Structured Lists Directory

Overview

Electrical Plug Types

Electrical plug types are standardized by the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) and national standards. There are 15 plug types from Type A to Type N, each with different shapes, voltage/current specifications, and applicable countries. The difference in plug types is an important consideration for international travel and electrical product import/export. Major types include Type A/B for North America and Japan, Type C/F for Europe, Type G for the UK, Type I for Australasia and China, Type L for Italy, and Type N for Brazil and South Africa.

electrical plug socket IEC standard travel power standard
code slug name description countries current features standard voltage
A type-a Type A Ungrounded plug with two flat parallel pins. ["USA","Canada","Mexico","Japan","Taiwan","China","Cambodia"] 15A ["Ungrounded","Parallel pins","Insulated sleeves (newer standards)"] NEMA 1-15 / JIS C 8303 Class II 100-127V
B type-b Type B Grounded plug with two flat parallel pins and a round grounding pin. ["USA","Canada","Mexico","Japan","Taiwan"] 15A ["Grounded","Parallel pins","Ground-first design"] NEMA 5-15 / JIS C 8303 Class I 100-127V
C type-c Type C Europlug with two round pins. ["European countries","Brazil","Korea","Russia","Italy","Switzerland","Denmark","India","Indonesia","Argentina","Australia"] 2.5A ["Ungrounded","Round pins","Compact","Highly versatile"] CEE 7/16 (Europlug) 220-240V
F type-f Type F Schuko plug with two round pins and side earthing clips. ["Germany","Austria","Netherlands","Spain","Portugal","Sweden","Norway","Finland","Korea","Russia","Indonesia"] 16A ["Grounded","Round pins","Side clip grounding","Recessed socket"] CEE 7/4 (Schuko) 220-240V
G type-g Type G British standard plug with three rectangular pins. ["UK","Ireland","Hong Kong","Singapore","Malaysia","Saudi Arabia","UAE","Cambodia"] 13A ["Grounded","Rectangular pins","Built-in fuse","Insulated pins"] BS 1363 220-240V
I type-i Type I Australasian/China standard plug with 2-3 angled flat pins. ["Australia","New Zealand","China","Argentina","Brazil"] 10A ["Grounded/ungrounded","Angled flat pins","Inverted V arrangement"] AS/NZS 3112 / IRAM 2073 220-240V
L type-l Type L Italian standard plug with three round pins in a line. ["Italy","Chile"] 10A/16A ["Grounded","Round pins","In-line arrangement","10A/16A variants"] CEI 23-50 230V
N type-n Type N Brazil/South Africa standard plug based on IEC 60906-1 with three round pins. ["Brazil","South Africa","Paraguay"] 10A/16A/20A ["Grounded","Round pins","Triangular arrangement","Insulated sleeves","Shuttered sockets","Wide voltage range"] IEC 60906-1 / NBR 14136 / SANS 164-2 100-240V

Standard classifications of electrical plug types used worldwide.