Plastic fiber is an inexpensive type of fiber and generally lower quality than Glass optical fiber. Attenuation is generally higher with plastic fiber. The Primary use of plastic fiber is in the automotive and medical industries.

Plastic fiber attenuation over short distances is not a major problem and therefore is becoming popular in more popular especially where there are budget concerns.

Plastic fiber is extremely durable and is able to be bent much more than glass fiber, however it is flammable, SO care must be taken in deciding whether plastic fiber is correct for particular applications.