| Full title | Generic Telecommunications Cabling for Customer Premises |
| Publisher | Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), ANSI-accredited |
| Current edition | ANSI/TIA-568.0-E, March 2020, with Addendum 1 (ANSI/TIA-568.0-E-1), July 2022 |
| Status | Current. TIA work is under way on ANSI/TIA-568.1-F, which is planned to consolidate 568.0, 568.1 and TIA-862 (status October 2025). |
| Previous revisions | 568-C.0 (2009), 568.0-D (2015) |
| Related standards | ANSI/TIA-568.1, 568.2, 568.3, 568.5, 569, 606, 607 |
What it covers
ANSI/TIA-568.0 specifies requirements for generic telecommunications cabling. It sets the requirements for cabling system structure, topologies and distances, installation, performance and testing.
It is written for any type of customer premises. The premises standards apply it to a specific building type. For example, ANSI/TIA-568.1 applies the generic structure to commercial buildings.
Detailed component and link transmission limits are set in the component standards: ANSI/TIA-568.2 for balanced twisted-pair, ANSI/TIA-568.3 for optical fibre and ANSI/TIA-568.5 for single twisted-pair.
Generic terms
Because it covers every premises type, 568.0 uses neutral names for connection points and cabling, rather than building terms such as telecommunications room or work area.
| 568.0 term | Meaning | Typical commercial building example |
|---|---|---|
| Distributor C | Initial or central connection point in the hierarchical star | Main cross-connect |
| Distributor B | Optional intermediate connection point between Distributor A and Distributor C | Optional second cross-connect level |
| Distributor A | Intermediate connection point between Distributor C and the equipment outlet | Horizontal cross-connect |
| Equipment outlet | Final connection point in the hierarchical star | Telecommunications outlet |
| Cabling subsystem | Runs between |
|---|---|
| Cabling Subsystem 1 | Distributor A and the equipment outlet |
| Cabling Subsystem 2 | Distributor A and Distributor B |
| Cabling Subsystem 2 or 3 | Backbone cabling to Distributor C (from Distributor A or Distributor B) |
A consolidation point is a connection facility within Cabling Subsystem 1. TIA committee TR-42.5 noted in October 2025 that the Cabling Subsystem 1 to 3 and Distributor A to C terms will be replaced in a future revision.
What 568.0 holds that 568.1 does not
568.1 is the commercial building application and refers back to 568.0 for its structure. Several general provisions sit only in 568.0:
- the generic structure and hierarchical star topology that all premises standards build on
- open office cabling, meaning consolidation points and multi-user telecommunications outlet assemblies, moved from 568.1 into 568.0 in the D revision
- general installation requirements for cabling
- general performance and testing requirements, with the detailed limits in the component standards
- from Addendum 1 (2022), the topology, architecture and installation requirements for balanced single twisted-pair cabling
Revision history
| Document | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 568-C.0 | February 2009 | C revision |
| 568-C.0 Addendum 1 | September 2010 | Updated balanced twisted-pair references |
| 568-C.0 Addendum 2 | August 2012 | Updates to fibre polarity, application tables and fibre testing guidance |
| 568.0-D | September 2015 | Revision |
| 568.0-D Addendum 1 | July 2017 | Updated references and new media types |
| 568.0-E | March 2020 | Current revision |
| 568.0-E-1 | July 2022 | Addendum 1: balanced single twisted-pair cabling |
How it relates to other standards
- ANSI/TIA-568.1 applies the 568.0 structure to commercial buildings.
- ANSI/TIA-568.5 sets the single twisted-pair component and link requirements that 568.0-E-1 refers to.
- ANSI/TIA-568.1-F, in development, is planned to combine 568.0, 568.1 and TIA-862 into one document.
- ISO/IEC 11801-1 plays a similar generic role in the international series. It uses different terms and its own class system.
What it means in practice
- Where a specification cites TIA-568, check which part and revision it means. Structure sits in 568.0 and 568.1; transmission and field test limits sit in 568.2, 568.3 and 568.5.
- 568.0 and premises standards based on it use Distributor A, B and C. Map them to cross-connect names when coordinating with commercial building documents.
- For consolidation points and multi-user outlets in open offices, look in 568.0, not 568.1.
- For single-pair cabling to sensors, controllers and other building devices, use 568.0-E-1 for topology and installation together with 568.5.
- Watch for ANSI/TIA-568.1-F, which TR-42.1 is developing to consolidate 568.0, 568.1 and TIA-862.
Related reading: What is structured cabling?.