Installation Practice IP-079

March 2021

Sizing Handholes for Fiber Optic Cable

Contents Section
General ………………………………………………..……...…………………………… 1
Minimum Cable Bend Diameters …………..…………………………………..……… 2
Cable Storage .…………………………………….....……….….………...…………… 3
Sizing Handholes ……………………………..……………………..…………………. 4

1. General

This practice describes the basic guidelines for the proper sizing of handholes for use with fiber
optic cable. The document is intended for personnel with prior experience in planning,
engineering, or installation of fiber optic cable. Familiarity with fiber optic cable requirements,
practices, and work operations is necessary as this guide does not cover all aspects of
underground construction work.

Handholes are used for two different applications: (1) to provide access to the underground duct
or innerduct during cable installation, and (2) to provide storage space for slack cable and splice
closures. In general, larger handholes are required at splice locations to provide sufficient space
for slack cable coils and splice closures. The splice handhole must also be large enough to
accommodate the cable’s minimum bend radius during installation as well as the installation tools
and equipment that may be used during cable installation. In some cases, smaller handholes can
be used at intermediate locations, but at a minimum, the intermediate handholes must be large
enough to accommodate slack cable coils. If the intermediate handhole will be used for future
splicing activities or as an intermediate assist location during cable installation, the intermediate
handhole should be sized the same as the splice handholes. In addition, consideration should be
given to installing larger sized handholes if additional cables and/or splice cases may be installed
at a future date.

Innerducts should enter the handhole near the corners so that the full width of the handhole can
be used to coil the cable. Prior to cable installation, the innerducts should be trimmed as
necessary to accommodate cable placing. After cable installation, the innerduct should be
trimmed so that only about six inches of innerduct protrudes into the handhole.

Handholes are available in a variety of shapes, sizes, materials, and for different vehicle loading
conditions. In addition to selecting properly sized handholes, it is the responsibility of the outside
plant engineer to consider local, state, and federal requirements that may influence the
appropriate handhole choice.

2. Minimum Cable Bend Diameters

The minimum bend diameters1 for OFS cables are defined for both dynamic and static conditions.
The dynamic condition applies during installation. Caution must be used when pulling the cable
out of the handhole to avoid bending the cable below its minimum required bend diameter. The

1 Some cable manufacturers specify minimum bend radius rather than minimum bend diameter.
Minimum bend diameter can be converted to minimum bend radius by dividing the minimum bend
diameter by two. For example, the minimum bend radii for OFS DryBlock™ loose tube cables are 10 
OD and 15  OD, respectively, for static and dynamic conditions.

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static condition applies to the cable following installation. An example of the static condition is a
cable that is racked through a manhole or on an equipment frame. Minimum coil diameters are
also specified for long-term storage of slack cable. Minimum bend diameters are generally
expressed as a multiple of the cable outside diameter (OD) and are summarized in Table 1. For
information regarding specific dimensions, please visit www.ofsoptics.com to view cable data
sheets or contact OFS Customer Service at 1-888-FIBERHELP (1-888-342-3743).

Table 1 – Minimum Bend Diameters for OFS Cables

Minimum Bend Diameter

Minimum Storage Coil
Cable Type
Diameter
Static Dynamic
Loose Tube 20  OD
20  OD 30  OD
(DryBlock®, Fortex™ DT) (but no less than 12”)
Ribbon in Loose Tube
30  OD 30  OD 30  OD
(AccuTube® ≤ 864 fibers)
Ribbon in Loose Tube
30  OD 30  OD 40  OD
(AccuTube+ 1728 fibers)
Rollable Ribbon in Loose Tube
(AccuTube+ Rollable Ribbon 30 x OD 30 x OD 30 x OD
1728 & 3456 fibers)
Central Tube
20  OD 40  OD 18 inches
(LightPack® LXE)
Central Tube
20  OD 40  OD 18 inches
(AccuRibbon®  216 fibers
Central Tube
(AccuRibbon®  216 fibers, 30  OD 40  OD 40  OD
LXE, DuctSaver, & DuctSaver+)
Central Tube
30 x OD
(AccuRoll™ DC Rollable Ribbon 30 x OD 30 x OD
(but no less than 18”)
12 - 864 fibers)

