AC power plugs and sockets are devices for removably connecting electrically-operated devices to the
commercial power supplyMains is the general-purpose alternating current electric power supply. The term is not often used in the United States and Canada. In the US, mains power is referred to by a variety of formal and informal names, including household power, household electricity, domestic power, wall power, line...
.
An
electric plug is a
maleIn electrical and mechanical trades and manufacturing, each of a pair of mating connectors or fasteners is conventionally assigned the designation male or female. The "female" connector is generally a receptacle that connects to and holds the "male" connector...
electrical connectorAn electrical connector is a conductive device for joining electrical circuits together. The connection may be temporary, as for portable equipment, or may require a tool for assembly and removal, or may be a permanent electrical joint between two wires or devices. There are hundreds of types of...
with contact prongs to connect mechanically and electrically to slots in the matching female socket.
Wall sockets, (sometimes also known as
power points,
power sockets,
electric receptacles, or
electrical outlets) are female electrical connectors that have slots or holes which accept and deliver current to the prongs of inserted plugs. To reduce the risk of injury or death by
electric shockAn electric shock can occur upon contact of a human body with any source of voltage high enough to cause sufficient current through the muscles or hair. The minimum current a human can feel is thought to be about 1 milliampere ....
, some plug and socket systems incorporate various safety features. Sockets are designed to accept only matching plugs and reject all others.
Terminology
There are substantial differences between
AmericanAmerican English is a set of dialects of the English language used mostly in the United States. Approximately two thirds of native speakers of English live in the United States.English is the most common language in the United States...
and
BritishBritish English, or UK English or English English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere...
nomenclatureNomenclature refers to either a list of names and/or terms, or to the system of principles, procedures and terms related to naming - which is the assigning of a word or phrase to a particular object or property...
related to power plugs and sockets.
| British English |
American English |
Meaning |
| mains power |
line power |
The primary electrical power supply wires entering a building, connected to the Main fuse In electronics and electrical engineering a fuse is a type of sacrificial overcurrent protection device. Its essential component is a metal wire or strip that melts when too much current flows, which interrupts the circuit in which it is connected...
s or circuit breakerA circuit breaker is an automatically-operated electrical switch designed to protect an electrical circuit from damage caused by overload or short circuit. Its basic function is to detect a fault condition and, by interrupting continuity, to immediately discontinue electrical flow...
s. |
| domestic power |
|
Single-phase 230 V power as used in a single-family residence |
| earth connection |
ground or grounding connection |
Safety connection to the earth or ground |
| live connection |
hot or live connection |
Phase ("active") connection |
| neutral connection |
cold or neutral connection |
return connection |
| flex/mains lead, mains wire/wiring |
line cord/power cord |
Flexible electric cable from plug to appliance |
| pin, (plug) |
pin, prong, blade (plug) |
Male part of an electrical connector |
| socket |
socket, outlet, receptacle |
Female part of an electrical connector |
In the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the live contact may be called
live,
hot or
ungrounded. The neutral contact may be called
cold,
neutral,
return,
the grounded conductor, or (in the
National Electrical CodeThe National Electrical Code , or NFPA 70, is a United States standard for the safe installation of electrical wiring and equipment. It is part of the National Fire Codes series published by the National Fire Protection Association . "National Electrical Code" and "NEC" are registered trademarks...
), the
identified conductor. The earth contact is called
ground or
the grounding conductor.
In the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
the word
line is occasionally used to denote the live terminal or wire. In electrical engineering, the
line voltage is that between the live conductors of the three-phase distribution system, while the
phase voltage is that between live and neutral.
Live conductors are called
phases when there is more than a single phase in use. Pins are also known as
prongs,
contacts,
blades, or
terminals.
In
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
, the live contact is called
active.
The three contacts
Each receptacle has two or three wired contacts. The contacts may be
steelSteel is an alloy consisting mostly of iron, with a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most cost-effective alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
or
brassBrass is any alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties. In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin. Despite this distinction, some types of brasses are called bronzes. Brass is a...
, and may be
platedElectroplating is a plating process that uses electrical current to reduce cations of a desired material from a solution and coat a conductive object with a thin layer of the material, such as a metal...
with
zincZinc , also known as spelter, is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
,
tinTin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead, like the two possible oxidation states +2 and +4...
, or
nickelNickel is a chemical element, with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. It is one of the four ferromagnetic elements at about room temperature, other three being iron, cobalt and gadolinium...
.
The live contact carries current from the source to the load. The neutral returns current to the source. Many receptacles and plugs also include a third contact for a connection to
earth groundIn electrical engineering, ground or earth may be the reference point in an electrical circuit from which other voltages are measured, or a common return path for electric current, or a direct physical connection to the Earth....
, intended to protect against insulation failure of the connected device.
Polarisation
Polarised plugs and sockets are those designed to connect only in one orientation, so the live and neutral conductors of the outlet are connected (respectively) to the live and neutral poles of the appliance. Polarisation is maintained by the shape, size, or position of plug pins and socket holes to ensure that a plug fits only one way into a socket. This is so switches interrupt the live wire. If the neutral wire were interrupted instead, the device would be deactivated but its internal wiring would still be live. This is a shock hazard; if the energised parts are touched, current travels to earth through the body. Devices that especially present this hazard include
toasterThe toaster is typically a small electric kitchen appliance designed to toast multiple types of bread products. A typical modern two-slice toaster draws anywhere between 600 and 1200 W and makes toast in 1 to 3 minutes...
s and other appliances with exposed
heating elementA heating element converts electricity into heat through the process of Joule heating. Electric current through the element encounters resistance, resulting in heating of the element....
s, which with reversed polarity can remain live even when they are cool to the touch, and
screw-inThe Edison screw fitting is a system of light bulb connectors, developed by Thomas Edison and licensed starting in 1909 under the Mazda trademark. The designation Exx refers to the diameter in millimeters. For example, E12 has a diameter of 12 mm....
light bulbs—with reversed polarity, exposed portions of the socket shell remain energised even though the lamp is switched off.
Interchange of the live and neutral wires in the wiring behind the walls or in the hookup of sockets defeats the safety purpose of polarised sockets and plugs; a
circuit testerA receptacle tester or outlet tester is a device used to verify that an AC wall outlet is wired properly. The tester itself is small device which looks like the "plug in" end of a power cord, with several lights on it rather than an attached cord...
can be used to detect swapped wires.
Unpolarised plugs and sockets are those which can connect either way around, so live and neutral wires are connected at random. Unpolarised plug/socket systems such as the
EuroplugThe Europlug is a flat, two-pole domestic AC power plug that is generally supplied moulded on the end of an appliance's flex or a power cord, designed for voltages up to 250 V and currents up to 2.5 A...
rely on device construction requirements to avoid the shock hazards created by interchange of live and neutral connections; for example, double insulation, a particular IP protection rating, or
double switchingframe|right|A single-switched relay can close inadvertently in response to a single false feed current.frame|right|A double-switched relay cannot close inadvertently with the application of the same current...
.
(Further information on the configuration of specific types of polarized and unpolarized plugs is below in the section "Types in present use".)
Early history
When
electricityElectricity is a general term that encompasses a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge...
was first introduced into the household, it was primarily used for lighting.
At that time, many electricity companies operated a split-tariff system where the cost of electricity for lighting was lower than that for other purposes. This led to portable appliances (such as vacuum cleaners, electric fans, and hair driers) being connected to the light fitting.
However, as electricity became a common method of lighting houses and operating labour-saving appliances, a safe means of connection to the electric system other than using a light socket was needed. The original two pin electrical plug and socket were invented by
Harvey HubbellHarvey Hubbell II , was a U.S. inventor, entrepreneur and industrialist. His best known inventions are the electrical plug, and the pull-chain light socket....
and
patentA patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for a public disclosure of an invention....
ed in 1904. Other manufacturers adopted the Hubbell pattern and by 1915 they were widespread, although in the 1920s and even later, household and light commercial equipment was still powered through cables connected with Edison screw-base adapters to lampholders.
The three-prong plug was invented by Philip F. Labre, while he was attending the
Milwaukee School of EngineeringThe Milwaukee School of Engineering is a private university located in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. MSOE is best known for its applications-oriented curriculum, close association with business and industry, and extremely high placement rate...
(MSOE). It is said that his landlady had a cat which would knock over her fan when it came in the window. When she plugged the fan back in, she would get an
electric shockAn electric shock can occur upon contact of a human body with any source of voltage high enough to cause sufficient current through the muscles or hair. The minimum current a human can feel is thought to be about 1 milliampere ....
. Labre figured out that if the plug were grounded, the electricity would go to earth through the plug rather than through his landlady. He applied for and was issued a patent for grounding receptacle and plug on June 5, 1928. As the need for safer installations became apparent, earthed three-contact systems were made mandatory in most industrial countries.
Proliferation of standards
During the first fifty years of commercial use of electric power, standards developed rapidly based on growing experience. Technical, safety, and economic factors influenced the development of all wiring devices and numerous varieties were invented. Gradually the desire for trade eliminated some standards that had been used only in a few countries. Former colonies may retain the standards of the colonising country, occasionally—as with the UK and a number of its former colonies — after the colonising country has changed its standard. Sometimes offshore industrial plants or overseas military bases use the wiring practices of their controlling country instead of the surrounding region. Hotels and airports may maintain receptacles of foreign standards for the convenience of travellers. Some countries have multiple voltages, frequencies and plug designs in use, which can create inconvenience and safety hazards.
