How Much Cat6 Cable You Need for a Building (Zimbabwe Guide)
5 minute read · 10 November 2026
Ordering cable is the easiest place to lose money on a network job. Order too little and the install stops mid-week; order too much and a drum of Cat6 sits in a store room for a year.
The counting is simple once you know what to measure.
1. Count the drops, then measure each one
A drop is one cable from the cabinet or patch panel to one socket, access point or camera. Walk the building and mark each one on a floor plan.
For each drop, measure the real cable route: up to the ceiling or down the duct, across, then back down to the socket. The straight-line distance on a plan always underestimates it.
2. Add the waste allowance
Add about 10% for routing, re-crimps and mistakes. If a run passes near a hot riser or bends sharply, add a little more.
3. Convert to boxes
Cable comes in 305 m boxes. Add your totals, add the 10%, then divide by 305 and round up. Sixty drops averaging 25 m is 1,500 m, plus 10% is 1,650 m — six boxes.
Do not mix two brands on one run if you can avoid it, and keep the box label with the job so a shortfall can be topped up from the same batch.
4. Order the connectors with the cable
Every drop needs two RJ45 connectors or a keystone and faceplate, plus boots. Order about 20% more connectors than drops — you will lose some, and re-crimping is normal.
Patch panels, faceplates and trunking are the parts people forget. Confirm them against the drop count before you leave the store.
5. Test before you close the wall
A wire mapper proves all eight conductors are live at the far end. Testing while the cable is still exposed costs seconds; finding a dead pair after plastering means cutting into a wall.
If you have a floor plan, send it over. We will count the drops with you and quote the exact number of boxes, connectors and panels — no guesswork and no half-finished jobs.