How to Handle a Kink in a Cat6A Pull Midway Through a Run

You are 80% through a pull and the cable kinks. It is one of the most frustrating moments in structured cabling. The decision you make next affects the performance of that run.

Why Kinks Matter

A kink in Cat6A is not just cosmetic. Cat6A performance depends on precise pair geometry inside the jacket. A kink deforms the internal pairs, changes the twist rate at that point, and can cause the cable to fail certification for return loss or NEXT (near-end crosstalk). The cable might pass a basic wiremap test but fail at higher frequencies.

Can You Work It Out?

If the kink is minor and the cable did not crease sharply, you can sometimes gently work it straight and the cable will still certify. The key word is gently. Forcing it or bending it back the other way makes it worse.

If the cable has a hard crease where the jacket is visibly deformed or the internal pairs are displaced, no amount of straightening will fix the geometry. That cable will not certify reliably at Cat6A speeds.

When to Re-Pull

If the kink happened near the end of the run, you might have enough service loop slack to cut back past the damaged section and still reach the termination point. If it happened mid-run, you are re-pulling. There is no shortcut.

The cost of a re-pull is painful, but the cost of a failed certification and a callback is worse. Especially on a job where the customer is paying for Cat6A performance, not Cat6A appearance.

Prevention

Use a cable caddy or reel stand. Pull from the center of a box if the manufacturer allows it. Assign someone to feed while someone else pulls. Most kinks happen because the cable is coming off the spool too fast and nobody is managing the feed end.

The Bottom Line

Minor kinks can sometimes be saved. Hard creases cannot. When in doubt, re-pull. Your name is on that certification report.

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