You have a bill of quantities that asks for Cat7 S/FTP and three supplier replies that differ by a factor of two per meter. Nothing in the three datasheets explains the gap, and the cheapest one is the one with no test report attached. This is the normal starting point for Cat7 sourcing, because the category name hides conductor gauge, shield weight, jacket compound and reel length. The bands below show what each construction normally quotes at, which factors legitimately move the number, and how to tell a lean quote from a thin one before you place a purchase order.
Quick answer:
Expect roughly USD 0.45-0.95 per meter FOB for Cat7 S/FTP with AWG 23 conductors and a PVC jacket, USD 0.70-1.45 per meter for the LSZH version used in EU public projects, and USD 1.00-1.95 per meter for Cat7A. Cut retail lengths sell at two to three times the reel rate. The caveat: these are indicative bulk bands that move with copper price, shield construction and order volume, so always ask for a quote with a copper basis clause.
How Much Does Cat7 Cable Cost per Meter?
Cat7 cable price per meter: the indicative FOB bands
Cat7 is a Class F construction under ISO/IEC 11801, rated to 600 MHz, and it is almost always built as S/FTP with individually shielded pairs plus an overall braid. That construction, not the word Cat7 on the print, sets the price floor. The bands below are indicative FOB ranges for bulk reels, in the format used for project tenders. They move with copper, jacket compound and order volume, and they exclude freight, duty, on-site testing and connectorisation. Use them to screen quotes, not as a fixed market price.
| Construction | Indicative FOB band (USD per meter) | Typical application | Stocked MOQ band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cat7 S/FTP 4P, AWG 23, PVC jacket | 0.45 – 0.95 | Indoor LAN risers, price-sensitive fit-outs | 100 – 500 m per SKU |
| Cat7 S/FTP 4P, AWG 22, PVC jacket | 0.60 – 1.20 | Longer permanent links, higher copper content | 100 – 500 m per SKU |
| Cat7 S/FTP 4P, AWG 23, LSZH jacket | 0.70 – 1.45 | EU public buildings, CPR Cca and B2ca classes | 305 – 1,000 m per SKU |
| Cat7 S/FTP, outdoor PE double jacket | 0.80 – 1.70 | Campus backbones, ducts and exterior routes | 500 – 2,000 m per SKU |
| Cat7A S/FTP, LSZH, 1000 MHz Class FA | 1.00 – 1.95 | Data centre and Class FA designs | 500 – 2,000 m per SKU |
| Cut lengths 1 – 30 m, retail packed | 2.00 – 6.00 per meter equivalent | Installers, e-commerce and patch stock | 50 – 500 pieces |
Two patterns matter more than the absolute numbers. The spread inside a single construction is wide enough that the lowest reply is usually a thinner conductor, a shorter reel or a lighter shield rather than a more efficient factory. And the step from PVC to LSZH is proportionally larger than the step from AWG 23 to AWG 22, which means jacket choice is often the fastest legitimate way to reach a budget without touching electrical performance.
What changes the number
Copper content. Conductor gauge is the single largest cost lever. AWG 23 is the volume standard for Cat7; AWG 22 adds copper mass, improves attenuation margin on long links and normally adds a visible premium per meter. Because copper is a traded commodity, a quote without a stated copper basis is not comparable to one with it, and a quote held open for 90 days is exposed to metal movement in both directions.
Shield construction. S/FTP means a foil around each pair plus a braid overall. Buyers sometimes receive F/FTP or even U/FTP at the same headline specification and a lower price; the print on the jacket should state the construction, and the cross-section of a cut sample settles it in seconds. Lighter braid coverage lowers cost and also lowers shielding effectiveness at higher frequencies.
Jacket compound. PVC is the default and cheapest option. LSZH compounds cost more, are required in many EU public and transport projects, and affect the CPR classification the cable can claim. Outdoor PE with a double jacket adds material and a second extrusion pass, so expect it near the top of the indoor bands.
Reel length and packing. The same cable costs less per meter on a 1,000 m drum than on a 100 m spool, because handling, labelling and carton cost are spread over more meters. Short spools also increase the number of joints in an installation, which is a hidden labour cost that rarely appears in the price comparison. See reel sizes and drum lengths before fixing the unit you tender against.
Testing and certification. A factory that provides a DSX-8000 permanent link report per lot, CPR test evidence and a RoHS and REACH declaration carries real cost for that paperwork. A supplier who cannot produce any of it is not cheaper; the cost has simply moved to you, as rework or rejection at handover.
Volume and payment terms. Tiered pricing is normal, and the step between a single pallet and a full container is usually larger than the step between two adjacent constructions. Payment terms also price in risk: 100 percent advance against documents at sight can differ by a few percentage points.
How to verify a per-meter quote
- Ask for the copper basis: which LME or exchange reference date the price assumes, and how the price adjusts if copper moves more than an agreed threshold.