3. Cable Storage

Splice Handholes: Slack cable must be stored at splice locations to allow for splicing. Typically,
a cable length of 50 to 100 feet is required for splicing purposes; however, the actual cable length
may vary depending on the accessibility of the handhole. To eliminate twist, the slack cable
should be rolled into a storage coil as described in OFS IP-009, Placing Fiber Optic Cable in
Underground Plant. Cable storage coils must meet the minimum bend diameter requirements
given in Table 1.

Intermediate Handholes: Many end users require that slack cable be stored in intermediate
handholes along the cable route. These slack storage coils are used for future branch splices or
route rearrangements. It is important that the coiling method accommodates the proper coil
diameter given in Table 1 and does not introduce kinking or excessive twist into the cable. The
appropriate coiling method will depend on the size, length, and bending-stiffness of the cable

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being installed. The following coiling methods are recommended for use in intermediate handhole
applications and are covered in detail in OFS IP-009, Placing Fiber Optic Cable in Underground
Plant.

• Fold-Over Method
• Tear Drop Method
• Garden Hose Method

4. Sizing Handholes

All handholes must be large enough to accommodate the minimum bend diameters as required for
cable placing and coiling operations. If the intermediate handholes are used only for cable
storage (no intermediate assist or future splicing activities), the minimum handhole dimensions are
determined by the minimum storage-coil diameter of the cable (Table 1). For splice handholes,
the minimum handhole dimensions depend on the minimum storage coil diameters and the
dimensions of the splice closure. In both cases, consideration must also be given to other cables,
closures, or apparatus that may be installed in the handhole. The following sections provide
examples for sizing splice handholes for both loose tube and central tube applications.

Loose Tube, AccuTube (≤ 864 fibers), and AccuRoll DC Rollable Ribbon Cable: The
minimum handhole length depends on the length of the splice closure relative to the minimum coil
diameter. For short splice closures, i.e., if the closure length is less than one-half of the minimum
coil diameter, the handhole length is equal to the minimum coil diameter, Dcoil.

Minimum Handhole Length, L = Dcoil (Equation 1)

For longer splice closures, i.e., if the closure length, Lclosure, exceeds one-half of the coil diameter
(see Figure 1), the minimum handhole length is determined from Equation 2.

Minimum Handhole Length, L = Lclosure + (0.5 × Dcoil) (Equation 2)

In both cases, the handhole width must allow room for the width or diameter of the splice closure,
Dclosure, as shown in Figure 1.

Minimum Handhole Width, W = Dcoil + (0.5 × Dclosure) (Equation 3)

Figure 1 – Loose tube cable storage with closure.

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Central Tube and AccuTube+ (1728 fibers) Cable: Compared to loose tube cables, central
tube and AccuTube+ cables require larger storage coils. This is necessary to avoid attenuation in
the edge fibers that may occur due to bending and twisting of the ribbon stack during the coiling
operation. To minimize the required handhole dimensions, we can take advantage of the cable’s
static bend diameter as shown in Figure 2.

Caution: The static bend diameter is only used for the last turn of cable as it enters the
splice closure. The remainder of the cable must meet the minimum recommended
diameter of the storage coil.

Figure 2 – Central tube cable storage with closure.

For central tube and AccuTube+ cables, the minimum storage coil diameter, the static bend
diameter, and the closure length must all be considered. The minimum handhole length is taken
as the maximum value determined in Equation 4 where Dstatic is the cable’s static bend diameter.

Minimum Handhole Length, L = MAX {Dcoil, Lclosure + (0.5 × Dstatic)} (Equation 4)

For the handhole width, the minimum storage coil diameter, the static bend diameter, and the
closure width or diameter must be considered. The minimum handhole width is determined by the
maximum value defined by Equation 5.

