Home-run cable estimate
Group drops with the same route length. All groups here use the same cable type and box size. Run a separate estimate for each cable type.
10 continuous cables · 1 full 1,000-ft boxes/reels in this cutting plan
1,000 ft purchased · 100 ft remaining after cuts
Full-box purchasing estimate, not the number of boxes needed to pull simultaneously. Remaining cable is potential inventory, not automatically waste. Labor, connectors, tax and delivery are excluded.
View continuous-run cutting plan
Dividing footage alone gives 1 boxes. This plan keeps each cable on one box/reel. It places longer cuts first into the first box with room; it is a workable plan, not a guaranteed minimum for mixed lengths. It assumes cuts can be made in this order and every box starts full.
| Box | Cuts (ft) | Left (ft) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 × 90 | 100 |
Compare feed boxes and pull labor
Use each run group for cables that can share a pull and have the same length. Groups are pulled separately, in entered order. Compare 1 through your chosen maximum feed boxes (up to 32).
Crew cost is the combined hourly cost of everyone pulling. Handling is additional crew elapsed time per cable. Use measured job estimates; no industry labor rates are assumed.
Enter a box price and all labor assumptions to compare plans.
Model: each batch takes setup + cable length ÷ speed + handling per cable. One box feeds one cable at a time. Part-used feed boxes carry forward; a new full box replaces one when a continuous cut will not fit. The plan uses available boxes with the most cable first. Leftovers include retired partial boxes and active feed boxes and may be reusable. This is a comparison model, not an optimized field schedule; speed is held constant across bundle sizes. Access, bends, pathway capacity, feed changes, termination, testing, tax and delivery need separate allowances. Only group cables that can safely share a pull.
How cable footage is calculated
For each group: cables = drops × cables per drop. Each cable length = route + rack rise + outlet descent + rack slack + outlet slack. The tool adds all cable lengths, then plans continuous cuts from full boxes.
Why total footage is not enough
Ten 90-ft cables fit in one 1,000-ft box, leaving 100 ft before any additional slack. Three 600-ft cuts require three 1,000-ft reels if each must be continuous, even though total footage is only 1,800 ft. This is a cutting example, not a recommendation for an Ethernet link length.
Purchasing versus pulling
A crew may choose more feed boxes to pull several cables together and reduce repeated setup. That creates a labor, purchasing and inventory tradeoff. Open the pull-labor comparison above to explore this tradeoff using your own crew assumptions. Estimates start with full boxes; existing partial inventory is not entered.
Check the cable specification
Use measured pathways and slack appropriate to your project. This estimates physical cable length only; it does not check network performance, permitted link length, cable rating, conduit fill or pulling limits. For bulk fiber, count cable assemblies rather than individual fibers. Preterminated assemblies need a separate length and connector selection.