Outdoor fiber optic cables are mainly made of optical fiber (hair-thin glass wires) , plastic protective sleeves and plastic sheaths. There are no metals such as gold, silver, copper and aluminum in the cables, and they generally have no recycling value.

Outdoor cable tensile strength is greater, the protective layer is thicker and heavy, and usually armored (that is, wrapped in metal) . Outdoor fiber optic cable is mainly used for the interconnection between buildings and between remote networks. Outdoor optical cable: thick outer packaging, with pressure resistance, corrosion resistance, tensile and other mechanical characteristics, environmental characteristics. Indoor fiber optic cable: mainly used in indoor, the main characteristics of easy to bend, can be used in narrow corner, followed by fire-resistant flame retardant, tensile, soft and other external characteristics.

The price of outdoor fiber is higher than that of indoor fiber. Because the outdoor optical fiber to consider aging, tensile resistance, and so on, and indoor optical fiber need not consider these aspects. The optical fiber for outdoor use has the advantages of very good flame-retardant, poison-proof and smoke-proof.