Design for safety
Design features and aspects of plugs and sockets have evolved to reduce the risk of
electric shockAn electric shock can occur upon contact of a human body with any source of voltage high enough to cause sufficient current through the muscles or hair. The minimum current a human can feel is thought to be about 1 milliampere ....
and equipment damage. Depending on the plug/socket system, safety measures may include pin and slot configuration to permit only the correct insertion of plug into socket, earth pins longer than power pins so the device becomes earthed before power is connected,
insulatedAn insulator, also called a dielectric, is a material that resists the flow of electric current. An insulating material has atoms with tightly bonded valence electrons. These materials are used in parts of electrical equipment, also called insulators or insulation, intended to support or separate...
pin shanks to reduce or eliminate live-contact exposure when a plug is partially inserted in a socket, socket slot shutters that open only for the correct plug, as well as inbuilt
fuseIn electronics and electrical engineering a fuse is a type of sacrificial overcurrent protection device. Its essential component is a metal wire or strip that melts when too much current flows, which interrupts the circuit in which it is connected...
s and switches.
Consolidation of standards
In recent years many countries have settled on one of a few
de facto standards, which became formalised as official national standards, although there remain older installations of obsolete wiring in most countries. Some buildings have wiring that has been in use for almost a century and which pre-dates all modern standards.
There has been some movement towards consolidation of standards for international interoperability. For example, the CEE 7/7 plug (see below) has been adopted in several European countries and is compatible with both Type E and Type F sockets, while the unpolarised
EuroplugThe Europlug is a flat, two-pole domestic AC power plug that is generally supplied moulded on the end of an appliance's flex or a power cord, designed for voltages up to 250 V and currents up to 2.5 A...
is compatible with an even greater proportion of European and other socket types.
IEC 60906-1IEC 60906-1 is the international standard 230 V household plug system. It was intended to become the common mains plug and socket standard, to be used one day everywhere in Europe and other regions with 230 V mains. The standard was published by the International Electrotechnical...
has been proposed as a common standard for all 230-
VThe volt is the SI derived unit of electromotive force, commonly called "voltage". It is also the unit for the related but slightly different quantity electric potential difference...
plugs and sockets worldwide but has only been adopted in Brazil to date.
Many manufacturers of electrical devices like
personal computerA personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end user, with no intervening computer operator...
s have adopted the practice of putting a single world-standard
IEC connectorIEC connector is the common name for the set of thirteen mains electricity line sockets and thirteen panel plugs defined by International Electrotechnical Commission specification IEC 60320...
on the device, and supplying for each country a
power cordFor a musical note played on an electric guitar see Power chordA power cord, line cord, or mains cable is a cord or cable that temporarily connects an electrical appliance to the distribution circuits of an electrical power source via a wall socket or extension cord.The terms are generally used for...
equipped with a standard IEC connector on one end and a national power plug at the other. The device itself is designed to adapt to a wide range of voltage and frequency standards. This has the practical benefit of reducing the amount of testing required for approval, and reduces the number of different product variations that must be produced to serve world markets.
World maps
There are two basic standards for voltage and frequency in the world. One is the North American standard of 110-120 volts at a
frequencyThe line frequency or mains frequency is the frequency at which alternating current is transmitted from a power plant to the end user. In most parts of the world this is 50 Hz, although in the Americas it is typically 60 Hz...
of 60
HzThe hertz is a unit of frequency. It is defined as the number of complete cycles per second. It is the basic unit of frequency in the International System of Units , and is used worldwide in both general-purpose and scientific contexts...
, which uses plugs A and B, and the other is the European standard of 220-240 volts at 50 Hz, which uses plugs C through M. The differences arose for historical reasons as discussed in the article
Mains electricityMains is the general-purpose alternating current electric power supply. The term is not often used in the United States and Canada. In the US, mains power is referred to by a variety of formal and informal names, including household power, household electricity, domestic power, wall power, line...
.
Countries on other continents have adopted one of these two voltage standards, although some countries use variations or a mixture of standards. The outline maps show the different plug types, voltages and frequencies used around the world, color-coded for easy reference.
Types in present use
Electrical plugs and their sockets differ by country in shape, size and type of connectors.
The type used in each country is set by national standards legislation. In this article each type is designated by a letter designation from a U.S. government publication , plus a short comment in parentheses giving its country of origin and number of contacts. Subsections then detail the subtypes of each type as used in different parts of the world.
IEC ClassesIn the electrical appliance manufacturing industry, the following IEC protection classes are used to differentiate between the protective-earth connection requirements of devices.-Class 0:...
are assigned to electrical devices depending on whether or not they are earthed (grounded) and the degree of insulation they incorporate. Class I, for example, refers to earthed (grounded) equipment, while class II refers to unearthed (ungrounded) equipment protected by double insulation.
Special purpose sockets may be found in industrial, commercial or institutional buildings. These may be merely labeled or coloured, or may have different arrangements of pins or keying provisions. Some special-purpose systems are incompatible with general-purpose lighting and appliances. Examples of systems using special purpose sockets include:
- "clean" ground for use with computer systems,
- emergency power supply,
- uninterruptible power supply, for critical or life-support equipment,
- isolated power for medical instruments,
- "balanced" or "technical" power used in audio and video production studios,
- theatrical lighting
Depending on the nature of the system, special-purpose sockets may just identify a reserved use of a system (for example, computer power) or may be physically incompatible with utility sockets to prevent use of unintended
equipment which could create electrical noise or other problems for the intended equipment on the line.
Type A
NEMA 1-15 (North American 15
AThe ampere is the SI unit of electric current. The ampere, in practice often shortened to amp, is an SI base unit, and is named after André-Marie Ampère, one of the main discoverers of electromagnetism....
/125
VThe volt is the SI derived unit of electromotive force, commonly called "voltage". It is also the unit for the related but slightly different quantity electric potential difference...
ungrounded)
This plug and socket, with two flat parallel non-coplanar blades and slots, is used in most of
North AmericaNorth America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific...
and on the east coast of
South AmericaSouth America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere...
on devices not requiring a ground connection, such as lamps and "double-insulated" small appliances. It has been adopted by 38 countries outside North America, and is standardised in the U.S. by the
National Electrical Manufacturers AssociationThe National Electrical Manufacturers Association or NEMA is a U.S.-based association, which was created on September 1, 1926, when the Associated Manufacturers of Electrical Supplies and the Electric Power Club merged. It is headquartered in Rosslyn, Virginia...
. NEMA 1-15 sockets have been prohibited in new construction in the United States and Canada since 1962, but remain in many older homes and are still sold for replacement. Type A plugs are still very common because they are compatible with type B (three-prong) sockets.
Initially, the plug's prongs and the socket's slots were the same height, so the plug could be inserted into the socket either way around. Modern plugs and sockets are polarised by means of a neutral blade/slot wider than the live blade/slot, so the plug can be inserted only the right way. Polarised type A plugs will not fit in unpolarised type A sockets, because both slots are narrow, but both unpolarised and polarised type A plugs will fit in polarised type A sockets and in type B (three-prong) sockets. Some devices that do not distinguish between neutral and live, such as sealed electronic power supplies, are still produced with unpolarised type A pins (both narrow).
JIS C 8303, Class II (Japanese 15
AThe ampere is the SI unit of electric current. The ampere, in practice often shortened to amp, is an SI base unit, and is named after André-Marie Ampère, one of the main discoverers of electromagnetism....
/100
VThe volt is the SI derived unit of electromotive force, commonly called "voltage". It is also the unit for the related but slightly different quantity electric potential difference...
ungrounded)
The
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese plug and socket are identical to NEMA 1-15. However, the Japanese system incorporates stricter dimensional requirements for the plug housing, different marking requirements, and mandatory testing and approval by
MITIThe Ministry of International Trade and Industry was one of the most powerful agencies in the Japanese government. At the height of its influence, it effectively ran much of Japanese industrial policy, funding research and directing investment...
or JIS.
Many Japanese outlets and multiplug adapters are unpolarised — the slots in the sockets are the same size — and will accept only unpolarised plugs. Japanese plugs generally fit into most North American outlets without trouble, but polarised North American plugs may require adapters or replacement non-polarised plugs to connect to older Japanese outlets. However, in Japan voltage is supplied at only 100 volts and the frequency in eastern Japan is 50 rather than 60 Hz, so North American devices which can be plugged into Japanese sockets may not function properly.
Type B
 |
 |
| NEMA 5-15 plug, left. Decorative-style duplex outlet, center. Ordinary duplex outlet, right. |
NEMA 5-15 (North American 15 A/125 V grounded)
The type B plug has two flat parallel blades like type A, but has a round or
U-shaped grounding prong (American standard NEMA 5-15/
CSAEstablished in 1919, the Canadian Standards Association is a not-for-profit association composed of representatives from government, industry, and consumer groups...
22.2, No.42). It is rated for 15 amperes at 125 volts. The ground pin is longer than the live and neutral blades, so the device is grounded before the power is connected. Sometimes both current blades on type B plugs are narrow since the ground pin enforces polarity (but for use with type A plugs, the socket retains polarity enforcement).
The 5-15 socket is standard in all of North America (Canada, the United States and Mexico). It is also used in Central America, the Caribbean, northern South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela and part of Brazil), Japan, Taiwan and
Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia , is an Arab country and the largest country of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Jordan on the northwest, Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south...
. Looking directly at a type B outlet with the ground at the bottom, the neutral slot is on the left, and the live slot is on the right. They may also be installed with the ground at the top or on either side.
In some parts of the United States and all of Canada, tamper-resistant outlets are now required in new construction. These prevent contact by objects like keys or paper clips inserted into the receptacle.
In the
theaterModern stage lighting is a flexible tool in the production of theatre, dance, opera and other performance arts. Several different types of stage lighting instruments are used in the pursuit of the various principles or goals of lighting....
