Understanding and Controlling APC Ferrule Geometry Values

Published: October 1, 2018

, Last updated: September 17, 2025

Send Fiber Optic Center an email to ask a question

Understanding and controlling APC ferrule geometry values get a bit more complicated than with PC ferrules. Not only are the ferrules polished at an angle, but that angle must be oriented in a specific rotational orientation (relative to the connector “key”).

Furthermore, APC ferrules vary in shape (Conical-tip and step-tip). Controlling angle and apex values on Conical-Tip ferrules is much more complicated than with Step-Tip ferrules (the reason for this is that when polishing a cone shape, the surface area “footprint” being polished increases as more and more material is removed. With step-ferrules—cylinder shaped—the surface area being polished remains constant, regardless of how much ferrule material is removed.

READ THE BLOG: Polished Connector Geometries, APC

Additional resources from the FOC team include:

Category Resource
- FOC Interconnect Page
- FOC Polish Page
View the Glossary, Acronyms, Military Specifications for Connectors
Q&A Resource: email technical questions to AskFOC@focenter.com

Have questions about this FOC Tip?

Contact FOC with questions at: (800) 473-4237 / 508-992-6464 or email: FiberOpticCenter@focenter.com and we will respond ASAP.

This article is an original publication of Fiber Optic Center, Inc. It is shared publicly for educational and reference purposes to support learning and professional development within the fiber optics industry.

You are welcome to read, cite, or reference this material for non-commercial and educational purposes, as long as full credit is given to Fiber Optic Center, Inc. and the author.

Reuse, reproduction, or adaptation of this content — including rewriting, republishing, or incorporating it into new materials (such as websites, blogs, marketing text, technical guides, or AI-generated content) — is not permitted without prior written consent from Fiber Optic Center, Inc.

This material is protected by copyright law upon publication, even if not formally registered.

Use of this content for AI training, automated data extraction, or derivative content generation is prohibited.

Fiber Optic Center monitors and enforces the integrity of its intellectual property through digital identifiers and content tracking.

For more details, please refer to the Fiber Optic Center Content Use and Copyright policy.

About the Author

FOC Tips Fiber Optic Center has a team of technical experts and marketing strategists with decades of years in the field. This team contributes to the fiber, cable and specialty industries coverage through news, alerts, reports and general media information.

About Fiber Optic Center, Inc.

Fiber Optic Center, Inc., (FOC), is an international leader in distributing fiber optic components, equipment and supplies and has been helping customers make the best cable assemblies in the world for over two decades. Several areas of specialization and expertise, in which they are the industry leader, make them the preferred choice for many of the world’s fiber professionals. In these key technology areas, FOC is "at least as technical as the manufacturer" about the products they sell. Striving to "make the business part easy," they offer outstanding and personal customer service, low or no minimum purchase order values, and from-stock delivery on industry-leading products and technology. FOC is the industry connection to the most innovative optical products, technologies and technical experts who integrate their manufacturing knowledge and vast experience into customers' worldwide operations. @FiberOpticCntr

For further information contact:

Fiber Optic Center, Inc., 23 Centre Street, New Bedford, MA 02740-6322
Toll Free in US: 800-IS-FIBER or 800-473-4237 . Direct 508-992-6464. Email: sales@focenter.com or fiberopticcenter@focenter.com

For media contact:

Kathleen Skelton, Director of Strategic Marketing, C: 617-803-3014 . E: kskelton@focenter.com

Copyright Notice: Copyrights in all articles published on focenter.com are owned by Fiber Optic Center, Inc. (FOC) or other individuals or entities. No content on focenter.com may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form of by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of Fiber Optic Center, Inc.