M12 Cable Assemblies
M12 is the circular connector found on sensors, drives, I/O blocks and industrial switches, and its coding — the key pattern in the face — decides what it carries. A-coded M12 serves sensors and actuators, B-coded PROFIBUS, D-coded 100 Mbit Ethernet and X-coded Ethernet up to 10 Gbit/s, while the K, L, S and T codings carry power. Our manufacturing partner builds M12 cable assemblies to your drawing, coding and pinout included.
Where M12 assemblies are used
Sensors, actuators and I/O
A-coded leads and extensions between field devices and I/O blocks, single- or double-ended.
Industrial Ethernet
D-coded for 100 Mbit links such as PROFINET; X-coded for gigabit and faster.
Power distribution
Power-coded leads for drives, motors and distributed I/O, sized to the current they carry.
Robot cells and end effectors
Flex-rated M12 cables along arms and into tool changers.
What you can specify
Each point is confirmed with our manufacturing partner before the quotation. Connectors are the genuine parts your drawing names, and an alternative is used only with your written approval.
- Coding and positions at each end, matched to the device
- Head style at each end: male or female, straight or angled, molded or field-wireable
- The far end: M12, M8, RJ45, open leads or a panel-mount receptacle
- Cable: PUR, PVC or flex-rated, shielded for Ethernet, sized for power codings
- Length, labels and wire marking
Testing and records
Every unit is continuity tested against its pinout and ships with a test report; insulation resistance, hi-pot and pull-force testing follow the agreed plan.
Every unit is checked against the pinout of its coding. If an Ethernet lead needs a data-rate or channel test, name it in the RFQ; whether it can be done is confirmed before the quotation.
How testing and records work →Common questions
What does M12 coding mean?
The coding is the key in the connector face — a pattern of slots and pins that lets only the same coding mate. It keeps a sensor lead out of an Ethernet port and a power lead out of both. Pick the coding your device has, and the assembly is built to it.
Which M12 coding do I need for Ethernet?
D-coded for 100 Mbit links such as PROFINET, X-coded for gigabit and up to 10 Gbit/s. The device's port decides, since an X-coded plug will not mate with a D-coded port.
Can M12 cables run in drag chains and on robots?
Yes, with a cable construction rated for the motion: continuous bending in a chain, torsion on a robot axis. Describe the motion and the cycle target, and the construction is agreed before the quotation.
What should an M12 cable RFQ include?
The coding and positions at both ends, head styles, length, jacket and shielding, the current for power codings, the data rate for Ethernet, the device part numbers and quantities.
Related connectors
Industries
Connector and series names on these pages — JST, Molex, Micro-Fit, Mini-Fit, PicoBlade, Pico-Lock, CLIK-Mate, PCIe, MCIO, SlimSAS, OCuLink, HSD, HFM and DEUTSCH among them — may be trademarks of their respective owners. They are used only to identify the connectors an assembly is built with or mates with. Interconnix is not affiliated with, sponsored by or an authorized distributor of any connector maker.