, this connector is sometimes known as
PBG for "Parallel Blade with Ground",
Edison or
Hubbell, the name of a common manufacturer.
NEMA 5-20 (North American 20 A/125 V grounded)
In new residential construction since about 1992, a 20-amp receptacle with a T-slot for the neutral blade allows either 15-ampere parallel blade plugs or 20-ampere plugs to be used.
JIS C 8303, Class I (Japanese 15 A/100 V grounded)
Japan also uses a Type B plug similar to the North American one. However it is less common than its Type A equivalent.
Type C
(Not to be confused with the 3-blade C13 and C14 IEC connectorIEC connector is the common name for the set of thirteen mains electricity line sockets and thirteen panel plugs defined by International Electrotechnical Commission specification IEC 60320...
s)
CEE 7/16 (Europlug 2.5 A/250 V unearthed)
This two-prong plug is popularly known as the
EuroplugThe Europlug is a flat, two-pole domestic AC power plug that is generally supplied moulded on the end of an appliance's flex or a power cord, designed for voltages up to 250 V and currents up to 2.5 A...
. The plug is non-earthed and has two round pins, which usually converge slightly towards their free ends. It is described in CEE 7/16 and is also defined in
ItalianItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
standard CEI 23-5 and
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n standard
GOST 7396GOST 7396 is a series of Soviet and later Russian standards that specify basic dimensions and safety requirements for power plugs and sockets used in Russia and other former Soviet Republics. The plugs are similar to the Schuko standard. The contacts are also 19 mm apart, but the diameter of...
. This plug is intended for use with devices that require 2.5 amps or less. Because it is unpolarised, it can be inserted in either direction into the socket, so live and neutral are connected at random. The separation and length of the pins allow its safe insertion in most CEE 7/17, Type E (French), type F (CEE 7/4 "Schuko"), Type H (Israeli), CEE 7/7, Type J (Swiss), Type K (Danish) and Type L (Italian) outlets, as well as BS 4573 UK shaver sockets. It can be forced into type D (5 amp) and G sockets, though the connection may be neither reliable nor safe.
The Europlug (plug only, not socket from the picture) is used in Class II applications throughout continental Europe (Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and Ukraine). It is also used in the Middle East, most of African nations, South America (Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Peru and Bolivia), Asia (Bangladesh, Indonesia and Pakistan) as well as Russia and the former Soviet republics, such as Armenia, Georgia, and many developing nations. It is also used alongside the BS 1363 in many nations, particularly former British colonies.
CEE 7/17 (German/French 16 A/250 V unearthed)
This plug also has two round pins but the pins are in diameter like types E and F and the plug has a round plastic or rubber base that stops it being inserted into small sockets intended for the Europlug. Instead, it fits only into large round sockets intended for types E and F. The base has holes in it to accommodate both side contacts and socket earth pins. It is used for large appliances, and in South Korea for all domestic non-earthed appliances. It is also defined in Italian standard CEI 23-5. Can also be safely inserted in to Israeli type H sockets, although with some difficulty.
BS 4573 (UK shaver)
In the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
and
IrelandIreland is a country in north-western Europe. The modern sovereign state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned on 3 May 1921. It is a parliamentary democracy and a republic...
, what appears to be a larger version of the type C plug exists for use with shavers (electric
razorA razor is a bladed tool primarily used in the shaving off of unwanted body hair.- Early razors :Razors have been identified from many Bronze Age cultures. These were made of bronze or obsidian and were generally oval in shape, with a small tang protruding from one of the short ends...
s) in bath or shower rooms. In fact it was not derived from the type C plug at all, but was a legacy from the obsolete 2 pin 5 amp plug used in Britain in the 1920s and 1930s but still prevalent, especially in bathrooms, as late as the 1960s. It has diameter pins apart, and the sockets for this plug are often designed to accept unearthed CEE 7/16, US or Australian plugs as well. Sockets are often able to supply either 230V or 115V. In wet zones, they must contain an
isolation transformerAn isolation transformer is a transformer, often with symmetrical windings, which is used to decouple two circuits. An isolation transformer allows an AC signal or power to be taken from one device and fed into another without electrically connecting the two circuits. Isolation transformers block...
compliant with BS 3535.
Soviet plug (6 A/250 V unearthed)
The Soviet plug, still widely used in modern Russia, has pin dimensions and spacing equal to the Europlug, but lacks the insulation sleeves. It has a round body like the French type E or flat body with a round base like CEE7/17. The round base has no notches. The pins are parallel and do not converge. The body is made of fire resistant thermoset plastic.
There were also moulded rubber plugs available similar to CEE7/17, but with a round base without any notches. They could be altered to fit a CEE7/17 socket by cutting notches with a sharp knife.
Europlug in Russian popular culture
In Russia "Europlug" (as pronounced in English), is always called a "conventional" plug, along with the Soviet plug. "Evrovilka" ("Евровилка", which means "Europlug" in the Russian language) almost always refers to the Schuko plug.
Variations in sockets
Type C sockets have no earth provisions and consequently have been phased out in some countries. For example, in Germany, non-earthed outlets are rare, found only in very old installations, whereas in the Netherlands they are common in "dry areas" such as in bedrooms or living rooms. Standards also vary between countries as to whether child-resistant shutters are required. Depending on the country and the age of the socket these sockets may have 4.0 or 4.8mm receptacles. The latter accept type E and F plugs in addition to type C, though without earth connection. Countries using the type E or F standards vary in whether non-earthed type C outlets are still permitted in environments where the need for earthing is less critical. Adaptors and trailing sockets and power strips designed to accept only Europlugs with pins may also have plastic barriers in place to prevent CEE 7/17,
Schuko"Schuko" is the colloquial name for a system of AC power plugs and sockets that is defined as "CEE 7/4" or known unofficially as "Type F" . A Schuko plug features two round pins of 4.8 mm diameter for the live and neutral contacts, plus two flat contact areas on the top and bottom side of the...
or French plugs from entering.
Type D
BS 546 (5 A/250 V earthed)
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
and
PakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located at the crossroads of South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia...
have standardised on a plug which was originally defined in British standard
BS 546BS 546 is an old British Standard for domestic AC power plugs and sockets. These are also known as type D and type M in US documentation. When viewed in photographs with no indication of scale the different ratings look similar, but where a photograph shows more than one type the difference in...
. It has three large round pins in a triangular pattern. The BS 546 standard is also used in parts of the Middle East (Kuwait, Qatar) and parts of Asia and South East Asia that were electrified by the British. This type was also previously used in
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
, but has been phased out in favour of the 15 A version there. Similarly, in
GhanaThe Republic of Ghana is a country in West Africa which borders Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
,
KenyaThe Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. Lying along the Indian Ocean, at the equator, Kenya is bordered by Ethiopia , Somalia , Tanzania , Uganda plus Lake Victoria , and Sudan . The capital city is Nairobi. Kenya spans an area about 85% the size of France or Texas...
and
NigeriaNigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal Capital Territory. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger...
, the plug has been mostly replaced by the British 3-pin (Type G). This 5 A plug, along with its smaller 2 A cousin, is sometimes used in the UK for centrally switched domestic lighting circuits, in order to distinguish them from normal power circuits.
BS 546 and SABS 164 (15 A/250 V earthed)
This plug is sometimes referred to as type M, but it is in fact merely the 15 A version of the plug above, though its pins are much larger at . Live and neutral are spaced apart, and earth is away from each of them. Although the 5 A version is standard in
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
,
PakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located at the crossroads of South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia...
,
Sri LankaSri Lanka , officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka , is an island country in South Asia, located about off the southern coast of India...
,
NepalNepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia and the world's youngest republic. It is bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
and
NamibiaNamibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in Southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana and Zimbabwe to the east, and South Africa to the south and east...
, the 15 A version is also used in these countries for larger appliances. Some countries like
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
use it as the main domestic plug and socket type, where sockets always have an on–off switch built into them. Type M is still commonly found in installations in
Hong KongHong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a highly autonomous territory of the People's Republic of China, facing Guangdong to the north and the South China Sea to the east, west and south...
and
BotswanaThe Republic of Botswana is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Citizens of Botswana are called "Batswana" , regardless of ethnicity. Formerly a British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
, alongside type G. The Type M was almost universally used in the UK and Ireland for indoor dimmable theatre and architectural lighting installations, but there is now a widespread move to using CEE 16 A industrial sockets in new installations. It was also often used for non-dimmed but centrally controlled sockets within such installations. The main reason for doing this is that fused plugs, while convenient for domestic wiring (as they allow 32 A socket circuits to be used safely), are not convenient if the plugs and sockets are in hard-to-access locations (like lighting bars) or if using chains of extension cords since it is hard to figure out which fuse has blown. Both of these situations are common in theatre wiring. This plug is also widely used in
IsraelIsrael officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...
,
SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, lying north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. At , Singapore is a microstate and the smallest nation in Southeast...
and
MalaysiaMalaysia is a country in Southeast Asia that consists of thirteen states and three Federal Territories, with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government. The population stands at over 28 million inhabitants...
for
air conditionersAn air conditioner is a home appliance, system, or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area, or provide heat to an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle...
and
clothes dryerA clothes dryer or tumble dryer is a household appliance that is used to remove moisture from a load of clothing and other textiles, generally shortly after they are cleaned in a washing machine....
s.
Type E
French type E
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
,
BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
,
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
,
Czech RepublicThe Czech Republic is a country in Central Europe that is sometimes considered to be Eastern European. The country borders Poland to the northeast, Germany to the west and northwest, Austria to the south and Slovakia to the east. The capital and largest city is Prague...