Minimum Handhole Width, W = MAX {Dcoil, Dstatic + (0.5 × Dclosure)} (Equation 5)

In some applications it may be desirable to store the cable coil on a diagonal rather than store it
flat on the bottom of the handhole. Using the diagonal space in the handhole may allow the use of
smaller, less expensive handholes. For example, the minimum storage coil diameter of a 144-fiber
central tube cable is 18 inches which presumably disqualifies the use of a 17” × 30” × 15” (W × L
× H) handhole. However, the diagonal length across top and bottom corners of the handhole is
22.7” which is sufficient to fit the storage coil. Assuming the handhole is long enough to
accommodate the splice closure, the 17” × 30” × 15” handhole would be acceptable in this
example.

Table 3 is a summary of the minimum suggested splice handhole dimensions for several
different OFS cables. The suggested splice handhole dimensions should be used as a starting
point and in some cases larger handholes may be required. Note that assumptions have been
made regarding the closure dimensions and no allowances have been provided for additional
cables or closures that may be stored in the handhole. It is the responsibility of the OSP
planner or engineer to confirm that these minimum suggested handhole dimensions are
suitable for your application.

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 Table 3 – Minimum Suggested Splice Handhole Dimensions
Minimum
Fiber Cable Static Bend Minimum Closure Closure Suggested
Count OD, in. Diameter, Coil Length, Width, in Handhole
in. Diameter, in. in. Dimensions
(W × L)
Fortex DT Cable (Loose Tube), Light Armor
12 - 96 0.54 10.8 12.0 19 8 17 x 30
108 - 144 0.68 13.6 13.6 19.5 9 17 x 30†
156 - 192 0.67 13.4 13.4 23 11.5 17 x 30†
204 - 288 0.76 15.2 15.2 30 11.5 24 x 36†
AccuTube Cable (Ribbon in Loose Tube), Light Armor
≤ 288 0.91 27.3 27.3 19.5 9 30 x 36†
300 - 432 0.91 27.3 27.3 23 11.5 36 x 36†
444 - 864 1.05 31.5 31.5 23 11.5 36 x 48†
AccuRibbon Cable (Central Tube), Metallic
≤ 216 0.71 14.2 18.0 19.5 9 17 x 30†
240 - 288 0.84 25.2 33.6 19.5 9 36 x 36†
312 - 432 0.84 25.2 33.6 23 11.5 36 x 48
456 - 576 0.90 27.0 36.0 23 11.5 36 x 48
864 1.00 30.0 40.0 23 11.5 48 x 48
AccuRoll DC Rollable Ribbon Cable (Central Tube), Metallic
288 0.59 17.7 18.0 19.5 9 24 x 30
432 0.69 20.7 20.7 23 11.5 30 x 36
864 0.81 24.3 24.3 23 11.5 30 x 36†
AccuTube+ Cable (Ribbon in Loose Tube), Single Jacket
1728 1.20 36.0 48.0 32.6 10.8 36 x 60†
AccuTube+ Rollable Ribbon Cable (Rollable Ribbon in Loose Tube), Single Jacket
1728 0.99 29.7 29.7 29.5 11.5 36 x 48
3456 1.32 39.6 39.6 29.5 11.5 48 x 60
† Assumes cable will be stored on diagonal in handhole.

For additional information please contact your sales representative. You can also visit our
website at www.ofsoptics.com or call 1-888-FIBERHELP (1-888-342-3743) from inside the
USA or 1-770-798-5555 from outside the USA.

AccuRibbon, AccuTube, LightPack, and DryBlock are registered trademarks, and Fortex
and AccuRoll are trademarks of OFS FITEL, LLC.

OFS reserves the right to make changes to the document at any time without notice. This
document is for informational purposes only and is not intended to modify or supplement
any OFS warranties or specifications relating to any of its products or services. OFS
makes no warranty or representation with respect to the non-OFS products or non-OFS
companies mentioned in this document.

Copyright © 2021 OFS FITEL, LLC.

All rights reserved, printed in USA.

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