Product Overview
One Connector End, One Bare End: Thorlabs SMF-28 Built to Order at 0.9144 m
Condition
New and unused, still in the Thorlabs clamshell. Every photo here was shot through the clear plastic, so nothing was opened for the camera - the coiled yellow fiber, the printed Thorlabs care card, and the factory label all sit inside the closed pack. That label prints SMF-28-030Y-CUSTOM twice, then "1 @0.9144M", "MADE IN USA", "INSP BY: MO", and serial S1748437 on this photographed pack. The jacket itself is printed "SMF-28 Ultra 1260-1625nm" with the Thorlabs web address, and a white flag label near the connector reads SMF-28-J9 above a TP-prefixed code. A short yellow tab shows against the card at the bottom of the coil. We stock these in multiples, so the pack in the photos is representative and yours will carry its own serial.
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Product Overview
The Thorlabs SMF-28-030Y-CUSTOM is a single mode fiber patch cable built to order at 0.9144 m, which is exactly three feet, with one end terminated and the other left bare. The fiber is Thorlabs SMF-28-J9 construction per the flag label on the jacket: SMF-28 Ultra single mode fiber in a yellow 900 µm jacket over the 125 µm cladding standard to the SMF-28 family, with the jacket print giving the working range as 1260-1625 nm, which covers the O through L telecom bands. The terminated end is a threaded FC-style connector with a green boot, and green is the fiber industry convention for an APC angle-polished endface; the Thorlabs card inside the pack lists FC/PC, FC/APC, or SMA as its standard connector choices. The label does not spell out the connector code, so treat FC/APC as strongly indicated rather than confirmed and verify the connector style before use. The opposite end is unpatched - the yellow jacket stops and the bare fiber continues, ready for a fusion splice or a field-installed connector of your choosing. CUSTOM in the part number is what the factory label prints rather than anything we appended; it marks a made-to-order build, and the length called out on that label is the spec that governs.
Key Features
- Factory label reads SMF-28-030Y-CUSTOM, 1 @0.9144M, MADE IN USA
- 0.9144 m overall length, exactly three feet
- Jacket printed SMF-28 Ultra with a 1260-1625 nm working range
- White flag label on the jacket reads SMF-28-J9
- Yellow 900 µm jacket over 125 µm cladding, standard SMF-28 family construction
- One end terminated with a threaded FC-style connector and green boot
- Opposite end left bare for fusion splicing or field termination
- Supplied in the Thorlabs clamshell with the printed care card
Applications
- A photonics lab tech patching a 1550 nm source into a bench setup and fusion-splicing the bare end into an existing run
- A test engineer who wants one known-good connector on the instrument side and the freedom to terminate the far end to whatever the fixture uses
- An instrument builder routing a three-foot single mode lead inside a chassis without coiling a pile of excess fiber
- A technician verifying splice and field-termination technique on real SMF-28 Ultra fiber instead of scrap
Frequently Asked Questions
What connector is on the terminated end?
The photos show a threaded FC-style barrel with a green strain-relief boot, and green is the standard convention for an APC angle polish. The Thorlabs card in the pack lists FC/PC, FC/APC, or SMA as standard options, but the printed label does not name the code, so we are describing what the camera sees rather than certifying it. Not confirmed - verify the connector style before you commit it to a mating adapter.
Why is one end left bare?
That is how the cable was ordered. A bare end lets you fusion-splice into an existing path or install the exact connector your system needs instead of adapting a connector you did not want. The Thorlabs care card in the pack notes the usual handling rule: bare fiber should not carry the weight of a connector.
The package art mentions single mode and multimode. Which is this one?
The clamshell card is Thorlabs general patch cable artwork and covers both families. The jacket print on this piece reads SMF-28 Ultra, 1260-1625 nm, which is single mode. It is not a multimode cable.
What does CUSTOM mean in the part number?
It is literally what the factory label prints, twice: SMF-28-030Y-CUSTOM. Thorlabs labels made-to-order builds that way rather than assigning a catalog stock number, and the same label carries the built length, 1 @0.9144M. We are not decoding the rest of the string for you - the label and the jacket print are the spec here.
I only need one or two. Do I have to buy a spool or order a custom run?
No. We have these in multiples and you buy the exact count your bench calls for - one for a single splice, a few for a rack of test fixtures - instead of committing to a made-to-order batch or a bag of jumpers you will not use. Sold each. Shipping is a flat $8, free once your order passes $28, and orders leave our Idaho warehouse the same or next business day.
Yellow jacket, green boot, and one end left open on purpose - a factory cable that stops halfway and hands you the pen. Splice it or terminate it your way, and it becomes the exact three-foot lead your bench has been faking with adapters.