,
SlovakiaThe Slovak Republic is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe with a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia borders the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south. The largest city is its capital, Bratislava...
and some other countries have standardised on a socket which is not compatible with the CEE 7/4 socket (type F) standard in
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
and other continental European countries. The reason for incompatibility is that earthing in the E socket is done by a round male pin permanently mounted in the socket. Sockets are installed with the earth pin upwards. Although the plug is polarised, there is no universally observed standard for connecting the live and neutral. The plug itself is round with two round pins measuring , spaced apart and a hole for the socket's earth pin. It will accept Europlug (type C) and CEE 7/17 plugs.
Like type F plug below, this plug will fit some other types of socket either easily or with force. However, there will be no earth connection with such sockets, and in some cases forcing the plug may damage the socket.
Child-resistant outlet shutters are required by French and Belgian standards, though are not required in all countries where this type is used.
The type has been authorised in
DenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries; southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and it is bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark borders both the Baltic and the North Sea...
since 1 July 2008 but sockets of this kind are not yet common.
Type F
CEE 7/4 (German "Schuko" 16 A/250 V earthed)
The type F plug, defined in CEE 7/4 and commonly called a "
Schuko"Schuko" is the colloquial name for a system of AC power plugs and sockets that is defined as "CEE 7/4" or known unofficially as "Type F" . A Schuko plug features two round pins of 4.8 mm diameter for the live and neutral contacts, plus two flat contact areas on the top and bottom side of the...
plug", is like type E except that it has two earthing clips on the sides of the plug instead of a female earth contact. The Schuko connection system is symmetrical and unpolarised by design, allowing live and neutral to be reversed. The socket also accepts Europlugs and CEE 7/17 plugs. It supplies up to 16 Amperes. It is used in
AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.3 million people in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west...
,
BulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a country in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe. Bulgaria borders five other countries: Romania to the north , Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Greece and Turkey to the south...
,
ChileChile, officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
,
CroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a country in southeast Europe, at the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital is Zagreb...
,
FinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland
, is a Nordic country and democracy situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland...
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
,
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula....
,
HungaryHungary , in English officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Its capital is Budapest. Hungary is a member of OECD, NATO, EU, V4 and is a Schengen state...
,
IcelandThe Republic of Iceland is a European island country located in the North Atlantic Ocean. It has a population of about 320,000 and a total area of 103,000 km². Its capital and largest city is Reykjavík, whose surrounding area is home to approximately two thirds of the national population...
,
IndonesiaThe Republic of Indonesia is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia comprises 17,508 islands. With an estimated population of around 237 million people, it is the world's fourth most populous country, with the world's largest population of Muslims.Indonesia is a republic, with an...
,
LatviaLatvia , officially the Republic of Latvia is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , and to the southeast by Belarus . Across the Baltic Sea to the west lies Sweden...
,
LuxembourgLuxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a small, landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany...
, the Netherlands,
NorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...
,
PortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
,
RomaniaRomania is a country located in Southeastern and Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea. Almost all of the Danube Delta is located within its territory...
,
SerbiaSerbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a country located in both Central and Southeastern Europe. Its territory covers the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and central part of the Balkans...
,
SloveniaSlovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central Europe bordering Italy to the west, the Adriatic Sea to the southwest, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north...
,
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
,
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
and
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey
, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe...
.
"Schuko" is an abbreviation for the
GermanGerman is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by...
word
Schutzkontakt, which means "Protective (that is, earthed) contact".
Some countries - notably Sweden - require child-proof outlet shutters; the German
Schuko"Schuko" is the colloquial name for a system of AC power plugs and sockets that is defined as "CEE 7/4" or known unofficially as "Type F" . A Schuko plug features two round pins of 4.8 mm diameter for the live and neutral contacts, plus two flat contact areas on the top and bottom side of the...
standard does not have this requirement.
Gost 7396 (Russian 10 A/250 V earthed)
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n Standard Gost 7396 defines a plug and receptacle similar to the Schuko, but with smaller pins of diameter, rated at 10 amps. A Gost 7396 will fit a Schuko receptacle, but the reverse is not possible since the Schuko and CEE 7/17 plugs pins are too large. This socket also accepts Europlugs.
After reunification, the former East Germany adopted the same DIN and VDE standards as West Germany. Most Eastern European countries used the Schuko standard, but exported appliances with the Soviet standard plug.
Type E / F hybrid
CEE 7/7 (French/German 16 A/250 V earthed)
In order to bridge the differences between sockets E and F, the CEE 7/7 plug was developed. It is polarised to prevent the live and neutral connections from being reversed when used with a type E outlet, but allows polarity reversal when inserted into a type F socket. The plug is rated at 16 A.
It has earthing clips on both sides to connect with the CEE 7/4 socket and a female contact to accept the earthing pin of the type E socket. It's also used in Spain and Portugal.
Nowadays, when appliances are sold with type E/F plugs attached, the plugs are CEE 7/7 and non-rewirable. This means that the plugs are now identical between countries like France and Germany, but the sockets are different.
Type G
BS 1363 (British 13 A/230-240 V 50 Hz earthed and fused), equivalent to IS 401 & 411 (Ireland), MS 589 (Malaysia) and SS 145 (Singapore)
The
British StandardsBritish Standards are produced by BSI Group which is incorporated under a Royal Charter and is formally designated as the National Standards Body for the UK...
1363 plug. This design is used not only in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
, but also in
IrelandIreland is a country in north-western Europe. The modern sovereign state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned on 3 May 1921. It is a parliamentary democracy and a republic...
,
Sri LankaSri Lanka , officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka , is an island country in South Asia, located about off the southern coast of India...
,
BahrainThe Kingdom of Bahrain is a small island country in the Persian Gulf ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. Saudi Arabia lies to the west and is connected to Bahrain via the King Fahd Causeway, which was officially opened on the 25th of November 1986. Qatar is to the southeast across the Gulf of...
, UAE,
QatarQatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally ', is an Arab emirate in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the larger Arabian Peninsula...
,
YemenYemen , officially the Republic of Yemen is a country located on the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia...
,
OmanOman , officially the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab country in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It borders the United Arab Emirates on the northwest, Saudi Arabia on the west and Yemen on the southwest....
,
CyprusCyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country situated in the eastern Mediterranean, south of Turkey and west of Syria and Lebanon....
,
MaltaMalta , officially the Republic of Malta , is a densely populated developed European country in the European Union. The Southern European island nation is an archipelago that includes the inhabited islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino, along with a number of smaller, uninhabited islands...
,
GibraltarGibraltar is a self-governing British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula and Europe at the entrance of the Mediterranean overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar. The territory covers and shares a land border with Spain to the north...
,
BotswanaThe Republic of Botswana is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Citizens of Botswana are called "Batswana" , regardless of ethnicity. Formerly a British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
,
GhanaThe Republic of Ghana is a country in West Africa which borders Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
,
Hong KongHong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a highly autonomous territory of the People's Republic of China, facing Guangdong to the north and the South China Sea to the east, west and south...
,
MacauThe Macau Special Administrative Region , commonly known as Macau or Macao , is one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China, the other being Hong Kong...
,
BruneiBrunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
,
MalaysiaMalaysia is a country in Southeast Asia that consists of thirteen states and three Federal Territories, with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government. The population stands at over 28 million inhabitants...
,
SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, lying north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. At , Singapore is a microstate and the smallest nation in Southeast...
,
IndonesiaThe Republic of Indonesia is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia comprises 17,508 islands. With an estimated population of around 237 million people, it is the world's fourth most populous country, with the world's largest population of Muslims.Indonesia is a republic, with an...
,
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a country in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
,
KenyaThe Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. Lying along the Indian Ocean, at the equator, Kenya is bordered by Ethiopia , Somalia , Tanzania , Uganda plus Lake Victoria , and Sudan . The capital city is Nairobi. Kenya spans an area about 85% the size of France or Texas...
,
UgandaThe Republic of Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by Tanzania...
,
NigeriaNigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal Capital Territory. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger...
,
MauritiusMauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation off the coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar. In addition to the island of Mauritius, the Republic includes the islands of Cargados Carajos, Rodrigues and the Agalega Islands...
,
IraqIraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , also known as Mesopotamia, is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert.Iraq shares borders with Jordan to the west, Syria...
,
KuwaitThe State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab emirate bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south and Iraq to the north and west. The greatest distance from north to south is 200 km and from east to west 170 km . The name is a diminutive of an Arabic word meaning "fortress built near water." It has a...
,
TanzaniaThe United Republic of Tanzania is a country in central East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.The United...
and
ZimbabweZimbabwe , is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the continent of Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers...
. BS 1363 is also standard in several of the former British Caribbean colonies such as
BelizeBelize , is a country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, composed of many cultures and speaking many languages. Although Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official language...
,
DominicaDominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Caribbean Sea. To the north-northwest lies Guadeloupe, to the southeast Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth of Dominica has an...
, St. Lucia,
Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesSaint Vincent and the Grenadines is a nation in the Lesser Antilles chain, which lies at the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea where it meets the Atlantic Ocean. Its territory consists of the main island of Saint Vincent and the northern two-thirds of the Grenadines, which are a chain of...
and
GrenadaGrenada is an island country and sovereign state consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea. Grenada is located northwest of Trinidad and Tobago, northeast of Venezuela, and southwest of Saint Vincent and the...
. It is also used in
Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia , is an Arab country and the largest country of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Jordan on the northwest, Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south...
in 230 V installations although 110 V installations using the NEMA connector are more common.
