The original ethernet cable was canonically ‘1968 Corvette yellow’ to distinguish it from a power cable—because you literally had to drill into it to install it
When Ethernet was first designed in the 1970s, all of its earliest cables were a distinctive yellow color—specifically chosen to match a 1968 Corvette. According to the article, this bold color choice served two critical purposes in an era when network infrastructure was still being established.
The primary reason for the yellow specification was personal: Rich Seifert, one of the creators of the Ethernet standard, favored the color and had driven a yellow car. However, the choice also had a practical safety function. The bright yellow color was designed to visually distinguish Ethernet cables from power cables, helping prevent dangerous confusion and accidental electrocutions—a genuine concern during the 1980s when networking equipment was still relatively new.
The distinction mattered because early Ethernet cable installation required physically drilling into the cable to attach connectors, making the safety aspect particularly important. The bright, unmistakable color served as a critical visual warning to prevent workers from accidentally connecting power to network systems. While modern Ethernet cables come in a variety of colors including black, blue, white, gray, green, and others, the original yellow standard represented both an engineer’s personal aesthetic preference and a thoughtful safety consideration for early network deployments.