Patch cables and patch cords are flexible cables that are terminated at both ends with a plug and used to interconnect circuits. These male/male cables and cords are used with patch panels, groups of ports that connect lines between communications and electronic devices. Connections that are made manually with small patch cords are easier to wire than automatic switches. Patch panel ports accommodate specific types of connectors, including Bayonet Neil-Concelman (BNC), subscription channel (SC), straight tip (ST), registered jack (RJ), small computer systems interface (SCSI), and universal serial bus (USB). When selecting patch cables and patch cords, cable type is the most important specification to consider. 

There are many types of patch cables and patch cords. Choices include Cat 3, Cat 5, Cat 6, coaxial, triaxial and twisted pair. Cat 3 patch cables are 100-ohm, twisted-pair cords for transmissions up to 16 MHz. Cat 5 patch cables offer speeds up to 100 MHz and data transfer rates up to 100 Mbps. Cat 6 patch cables are also 100-ohm, twisted pair products, but adhere to a standard that is still under review. Coaxial patch cables have two cylindrical conductors and a common axis. Triaxial patch cables are three-conductor cables with one conductor in the center, a second circular conductor shield concentric with the first, and third circular conductor shield insulated from and concentric with the first and second. Twisted pair patch cables consist of two wires that are twisted together to reduce susceptibility to radio frequency (RF) noise.     

Patch cables and patch cords include instrumentation tray cables (ITC) and power limited tray cables (PLTC); fiber optic, flat ribbon, and multi-signal or composite cables; RG6 and RG11 cables; and speaker wire and closed cable television (CCTV) cables. ITC patch cables comply with the UL 2250 standard from Underwriters Laboratories (UL). PLTC patch cables are also commonly available. Fiber optic patch cables provide near-infinite bandwidth and near-perfect immunity to noise. Flat ribbon patch cables are used in computers for internal connections to peripherals. RG6 patch cables are designed for cable TV or satellite applications while RG11 patch cables are used with thicknet (thick Ethernet) cabling. CCTV patch cables can be used with some community access television (CATV) applications. General-purpose patch cables and patch cords are also available.