This plug, commonly known as a "13-amp plug", is a large plug that has three rectangular prongs forming a triangle. Live and neutral are long, and spaced apart. of insulation at the trailing ends of the prongs prevents accidental contact with a bare connector while the plug is partially inserted. The earth prong is approximately and long.
The plug has a fuse inside. The fuse is required to protect the cord, as British wiring standards allow very high-current ring main circuits to the socket. Accepted practice is to choose the smallest standard fuse (3 or 13 A) that will allow the appliance to function. Using a 13 A fuse on an appliance with thin cord is a fire hazard. The fuse is long, conforming to standard BS 1362. Sockets are required to be wired with neutral on the left and live on the right (viewed from the front of the socket) so that the fuse in the plug disconnects the live feed if it blows. The same convention is used for all British sockets connected directly to "mains" wiring.
UK wiring regulations (
BS 7671British Standard BS 7671 "Requirements for electrical installations" is the national standard in the United Kingdom for low voltage electrical installations. It is also used as a national standard by Mauritius, St Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and...
) require sockets in homes to have shutters over the live and neutral connections to prevent the insertion of objects other than electric plugs. On most designs, these shutters are opened by the insertion of the longer earth prong. On some designs they are opened by the simultaneous insertion of the live and neutral prongs of the right shape and spacing. The effect of the shutters is to help prevent the use of plugs made to other standards, and to prevent children and others poking things into the dangerous connections. On plugs for Class II appliances that do not require an earth, the pin is often
plasticPlastic is the general common term for a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic organic amorphous solid materials suitable for the manufacture of industrial products...
and serves only to open the shutters and to enforce the correct orientation of live and neutral. It may be possible to open the shutters by putting a screwdriver blade into the earth socked, so as to insert a Type C Plug (but not the BS 4573 UK shaver) or other plug types, but this can be dangerous for such plugs will not have a fuse and will often not fit properly.
BS 1363 plugs and sockets started appearing in 1946 and BS 1363 was first published in 1947. By the end of the 1950s, it had replaced the earlier type D
BS 546BS 546 is an old British Standard for domestic AC power plugs and sockets. These are also known as type D and type M in US documentation. When viewed in photographs with no indication of scale the different ratings look similar, but where a photograph shows more than one type the difference in...
in new installations, and by the end of the 1960s, most earlier type D installations had been rewired to BS 1363 standards. Outlets usually include switches on the live side for convenience and safety.
Type H
SI 32 (Israeli 16 A/250 V earthed)
This plug, defined in SI 32 (IS16A-R), is unique to
IsraelIsrael officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...
and is incompatible with all other sockets. It has three flat pins to form a Y-shape. Live and neutral are spaced apart. The Type H plug is rated at 16A but in practice the thin flat pins can cause the plug to overheat when connecting large appliances. In 1989, the standard was revised to use three round pins in the same locations. Sockets made since 1989 accept both flat and round pins for compatibility with both old and new plugs. This also allows the Type H socket to accommodate the type C plugs used in Israel for non-earthed appliances. Older sockets, from about the 1970s, have both flat and round holes for live and neutral in order to accept both Type C and Type H plugs. As of 2008, type H sockets which accept only old-style type H plugs are very rare in Israel.
This plug is also used in the areas controlled by the
Palestinian National AuthorityThe Palestinian National Authority is the administrative organization established to govern parts of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip....
in the
West BankThe West Bank is a landlocked territory and is the eastern part of the Palestinian territories; on the west bank of the River Jordan in the Middle East. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel, which maintains the security of this area. To the east,...
and all of the
Gaza StripThe Gaza Strip lies on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Egypt on the south-west and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometers wide, with a total area of . The area is recognized internationally as part of the Palestinian territories...
.
Type I
AS/NZS 3112 (Australasian 10 A/240 V)
This plug, used in
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
,
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
,
FijiFiji , officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands , is an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean east of Vanuatu, west of Tonga and south of Tuvalu. The country comprises an archipelago of about 322 islands, of which 106 are permanently inhabited, and 522 islets...
,
ArgentinaArgentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations, though Mexico,...
and
Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
, has an earthing pin, and two flat current-carrying pins forming an upside down V-shape. The flat blades measure and are set at 30° to the vertical at a nominal pitch of . Australian and New Zealand wall sockets almost always have switches on them for extra safety, as in the UK. An unearthed version of this plug with two angled power pins but no earthing pin is used with small double-insulated appliances, but the power (wall) outlets always have three pins, including an earth pin.
There are several AS/NZS 3112 plug variants, including one with a wider earth pin used for devices drawing up to 15 amps; sockets supporting this pin will also accept 10 A plugs. There is also a 20 A variant, with all three pins oversized, and 25 and 32 A variants, with the 20A larger pins and the earthing pin forming an inverted "L" for the 25A and a horizontal "U" for the 32 A. These sockets accept plugs of equal or of a lower current capacity, but not of higher capacity. For example, a 10 A plug will fit all sockets but a 20 A plug will fit only 20, 25 and 32 A outlets).
Australasia's standard plug/socket system was originally codified as standard C112 (floated provisionally in 1937, and adopted as a formal standard in 1938), which was superseded by
AS 3112AS 3112 is an Australian standard for mains power plug. It is also known as a Type I plug.-Description:The plug mating the pictured socket, used in Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Tokelau, has an earthing pin and two flat pins forming an inverted V-shape...
in 1990. As of 2005, the latest major update is AS/NZS 3112:2004, which mandated insulated pins by 2005. However, equipment and cords made before 2003 can still be used.
CPCS-CCC (Chinese 10 A/250 V)
Although the pins on the Chinese plug are longer, the Australasian plug can be used with
mainland ChineseThe People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately one-fifth of the world's population...
socket. The standard for Chinese plugs and sockets is set out in GB 2099.1–1996 and GB 1002–1996. As part of China's commitment for entry into the WTO, the new CPCS (Compulsory Product Certification System) has been introduced, and compliant Chinese plugs have been awarded the
CCC MarkThe China Compulsory Certificate mark, commonly known as CCC Mark, is a compulsory safety mark for many products sold on the Chinese market. It became effective on May 1, 2002...
by this system.
The plug is three wire, earthed, rated at 10 A, 250 V and used for Class 1 applications.
In China, the sockets are installed upside-down relative to the Australasian ones.
China also uses American/Japanese "Type A" sockets and plugs for Class-II appliances. However, the voltage across the pins of a Chinese socket will always be 220, no matter what the plug type.
IRAM 2073 (Argentinian 10 A/250 V)
The
ArgentinianArgentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations, though Mexico,...
plug is a three-wire earthed plug rated at 10 A, 250 V defined by
IRAMThe Argentine Normalization and Certification Institute is the International Organization for Standardization member body for Argentina....
and used in Class 1 applications in Argentina and
UruguayUruguay , is a country located in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to 3.46 million people, of whom 1.1 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area. An estimated 88–94% of the population are of mostly European and/or mixed descent.Uruguay's only land border is...
.
This plug is similar in appearance to the Australasian and Chinese plugs. The pin length is same as the Chinese version. The most important difference from the Australasian plug is that the Argentinian plug is wired with the live and neutral contacts reversed.
Type J
SEV 1011 (Swiss 10 A/250 V)
SwitzerlandSwitzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities...
has its own standard which is described in SEV 1011. (ASE1011/1959 SW10A-R) This plug is similar to the type C Europlug (CEE 7/16), except that it has an offset earth pin and the pin shanks are not insulated, so plugs partially inserted into non-recessed sockets present a
shockAn electric shock can occur upon contact of a human body with any source of voltage high enough to cause sufficient current through the muscles or hair. The minimum current a human can feel is thought to be about 1 milliampere ....
hazard. Sockets used in kitchens, bathrooms and other wet areas are recessed, while those used elsewhere are not. Some plugs and adaptors have a tapered form and can be used in either environment, while others will fit only the non-recessed sockets. Swiss sockets accept Swiss plugs or Europlugs (CEE 7/16). There is also a non-earthed two-pin variant with the same pin shape, size, and spacing as the SEV 1011's live and neutral pins, but with a more flattened hexagonal form. It fits into round and hexagonal Swiss sockets and CEE 7/16 sockets, and is rated for up to 10 A.
A less-common variant has 3 square pins and is rated for 16 amps. Above 16 amps, equipment must either be hardwired to the electrical supply system with appropriate branch circuit protection, or connected to the mains with an appropriate high power industrial connector.
Type K (Danish standard) and Thai 3 pin plug
Section 107-2-D1 (Danish 13 A/250 V earthed)
This
DanishDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries; southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and it is bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark borders both the Baltic and the North Sea...
standard plug is described in the Danish Plug Equipment Section 107-2-D1 Standard sheet (SRAF1962/DB 16/87 DN10A-R). The plug is similar to the French type E except that it has an earthing pin instead of an earthing hole (and vice versa on the socket). This makes the Danish socket more unobtrusive than the French socket which is a cavity into the wall to protect the earthing pin from mechanical damage (and to protect from touching the live pins). The Danish standard provides for outlets to have child-resistant shutters.
The Danish socket will also accept the type C CEE 7/16 Europlug or type E/F CEE 7/17 Schuko-French hybrid plug. Type F CEE 7/4 (Schuko), type E/F CEE 7/7 (Schuko-French hybrid), and earthed type E French plugs will also fit into the socket but should not be used for appliances that need earth contact. The current rating on both plugs is 13A.
A variation (standard DK 2-5a) of the Danish plug is for use only on surge protected computer outlets.
