Designed by Rudolf Koch and released in 1927 by the Klingspor foundry in Germany, Kabel is named in honor of the laying of the first trans-Atlantic telephone cable in 1856.

In 1975, under special license from D. Stempel AG, the International Typeface Corporation redrew the family and added a fifth weight.

Geometric proportions are combined with humanistic features in this unusual sans serif typeface; ITC Kabel has a very large x-height.