whether the cable is for a fixed run, occasional motion, or continuous movement.
- The maker's reference to a PROFINET cable type or another stated standard.
Stationary, moving, and demanding installations
The design guideline separates PROFINET copper cables by application. The installation guideline, order 8.072 version 2.12 from September 2022, uses a parallel split: non-flexible solid-core cable for stationary use, flexible cable for occasional motion or vibration, and cable for permanent movement in special applications. A connector that fits does not choose among those.
Fixed runs
Type A, in the design guideline, is for fixed installation and is not for motion after it is installed. The installation guideline's non-flexible, solid-core row is the same idea: stationary use without motion. A cable pulled into tray and left there is the case these sentences describe. Confirm the type on the datasheet rather than assuming a stiff jacket is Type A.
Repeated movement
Type B allows occasional motion or vibration, and the design guideline says to use it when vibration is present because it is less susceptible. The installation guideline's flexible row matches occasional motion or vibration. Continuous travel is the next category. Type C is for special applications with continuous movement after installation, and the design guideline names trailing chains and festoons as examples.
Torsion or other specified conditions
The installation guideline tells you to use flexible, distortion-resistant PROFINET cable where the cable is twisted often, and it names robots as a typical case. That is a further mechanical requirement on top of the type. A drag-chain rating and a torsion rating are different sentences. If the machine twists the cable, ask for the torsion figure. If it only rolls in a chain, ask for the chain rating the Type C description is aimed at.
LAPP publishes three product pages that use those type letters. ETHERLINE PN Cat.5 is labeled Type A, for fixed installation, with a solid conductor, a green PVC jacket, and Cat.5e performance up to 100 Mbit/s. ETHERLINE PN FLEX Cat.6A is labeled Type B, for flexible use, with a stranded conductor, a green PVC jacket, and Cat.6A performance up to 10 Gbit/s. That page also prints a minimum order of 1640 feet. ETHERLINE PN Cat.5 FD is labeled Type C, for continuous flexing in a cable chain, with a green halogen-free PUR jacket and Cat.5e performance up to 100 Mbit/s. Those are three catalog pages. A green jacket appears on all three.
| Situation | Design guideline, 2019 | Installation guideline, 2022 | What a connector match still omits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stays put after pull-in | Type A. No motion after installation. | Non-flexible, solid core. Stationary use. | The jacket, the shield, and the length limit in the design you are following. |
| Occasional motion or vibration | Type B. | Flexible cable. | How often it moves, and whether the datasheet says Type B. |
| Continuous flex, chain, or festoon | Type C. Trailing chains and festoons are the examples given. | Permanent-movement cable. | Bend radius and cycle life for that cable. |
| Frequent twisting | Not given as a separate type letter in the section cited. | Distortion-resistant flexible cable. Robots are the example. | The torsion rating, in degrees per length, from the cable maker. |
RJ45, M12, and equipment requirements
The design guideline shows RJ45 and M12 D-coded connectors, and it points M12 Type X at higher transmission rates under IEC 61076-2-109. The M12 Ethernet guide compares D-coded and X-coded products. The sensor cable guide is the A-coded sensor case, which ifm treats separately from D-coded data cables. A PROFINET port can be an RJ45 or an M12. The connector confirms the mating face. The cable type confirms the installation. You need both, plus the device manual.
A purchasing checklist
Copy the list into the request you send a distributor or a cable maker. It does not certify the network.
Questions about using existing cables
Can an ordinary Ethernet patch lead be used?
Only if it meets the installation and the device documents. The guidelines above ask for a shielded construction and a type matched to motion. A patch lead that was built for an office outlet can miss the shield, the jacket, and the flex rating. If the device maker allows a stated patch cord, use that allowance. Otherwise treat the patch lead as unverified for the PROFINET run.
Does a green jacket prove suitability?
binder publishes green PUR jackets on specific M12-X to RJ45 assemblies, and the page reviewed does not state a PROFINET type for those cables. LAPP prints a green jacket on the Type A, Type B, and Type C examples above. The PI guidelines classify copper cable by construction and by type. Jacket color can appear on a suitable cable and still leave the type unstated.
Is shielding alone sufficient?
The design guideline describes a typical PROFINET copper cable as shielded. Shielding is one required kind of information. It does not choose Type A, Type B, or Type C, and it does not choose D-coded versus X-coded. Ask for the shield and for the installation type.
Sources
Type definitions are quoted from the guideline versions in the list. The May 2023 cabling guideline is the later passive-component document and still uses Type A, B, and C. Where the 2019 text and the 2022 text use different labels for the same installation idea, both labels are shown. No certification mark was added.
- PROFINET Design Guideline, order 8.062, V1.38, September 2019
- PROFINET Installation Guideline, order 8.072, V2.12, September 2022
- PROFINET Cabling and Interconnection Technology, order 2.252, V5.3, May 2023
- Cabling guideline PDF, May 2023
- LAPP ETHERLINE PN Cat.5, Type A
- LAPP ETHERLINE PN FLEX Cat.6A, Type B
- LAPP ETHERLINE PN Cat.5 FD, Type C
- binder M12-X connectors