It fits into the corresponding computer socket and the normal type K socket, but normal type K plugs deliberately don't fit into the special computer socket. The plug is often used in companies, but rarely in private homes.
There is a variation for hospital equipment with a rectangular left pin, it is used for life support equipment.
Traditionally all Danish sockets were equipped with a switch to prevent touching live pins when connecting/disconnecting the plug. Today, sockets without switch are allowed, but then it is a requirement that the sockets have a cavity to prevent touching the live pins. However, the shape of the plugs generally makes it difficult to touch the pins when connecting/disconnecting.
Since the early 1990s grounded outlets have been required in all new electric installations in Denmark. Older outlets need not be grounded, but all outlets, including old installations, must be protected by
ground-fault interruptersA residual current device , similar to a residual current circuit breaker , is an electrical wiring device that disconnects a circuit whenever it detects that the electric current is not balanced between the energized conductor and the return neutral conductor...
(HFI or HPFI in Danish) by 1 July 2008.
As of 1 July 2008, wall outlets for type E (French 2-pin, female earth) are permitted for installations in Denmark . This was done because no electrical equipment sold to private users is equipped with a type K plug, and to break the monopoly of Lauritz Knudsen — the only company making type K sockets and plugs.
Sockets for the Schuko F type will not be permitted. The reason is that a large number of currently used Danish plugs will jam when inserted into a Schuko socket. This may cause damage to the socket. It may also result in a bad connection of the pins, with resultant risk of overheating and fire. Broken type F sockets are often seen in German hotels visited by Danes. Many international travel adapter sets sold outside Denmark match type C CEE 7/16 (Europlug) and type E/F CEE 7/7 (Schuko-French hybrid) plugs which can readily be used in Denmark.
Thai 3 pin plug TIS166-2549 (2006)
Thai multi-standard 3-pin sockets (like that shown below) safely accept unpolarised type A, B and C plugs, and also a 3 round-pin plug similar to type K..
Type L
CEI 23-16/VII (Italian 10 A/250 V and 16 A/250 V)
The
ItalianItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
earthed plug/socket standard, CEI 23-16/VII, includes two models rated at 10 A and 16 A that differ in contact diameter and spacing (see below for details). Both are symmetrical, allowing the live and neutral contacts to be inserted in either direction.
The double standard was initially adopted because in Italy, up to the second half of the twentieth century, the electric power used for lamps (
Luce = lighting) and the one used for all other appliances (
Forza =
electromotive forceIn physics, electromotive force, or most commonly emf , or electromotance is "that which tends to cause current to flow."...
; or
Uso Promiscuo = general purpose) were sold at different fares, charged with different taxes, accounted with separated electricity meters, and sent on different wire lines that ended with different sockets. Even though the two electric lines (and respective fares) were definitively unified during the summer of 1974 many houses kept twin wires and twin electricity meters for years thereafter. The two gauges for plugs and sockets thus became a
de facto standardA de facto standard is a custom, convention, product, or system that has achieved a dominant position by public acceptance or market forces . De facto is a Latin phrase meaning "concerning the fact" or "in practice"...
which is still in use today and has been standardized with CEI 23-16/VII. Older installations often have sockets that are limited to either the 10 A or the 16 A style plug, requiring the use of an adapter if the other gauge needs to be connected.
CEE 7/16 (type C) unearthed Europlugs are also in common use; they are standardized in Italy as CEI 23-5 and fit most of the appliances with low current requirement and double insulation.
Appliances with CEE 7/7 Schuko-French plugs are often sold in Italy too; however not every socket will accept them since the pins of the CEE 7/7 Schuko-French plugs are thicker than the Italian ones. Adapters are cheap and commonly used to connect CEE 7/7 plugs to CEI 23-16/VII sockets, though the power rating may be mismatched (16A to 10A) and may lead to potentially unsafe connection in some cases.
CEI 23-16/VII (Italian 10 A/250 V)
The 10 ampere style extends CEE 7/16 by adding a central earthing pin of the same gauge. Thus, CEI 23-16-VII 10A sockets can accept CEE 7/16 Europlugs. This is the plug shown in the first picture.
CEI 23-16/VII (Italian 16 A/250 V)
The 16 ampere style looks like a magnified version of the 10 A style, identical in shape. However, the pins are thick (being thick in 10 A type), apart (while apart in 10 A type) and longer. The packaging of these plugs in Italy may claim they are a "North European" type. In the past they were also referred to as
per la forza motrice (for electromotive force, see above) or sometimes
industriale (industrial), although the latter has never been a correct definition as factories used predominantly three-phase current and specialized connectors.
Twin-gauge or multi-type sockets
Given that the plug with which appliances are fitted and sold varies, in modern installations in Italy (and in other countries where type L plugs are used) it is likely to find sockets that can accept more than one standard.
The simpler type has a central round hole and two 8-shaped holes above and below. This design allows the connection of both styles of type L plugs (CEI 23-16/VII 10 A and 16 A) and the type C CEE 7/16 Europlug. The advantage of this socket style is its small, compact face. VIMAR brand claims to have patented this socket first in 1975 with their
Bpresa model; however soon other brands started selling similar products mostly naming them with the generic term
presa bipasso (twin-gauge socket) that is now of common use.
The current Italian standard provides for outlets to have child-resistant shutters.
A second, quite common type looks like a type F socket, but adds a central grounding hole. This design can accept CEE 7/7 (type E/F) plugs, in addition to type C and type L 10A plugs. Some of these sockets may also have 8-shaped holes to accept type L 16 A plugs as well. One drawback is that it is twice as large as a normal type L socket; also, 90° angled type L 16A plugs usually do not fit in these sockets.
Other types may push compatibility even further. The VIMAR-brand
universale (all purpose) socket, for example, accepts CEE 7/7 (type E/F) plugs, type C plugs, both 10A and 16A type L plugs, and American/Japanese type A plugs as well.
Other countries
Outside of Italy, type L CEI 23-16/VII (Italian 10 A/250 V) plug is found in
SyriaSyria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south and Israel to the southwest....
,
LibyaLibya , officially the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya , is a country located in North Africa...
,
EthiopiaEthiopia , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, Somalia to the east and Djibouti to the northeast. Its size is 1,100,000 km² with an...
,
ChileChile, officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
,
ArgentinaArgentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations, though Mexico,...
,
UruguayUruguay , is a country located in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to 3.46 million people, of whom 1.1 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area. An estimated 88–94% of the population are of mostly European and/or mixed descent.Uruguay's only land border is...
, various countries in
North AfricaNorth Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa.Geopolitically, the UN definition of Northern Africa includes the following seven countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia,Mauritania, and...
, and occasionally in older buildings in
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
.
Type M
BS 546 (South African 15 A/250 V)
Type M is sometimes used to describe the 15 A version of the old British type D, used in
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
and elsewhere.
Proposed common standard
IEC 60906-1 (Brazilian 16 A/250 V)
In 1986, the International Electrotechnical Commission published
IEC 60906-1IEC 60906-1 is the international standard 230 V household plug system. It was intended to become the common mains plug and socket standard, to be used one day everywhere in Europe and other regions with 230 V mains. The standard was published by the International Electrotechnical...
, the specification for a plug that looks similar but is not identical to the Swiss (Type J) plug. This plug was intended to become one day the common standard for all of Europe and other regions with 230 V mains, but the effort to adopt it as a European Union standard was put on hold in the mid 1990s.
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean...
, which uses a mix of Europlug and NEMA plugs, later adopted it as national standard NBR 14136 in 2001. It has been planned for gradual adoption starting in 2007 and ending in 2010 (end-user stores and resellers can sell equipments without adoption deadlines, but importers will not be allowed to bring nonconforming devices, nor will manufacturers be able to sell them locally).
Comparison of plugs
| Type |
Plug standard |
Power rating |
Grounded |
Polarised |
Fused |
| A |
NEMA 1-15 unpolarised |
15A/125V |
|
|
|
| NEMA 1-15 polarised |
15A/125V |
|
|
|
| JIS C 8303, Class II |
15A/100V |
|
|
|
| B |
NEMA 5-15 |
15A/125V |
|
|
|
| NEMA 5-20 |
20A/125V |
|
|
|
| JIS C 8303, Class I |
15A/100V |
|
|
|
| C |
CEE 7/16 (Europlug) The Europlug is a flat, two-pole domestic AC power plug that is generally supplied moulded on the end of an appliance's flex or a power cord, designed for voltages up to 250 V and currents up to 2.5 A...
|
2.5A/250V |
|
|
|
| CEE 7/17 |
16A/250V |
|
1 |
|
| Soviet plug |
6A/250V |
|
|
|
| D |
BS 546 (2 pin) |
2A/250V
5A/250V = BS 4573 |
|
|
|
| BS 546 (3 pin) |
2A/250V
5A/250V
15A/250V = SABS 164
30A/250V |
|
|
|
| E |
|
16A/250V |
|
|
|
| F |
CEE 7/4 (Schuko) "Schuko" is the colloquial name for a system of AC power plugs and sockets that is defined as "CEE 7/4" or known unofficially as "Type F" . A Schuko plug features two round pins of 4.8 mm diameter for the live and neutral contacts, plus two flat contact areas on the top and bottom side of the...
|
16A/250V |
|
|
|
| E+F |
CEE 7/7 |
16A/250V |
|
2 |
|
| G |
BS 1363British Standard BS 1363 specifies the most common type of domestic AC power plugs and sockets that are used in the United Kingdom, Cyprus, Ireland, Malta, Malaysia, Singapore and many former British colonies. Of these, Ireland, Malaysia and Singapore have equivalent standards - IS 401 & 411, MS...
