SFP transceivers are available with a variety of transmitter and receiver types, allowing users to select the appropriate transceiver for each link to provide the required optical reach over the available optical fiber type (e.g. multi-mode fiber or single-mode fiber). Optical SFP modules are commonly available in several different categories:

• for multi-mode fiber, with black or beige extraction lever
  • SX - 850 nm, for a maximum of 550 m at 1.25 Gbit/s (Gigabit Ethernet) or 150m at 4.25 Gbit/s (Fibre Channel)
• for single-mode fiber, with blue extraction lever
  • LX - 1310 nm, for distances up to 10 km
  • EX - 1310 nm, for distances up to 40 km 
  • ZX - 1550 nm, for distances up to 80 km 
  • EZX - 1550 nm, for distances up to 120 km
  • BX - 1490 nm/1310 nm, Single Fiber Bi-Directional Gigabit SFP Transceivers, paired as BS-U and BS-D for Uplink and Downlink respectively, also for distances up to 10 km.Variations of bidirectional SFPs are also manufactured which use 1550 nm in one direction.
  • 1550 nm 40 km (XD), 80 km (ZX), 120 km (EX or EZX)
  • SFSW – Single Fiber Single Wavelength transceivers, for bi-directional traffic on a single fiber. Coupled with CWDM, these double the traffic density of fiber links.
  • CWDM and DWDM transceivers at various wavelengths achieving various maximum distances
• for copper twisted pair cabling
  • 1000BASE-T - these modules incorporate significant interface circuitry and can only be used for Gigabit Ethernet, as that is the interface they implement. They are not compatible with (or rather: do not have equivalents for) Fibre channel or SONET.