- Request a datasheet with a full frequency sweep to 600 MHz, not a single headline figure, plus conductor gauge, shield type and nominal diameter.
- Demand one Fluke DSX-8000 or DSX-5000 Channel or Permanent Link report from a recent lot of the exact construction you are buying.
- Check the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certificates on the issuing body’s own database, and confirm the scope line covers cable extrusion, not only trading.
- Buy a sample reel, weigh the copper, cut a section and measure conductor diameter with a caliper against the datasheet claim.
- Book a pre-shipment inspection and require reel labels with lot numbers that match the test report before the balance payment is released.
Three buyer scenarios
- Electrical contractor buying five reels for a school refurbishment. The tender says Cat7, the budget is tight and the run lengths are short. The right move is a stocked 305 m LSZH reel from a distributor rather than a factory order, because the per-meter premium is small compared with the cost of a four-week production slot. Compare the delivered price, not the FOB price.
- Main contractor with a 30 km Class F package. Here the per-meter number should be treated as a formula: construction, conductor gauge, jacket class, copper basis, reel length and payment terms. Split the award between two suppliers if the schedule is tight, and insist that both work from the same datasheet so that test results at handover are comparable across phases.
- Online seller building a cut-length catalogue. Reel price is only half the equation; cutting, terminating, retail packing and returns dominate. Buy plain PVC S/FTP in bulk, keep the retail premium in the 2.0 – 3.5 times range and put the money into packaging and a tested sample rather than into Cat7A.
Does a full drum always beat a short reel on price per meter?
Almost always on the invoice, rarely on the project. A 1,000 m drum normally lands at the bottom of the band for its construction, while a 100 m spool sits near the top, because the fixed cost of handling and packing is spread over ten times fewer meters. But a drum that leaves 300 m of offcut at the end of a fit-out has given the saving back, and drums need handling equipment that small sites do not have. The practical rule for installers is to buy the longest length that can be pulled without a joint and to price the offcut honestly. On projects above roughly 5 km of a single construction, move to a direct factory quote; below that, distributor stock usually wins once freight and lead time are counted. Current bulk tiers are set out in our guide to Cat7 cable bulk price.
Where the per-meter figure stops being useful
Per-meter pricing is a bulk concept, and it breaks down when the product is a finished assembly. A terminated Cat7 patch cord carries connector cost, assembly labour, a channel test and retail packing, so its price per meter says more about the plugs than about the cable. Buyers comparing a reel price with a patch cord price are comparing two different products. Keep the reel quote for infrastructure and a separate assembly quote for cords, and check lead times separately: stocked reels ship in 3 – 7 days, while production of a custom construction typically takes 15 – 30 days before sea freight of 25 – 45 days. Our Asia lead time breakdown explains how those windows stack up.
Turning a band into a purchase order
A price band is only a screening tool until three things are fixed: the construction with gauge and shield type, the reel length with packing, and the copper basis with a validity window. Once those are in writing, two quotes become comparable and the cheapest reply is either genuinely cheap or visibly thin. Buyers who skip that step usually discover the difference at the first channel test, when re-termination and replacement reels cost far more than the per-meter gap they were negotiating over.
FAQ
1. Is Cat7 cable much more expensive than Cat6A?
Cat7 S/FTP typically quotes around 20 – 60 percent above Cat6A U/UTP of the same gauge and jacket, because of the pair-level foil and the overall braid. The gap narrows against Cat6A F/UTP. On short indoor runs the difference is small per meter; on large projects it is worth checking whether the specification really needs Class F.
2. Why do two Cat7 quotes differ by a factor of two?
Usually conductor gauge, braid coverage, jacket compound, reel length or paperwork. A quote with AWG 23, light braid, PVC and no test report can sit at half the price of an AWG 22 LSZH construction with lot testing. Ask for gauge, shield type, jacket class and a test report before treating the two numbers as comparable.
3. Does the per-meter price include connectors?
No. Bulk reel prices are for cable only. Field connectors, GG45 or TERA outlets, assembly labour and channel testing are separate lines. Budget them separately, and remember that a shielded Cat7 link needs proper grounding and bonding at both ends to pass Class F testing.
4. How much does copper price movement affect a Cat7 quote?
Materially, because copper is a large share of the cost of an S/FTP construction. This is why serious suppliers quote with a copper basis and a validity window of a few days. If a supplier will hold a price for a quarter without a clause, either the margin is already loaded or the price will be renegotiated later.
5. Should I buy Cat7 by the meter or by the reel?
By the reel for any infrastructure work. Cut-to-length is convenient for small repairs but carries a retail premium and gives you no lot traceability. Stocked reels of 305 m or 500 m are the normal unit, with drums of 1,000 m and above for projects that can handle them on site.