, IS 401 & 411, MS 589, SS 145 |
13A/230-240V |
|
|
|
| H |
SI 32 |
16A/250V |
|
|
|
| I |
AS/NZS 3112AS 3112 is an Australian standard for mains power plug. It is also known as a Type I plug.-Description:The plug mating the pictured socket, used in Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Tokelau, has an earthing pin and two flat pins forming an inverted V-shape...
|
10A/240V
20A/240V
25A/240V
32A/240V |
and
No |
|
|
| CPCS-CCC |
10A/250V |
|
|
|
| IRAM 2073 |
10A/250V |
|
|
|
| J |
SEV 1011 |
10A/250V
16A/250V |
|
|
|
| K |
Section 107-2-D1 |
13A/250V |
|
|
|
| Thailand TIS 166 - 2549 |
13A/250V |
|
|
|
| L |
CEI 23-16/VII |
10A/250V
16A/250V |
|
|
|
| - |
IEC 60906-1IEC 60906-1 is the international standard 230 V household plug system. It was intended to become the common mains plug and socket standard, to be used one day everywhere in Europe and other regions with 230 V mains. The standard was published by the International Electrotechnical...
(2 pin) |
16A/250V |
|
|
|
IEC 60906-1IEC 60906-1 is the international standard 230 V household plug system. It was intended to become the common mains plug and socket standard, to be used one day everywhere in Europe and other regions with 230 V mains. The standard was published by the International Electrotechnical...
(3 pin) |
16A/250V |
|
|
|
The plug is properly grounded only when used with the matching socket
Plugs are designed to be safe when used with matching sockets.
1 There are some CEE 7/17 plugs with special shape which are polarised when used with
french socket of type E
2 Plug can only be inserted one way with French socket of type E, but lack of wiring convention means that the type is not polarised in practice
Multi-standard sockets
Sockets that take a variety of plug types can be found in various countries where market size or local market conditions make a specific plug standard impractical to implement. These socket accept plugs fitting various European, Asian and North American standards. Since many plug standards are also associated with corresponding voltages, multi-standard sockets do not safeguard against devices being damaged by the wrong voltage. This forces users to be aware of the voltage requirements of their appliances as well as the prevailing local voltage. Devices designed to adapt automatically to whatever voltage and frequency is supplied, and which don't require earthing, are generally safe to use with these sockets.
These sockets have one or more earth holes to allow 3-pin plugs. On properly wired circuits, the earth contact may be actually grounded; however, as with most other forms of plugs, they are not immune to poor wiring. They may also not provide grounding to all types of plugs, as is the case of Schuko or French plugs where the grounding pin that mates with the plug is part of the socket rather than the plug.
Adapters
To facilitate travelers' use of personal electric devices, adapters are available to permit the interconnection of normally-incompatible plugs and sockets. Such adapters overcome only the physical incompatibilities between plugs and sockets built to different standards; often a
voltage converterA voltage converter changes the voltage of an electrical power source and is usually combined with other components to create a power supply. The term "voltage converter" is sometimes used as a generic term for a power supply...
is required for electrical compatibility.
Old Spanish sockets
 |
 |
Left: Spanish three-prong plug and socket, with easily removable fuse)
Right: An adapter to allow types C and F to be inserted |
Some older industrial buildings in Spain used sockets that took a particular type of plug which was rated for higher current and had two flat contacts and a round earth pin, somewhat similar in design to the ones found on American plugs but larger in size.
The live and neutral measure , and are apart. All three pins are long, and the earth pin is a cylinder of diameter.
While the plug resembles an American connector, the two flat contacts are much wider apart than on a standard American plug, which will therefore not fit in these sockets.
No domestic appliances were ever sold with these plugs.
UK electric clock connector
Fused plugs and sockets of various proprietary and non-interchangeable types are found in older public buildings in the UK, where they are used to feed AC electric wall clocks. They are smaller than conventional socket outlets, commonly being made to fit BESA junction boxes, and are often of very low profile. Early types were available fused in both poles, later types fused in the live only and provided an earth pin. Most are equipped with a retaining screw or clip to prevent accidental disconnection. The prevalence of battery powered
quartzA quartz clock is a clock that uses an electronic oscillator that is regulated by a quartz crystal to keep time. This crystal oscillator creates a signal with very precise frequency, so that quartz clocks are at least an order of magnitude more accurate than good mechanical clocks...
controlled wall clocks has meant that this connector is rarely seen in new installations.
American "Type I"
 |
 |
Left: American Type I duplex outlet
Right: Compatibility of American and Australian Type I plugs |
The American electrical supply manufacturers Hubbell, Eagle, and possibly others made outlets and plugs that would match Type I plugs and sockets exactly. Type I connectors are used in
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
for 240 V service. These American outlets date back to the 1930s, antedating the American 3 prong Type B sockets and plugs. They were meant for appliances that needed grounding (120 V at 15 amps), and to be used in
laundry roomA laundry room is a room where clothes are washed. In a modern home, a laundry room would be equipped with an automatic washing machine and clothes dryer,and often a large basin, called a laundry tub, for hand-washing delicate articles of clothing such as sweaters, and an ironing board...
s for
washing machineA washing machine, clothes washer, or simply washer, is a machine designed to wash laundry, such as clothing, towels and sheets. The term is mostly applied only to machines that use water as the primary cleaning solution, as opposed to dry cleaning or even ultrasonic cleaners.All washer...
s and gas
dryersA clothes dryer or tumble dryer is a household appliance that is used to remove moisture from a load of clothing and other textiles, generally shortly after they are cleaned in a washing machine....
(to power the motor). These did not become popular because American type A 2-prong plugs would not fit.
U.S. perpendicular outlet
Another obsolete outlet, made by Bryant, 125 V 15 A and 250 V 10 A rating.
A
NEMAThe National Electrical Manufacturers Association or NEMA is a U.S.-based association, which was created on September 1, 1926, when the Associated Manufacturers of Electrical Supplies and the Electric Power Club merged. It is headquartered in Rosslyn, Virginia...
5-20 125 V 20 A or 6-20 250 V 20 A plug with a missing ground pin would fit this outlet, but a NEMA 2-20 plug is slightly too big to fit.
The upper slots as seen in the illustration connect to silver-coloured wiring screws on the upper side, and the lower slots connect to brass-coloured wiring screws on the lower side.
In Australia, the same or similar T-configuration sockets are used for
DC power outletsA DC connector is an electrical connector for supplying direct current power. DC connectors are poorly standardized, compared to domestic AC power plugs and sockets. DC plug is a common name used for one common type of cylindrical two-conductor plug available in a range of sizes and used to power...
, such as in Stand-alone Power Systems (SAPS) or on boats.
In
Soviet UnionThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
and now
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
this socket is commonly used for wiring in places where the voltage was lowered for safety purposes, like in schools, gas stations or in wet areas, rated 42 V 10 A AC. Such unusual connection was inteded specifically to make the connection of standard higher-voltage eqipment impossible.
U.S. Combination duplex outlet
 |
 |
Left: An extremely old "Nurpolian"-brand black parallel and tandem duplex outlet rated at 250 V 10 A (although this type was normally supplied with 120 V).
Right: T-slot duplex outlet. |
The parallel and tandem outlet accepts normal parallel
NEMAThe National Electrical Manufacturers Association or NEMA is a U.S.-based association, which was created on September 1, 1926, when the Associated Manufacturers of Electrical Supplies and the Electric Power Club merged. It is headquartered in Rosslyn, Virginia...
1-15 plugs and also tandem NEMA 2-15 plugs. Both pair of receptacles are fed internally by the same supply.
A more recent and fairly common version of this type is the T-slot outlet, in which the locations of the tandem and the parallel slots were combined to create T-shaped slots. This version also accepts normal parallel NEMA 1-15 plugs and also tandem NEMA 2-15 plugs. Incidentally, a NEMA 5-20 (125 V, 20 A) or 6-20 (250 V, 20 A) plug with a missing ground pin would fit this outlet. This type is no longer available in retail shops since the 1960s.
U.K. Dorman & Smith (D&S)
The D&S plugs and sockets were rated at 13 Amps and were one of the early competing type for use on ring main circuits. They were never popular in private houses but were widely deployed in prefabricated houses and
council housingThe council house is a form of public or social housing, primarily referred to in the United Kingdom. Council houses were built and operated by local councils to supply uncrowded, well built homes on secure tenancies at below market rents to primarily working class people. Council house development...
. The
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
also used them. D&S supplied the sockets to local authorities at very low cost, with the intention of making money out of the sales of plugs typically priced at 4 times the price of a type G plug. It is not known exactly when D&S ceased manufacturing the plugs and sockets but some local authorities continued to use them in new installations until the late 1950s. Many D&S sockets were still in use until the early 1980s, although the difficulty in obtaining plugs for them after around 1970 often forced their users to replace them with type G sockets. This generally violated local authority regulations on alterations to council housing. The D&S plug suffered from a serious design fault: the live pin was a fuse which screwed into the plug body and tended to come unscrewed on its own in use. A fuse that worked loose could end up protruding from the socket, electrically live and posing a shock hazard, when the plug was removed.
