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    Platinum Tools EZ-RJ45 Cat6 Connector — Cable Compatibility Guide

    September 08, 2026 3 min read

    Cable compatibility reference for the Platinum Tools EZ-RJ45 Cat6 Connector — which Cat 5e/Cat 6 cables from major manufacturers terminate successfully.

    💾 Download Original PDF 🛒 View Product
    Full text manual (for reference)

    Cable compatibility reference guide for the Platinum Tools EZ-RJ45 Connector, covering Cat 6 cable and other application-specific cables tested by Platinum Tools (updated April 21, 2009).

    Overview

    The EZ-RJ45 connector system requires specific cable dimensions to terminate successfully — the connector's internal conductor guide holes have an inside diameter of 0.040". Cables with conductors or overall jacket outer diameter (OD) too large will not slide through and terminate correctly. This guide documents Platinum Tools' lab testing of dozens of cable part numbers from major manufacturers (Belden, Hitachi, Mohawk, Superior Essex, AMP NetConnect, CCI Coleman Cable, General Cable, Alpha Wire) against the EZ-RJ45 and EZ-RJ45 Cat6 connectors.

    General Compatibility Rules of Thumb

    • Conductor OD must be ≤ ~0.040": Most standard Cat 5e/Cat 6 solid-conductor cables (23-24 AWG) terminate successfully. 10 Gig-rated Cat 6A cables typically use oversized conductors (0.043-0.045" OD) and jackets (0.29-0.35" OD) that are too large for the EZ-RJ45 connector — Platinum Tools notes these "10 GIG cables are way too large to even consider terminating with a normal type designed RJ45 connector."
    • Bonded-pair cables need extra prep: Cables with bonded pairs (common on some Belden Cat 5e/Cat 6 constructions) should be un-bonded first, ideally with the Belden preparation tool (P/N 1797B). Burrs left at the bond point can prevent conductors from sliding through — clean them off with a thumbnail and index finger.
    • Comb out twists: For a clean termination, all 8 conductors need to lie side-by-side with no gaps and no twists remaining.
    • Dual-jacket cables need a double strip: Some cables (e.g. Belden 1318SB, 1319SB) have two jackets and require stripping in two stages — strip jacket #1 first (~2.5" from the end), then jacket #2 (~5/8" further in) to expose all four conductor pairs.

    Representative Test Results by Manufacturer

    Manufacturer Cable P/N Type Compatible Notes
    Belden 1583A, 2412, 7987R, 1212 Cat 5E/6, PVC/Plenum Yes "Slam dunk" — easiest to terminate.
    Belden 7883A, 7881A, 7882A, 1700A, 7988R Cat 5E/6, PVC/Plenum Yes Bonded pairs — un-bond first with Belden tool P/N 1797B, remove burrs.
    Belden 7989R, 7851A Cat 6, PVC No Conductor / jacket OD too large.
    Belden 1318SB, 1319SB Cat 5E/6, Polyolefin LSZH Yes Dual-jacket — requires double strip procedure; note the Cat 5E version (1318SB) must still use the EZ-RJ45 Cat6 connector.
    Hitachi 38891-8, 38893-8, 39419-8, 38696-8, 30024-8, 30025-8, 30183-8, 30212-8, 30016-8, 30022-8 Cat 5E/6, Plenum/Riser Yes All noted "easy to terminate."
    Hitachi 30218-8, 30222-8 Cat 6 Supra 10G, Plenum/Riser No 10 Gig cable — jacket OD 0.340", conductor OD 0.043-0.045" — too large.
    Mohawk M56889 - M58300 series (Advance Net Cat 6, Giga LAN Cat 6, 6 LAN Cat 6, MegaLAN Cat 5E+) Cat 5E+/6, PVC/Plenum Yes Extensive product range — all tested "easy to terminate."
    Superior Essex 10 Gain Series, 6S-220-XA, 6S-220-XB Cat 6A, PVC/STP U/FTP No 10 Gig-rated — jacket OD 0.29-0.35", conductor OD 0.042-0.045" — too large.
    AMP NetConnect 219560 series, 219567 series Cat 6, Riser/Plenum Yes (conditionally) 219560 spec says conductor OD 0.042" (would fail on paper) but real-world samples worked; jacket OD only 0.230". 219567 is a clean "GO" — jacket 0.230", conductors 0.040".
    AMP NetConnect 1499389, 1499416 series Cat 6A FTP, Riser/Plenum No Jacket OD 0.300" and conductor OD 0.044" — both too large.
    AMP NetConnect 1499033, 1499038 series Cat 6E/6A UTP, Riser/Plenum Yes 1499033: jacket 0.250", conductor 0.040" — clean "GO". 1499038: printed spec (0.042") suggests failure, but real-world samples tested successfully at jacket OD 0.250".
    CCI Coleman Cable 97272, 977964 Cat 6, Riser/Plenum Yes Jacket OD 0.210-0.230". Comb out all kinks so conductors lie flat with no gaps.
    General Cable GenSpeed 6000/6500/6600 Series Cat 6/6+, various jackets Mostly Yes Jacket OD 0.225-0.260". Some 6600 Series entries marked "???" — no conductor spec available to confirm, though jacket OD alone should work.
    Alpha Wire 9604R, 9604F Cat 6, Riser/Plenum Yes Jacket OD 0.224-0.235", conductor OD 0.035-0.038".

    Key Takeaway

    Standard Cat 5e and Cat 6 solid-conductor cables from major manufacturers generally terminate well with the Platinum Tools EZ-RJ45 connector system, especially those with 23-24 AWG solid conductors and jacket ODs at or below roughly 0.25-0.26". 10 Gig / Cat 6A-rated cables are consistently incompatible — their thicker conductors and jackets are engineered for shielding and crosstalk performance that makes them too large for a standard-size RJ45 connector body, regardless of manufacturer.

    This is a summary of Platinum Tools' full published cable compatibility test results (dated April 21, 2009). For the complete list of every tested part number, download the original PDF above.