U.K. Wylex Plug
The Wylex plugs and sockets were produced by Wylex Electrical Supplies Ltd. as a competitor to the type G and D&S sockets for use on ring main circuits. The plugs were available in both 5 A and 13 A versions, differing only by the widths of the live and neutral pins, and contained an internal fuse of the same rating as the plug. A plug had a central round earth pin and two flat pins, one on each side of the earth pin, for live and neutral. The two flat pins were slightly offset above and below the line cutting through the horizontal diameter of the earth pin. Wall sockets were rated at 13 Amps and took both 5 A and 13 A plugs. Many 13 A plugs had a socket on the back which took a 5 A plug, but would not take another 13 A plug because the slots for the live and neutral pins were narrower than those of the wall sockets, resulting in a stacked arrangement. Wylex sockets were used in council housing and public sector buildings, and for a short while in private housing. They were particularly popular in the
ManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. In 2007, the population of the city was estimated to be 458,100...
area although they were installed throughout England, mainly in schools, university accommodation, and government laboratories. Wylex plugs and sockets continued to be manufactured for several years after type G sockets became standard and were commonly used by banks and in computer rooms during the 1960s and 70s for
uninterruptible power suppliesAn Uninterruptible power supply , also known as a battery backup, provides emergency power and, depending on the topology, line regulation as well to connected equipment by supplying power from a separate source when utility power is not available...
or "clean" filtered mains supplies. It is not known exactly when Wylex ceased manufacturing its plugs and sockets; however plugs were available in electrical shops of the Manchester area until the mid 1980s.
Lampholder plug
A lampholder plug fits into the Bayonet cap or
Edison screwThe Edison screw fitting is a system of light bulb connectors, developed by Thomas Edison and licensed starting in 1909 under the Mazda trademark. The designation Exx refers to the diameter in millimeters. For example, E12 has a diameter of 12 mm....
socket of a lampholder in place of a light bulb and enables an electrical appliance to be powered from a wall or ceiling light fitting. They were commonly used during the 1920s to 1960s when wall sockets were scarce or nonexistent in many houses. Lampholder plugs were rarely fused.
Conventional practice in the U.K. is to protect lighting circuits with a 5 A fuse or circuit breaker, which makes it very easy to overload a lampholder and cause it to overheat by using a lampholder plug. Wiring regulations in the U.K. and some other countries no longer approve lampholder plugs because of the risks of overheating and fire.
In Italy, bypass lampholder plugs with Edison screw mount were in broad use until light wire cables were separated from general purpose wire cables (see type L paragraph for details) and some areas of the house (cellars, etc.) were commonly not provided with sockets.
Edison screw lampholder adaptors (for Type A plugs) are still easily found and commonly used in the Americas.
Old Greek sockets
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| Greek old earthed standard adaptor plugs |
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| Greek old earthed standard socket. |
Called "Tripoliki" (τριπολικές) the 3 Pin round standard similar to
type J and post-1989 type H, virtually abandoned by 1995.
Previous to the large-scale adoption of schuko plugs, this was the only way to use an earthed appliance.
NEMA 2-15 and 2-20
These ungrounded plugs with two flat parallel prongs are variants of the 1-15 but are intended to deliver 240 volts instead of 120. The 2-15 has coplanar current prongs (rotated 90° from ordinary American plugs), and is used for 240 V service at 15 amperes, while the 2-20 has the two current prongs rotated 90° relative to each other (one vertical, one horizontal) and is used for 240 V service at 20 amperes. NEMA 2 plugs and sockets are rare because they have been prohibited for household use in the United States and Canada for several decades. They are potentially hazardous since they have no ground or neutral, and in some cases plugs can be inserted into incorrect-voltage sockets. Prior to the adoption of the NEMA standard, a plug nearly identical to the 2-20 was used for 120 V at 20 A. A 2-20 plug would fit into 5-20 and 6-20 sockets, which supply different voltages.
Soviet adaptor plugs
Some appliances sold in
Soviet UnionThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
had a flat unearthed plug with an additional pass-through socket on the top, allowing stacked arrangement of plugs. This design was very helpful, for the usual soviet flat had in 1960s very few wall sockets, but completely unsafe as the brass cylinders of secondary socket were uncovered at the ends (to unscrew them easy), recessed only for 3mm and provided bad contact because relied on secondary plug's bisected expanding pins. The pins of secondary plug (without insulation sleeves) could not be inserted into cylinders completely and were accessible through a 5mm gap between primary and secondary plugs.
U.K. Walsall Gauge plug
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| Walsall Gauge 13 A plug (bottom) compared to regular BS 1363 plug |
Unlike the standard BS 1363 plugs found in the U.K., the earth pin is on a horizontal axis and the live and neutral pins on a vertical axis. This style of plug/socket was used by the BBC, and is still in use on parts of the
London UndergroundThe London Underground, Underground or Tube is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and neighbouring areas of Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire in the UK. The first section opened in 1863, and was the first underground railway system in the world, and, starting in...
for low voltage power supply.
Italian Bticino brand Magic security connector
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Left: Bticino Magic Security receptacle, detail.
Centre: assortment of Magic Security receptacles (in orange, the industrial three-phase type).
Right: assortment of Magic Security plugs. |
This style of connector, produced by Italian brand Bticino, appeared in the 1960s and was intended as an alternative to the Europlug or type L connectors then in use. The socket is an almost rectangular receptacle, with one or more lateral key pins and indents to prevent inverting the plug (it is polarised), or connecting plugs and sockets with different ampere ratings. At least four models were produced: three single-phase general purpose connectors rated respectively 10 A, 16 A and 20 A; plus a three-phase industrial connector rated 10 A; all of them have different key-pin positioning so plugs and sockets cannot be mismatched. The socket is closed by a safety lid (bearing the word ‘’Magic’’ on it) which can be opened only with an even pressure on its surface, thus preventing the insertion of objects (except the plug itself) inside the socket. The contacts are blades positioned on both sides of the plug; the plug is energized only when it is inserted fully into the socket.
The obvious drawback of the system is that it is not compatible with europlugs. As household appliances were never sold fitted with these security plugs and the use of adapters would defeat all of the newly introduced safety features, once this system is adopted all standard plugs must be cut off and replaced with the appropriate security connector. However, the
Magic security system had some success at first because its enhanced safety features appealed to customers; standard connectors of the day were considered not safe enough. The decline of the system occurred when safety lids similar to the Magic type were developed (VIMAR Sicury) and then applied to standard type L sockets by third brands and by Bticino itself.
In Italy, the system was never definitively abandoned and, though rarely seen today, is still marked as available in Bticino’s products catalogue.
In Chile, 10 [A] Magic connectors are commonly used for computer/laboratory power networks, as well as in those to be used with communications or data equipments, as a measure to standardize and improve reliability, due to its polarised nature, and the difficulty to be accidentally unplugged, compared to the type L plug, commonly used.
See also
- Ampere
The ampere is the SI unit of electric current. The ampere, in practice often shortened to amp, is an SI base unit, and is named after André-Marie Ampère, one of the main discoverers of electromagnetism....
- DC connector
A DC connector is an electrical connector for supplying direct current power. DC connectors are poorly standardized, compared to domestic AC power plugs and sockets. DC plug is a common name used for one common type of cylindrical two-conductor plug available in a range of sizes and used to power...
- Double insulated
- IEC connector
IEC connector is the common name for the set of thirteen mains electricity line sockets and thirteen panel plugs defined by International Electrotechnical Commission specification IEC 60320...
- Electricity
Electricity is a general term that encompasses a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge...
- Electric power
Electric power is defined as the rate at which electrical energy is transferred by an electric circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt.When electric current flows in a circuit, it can transfer energy to do mechanical or thermodynamic work...
- Extension cable
- Ground and neutral
Since the neutral point of an electrical supply system is often connected to earth ground, ground and neutral are closely related. Under certain conditions, a conductor used to connect to a system neutral is also used for grounding of equipment and structures...
- Industrial and multiphase power plugs and sockets
Industrial and multiphase plugs and sockets provide a connection to the electrical mains rated at higher voltages and currents than household plugs and sockets...
- Mains power around the world
- Polyphase system
A polyphase system is a means of distributing alternating current electrical power. Polyphase systems have three or more energized electrical conductors carrying alternating currents with a definite time offset between the voltage waves in each conductor. Polyphase systems are particularly useful...
- Power connector
A power connector is an electrical connector designed to carry a significant amount of electrical power, usually as DC or low-frequency AC. Some types of RF connector may also carry large amounts of power, but are considered as a separate category...
- Power cord
For a musical note played on an electric guitar see Power chordA power cord, line cord, or mains cable is a cord or cable that temporarily connects an electrical appliance to the distribution circuits of an electrical power source via a wall socket or extension cord.The terms are generally used for...
- Power strip
A power strip is a strip of sockets that attaches to the end of a flexible cable and allows multiple devices to be plugged in. As such it can be considered a type of trailing socket though that term is more often used for single and double cable mounted sockets...
- Single-phase electric power
In electrical engineering, single-phase electric power refers to the distribution of alternating current electric power using a system in which all the voltages of the supply vary in unison. Single-phase distribution is used when loads are mostly lighting and heating, with few large electric motors...
- Split-phase electric power
- Two-phase electric power (compare to split-phase)
- Three-phase electric power
Three-phase electric power is a common method of alternating-current electric power transmission. It is a type of polyphase system, and is the most common method used by electric power distribution grids worldwide to distribute power. It is also used to power large motors and other large loads...
- Telephone plug
A telephone plug is a type of male connector used to connect a telephone to the telephone wiring in a home or business, and in turn to a local telephone network. It is inserted into its female counterpart, a telephone "jack", commonly fixed to a wall or baseboard...
s
- Volt
The volt is the SI derived unit of electromotive force, commonly called "voltage". It is also the unit for the related but slightly different quantity electric potential difference...
- Wall wart
Wall wart is a slang term for certain types of power supply - typically those that are embedded in an over-sized AC plug. Other names include wall cube, power brick, plug pack, plug-in adapter, adapter block, domestic mains adapter, power adapter, or AC adapter...
External links