World Power Plug Types

Type A

NEMA 1-15

○ Ungrounded100-127V

Type A is a two-pin ungrounded plug with flat parallel blades. It's one of the most common plug types in North America, Central America, and parts of Asia. The plug was originally developed in the United States in 1904 by Harvey Hubbell II.

Type B

NEMA 5-15

⏚ Grounded100-127V

Type B is a three-pin grounded plug with two flat parallel blades and a round grounding pin. It's the standard grounded plug in North America and has largely replaced the ungrounded Type A for safety reasons.

Type C

Europlug

○ Ungrounded220-240V

Type C is the most widely used plug type in the world, known as the Europlug. It features two round pins and is used throughout Europe, South America, Asia, and Africa. It's designed for low-power devices up to 2.5 amps.

Type D

Old British plug

⏚ Grounded220-240V

Type D is an old British standard plug with three large round pins arranged in a triangular pattern. While phased out in the UK, it remains the dominant plug type in India, Nepal, and some African countries.

Type E

French plug

⏚ Grounded220-240V

Type E is the French standard plug featuring two round pins and a hole that accepts the grounding pin protruding from the socket. It's used in France, Belgium, Poland, and several other countries.

Type F

Schuko

⏚ Grounded220-240V

Type F, also known as Schuko (from German 'Schutzkontakt' meaning 'protective contact'), is a grounded plug with two round pins and grounding clips on the sides. It's the standard in Germany and used across much of Europe.

Type G

British plug

⏚ Grounded220-240V

Type G is the British standard plug with three rectangular pins arranged in a triangular pattern. It's known for being one of the safest plug designs in the world, featuring built-in fuses and safety shutters.

Type I

Australian plug

⏚ Grounded220-240V

Type I features two angled flat blades in a V-shape with an optional vertical grounding pin. It's used in Australia, New Zealand, China, and Argentina. The angled design is unique and instantly recognizable.

Type J

Swiss plug

⏚ Grounded220-240V

Type J is the Swiss standard plug with three round pins arranged in a line, with the grounding pin offset. It's unique to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, though Type C plugs also fit Swiss outlets.

Type L

Italian plug

⏚ Grounded220-240V

Type L is the Italian standard plug with three round pins arranged in a line. It comes in two versions: 10A (smaller pins) and 16A (larger pins). Type C plugs fit into both versions.

Type M

Large South African plug

⏚ Grounded220-240V

Type M is a larger version of Type D, with the same triangular pin arrangement but bigger pins. It's primarily used in South Africa for high-power appliances and is also found in some other African and Asian countries.

Type N

Brazilian plug

⏚ Grounded127V/220V

Type N is the Brazilian standard plug, designed to be compatible with both Type C (Europlug) and have a unique grounding system. It was created based on the IEC 60906-1 international standard that was intended to become a world standard.

Type H

Israeli plug

⏚ Grounded220-230V

Type H is unique to Israel and Palestine. It originally had flat pins but was changed to round pins in 1989. The plug features three pins arranged in a V-shape pattern. Modern Type H outlets also accept Type C plugs.

Type K

Danish plug

⏚ Grounded220-240V

Type K is the Danish standard plug featuring three round pins. It's similar to Type C but includes a grounding pin. The design is used primarily in Denmark, Greenland, and some African countries that were formerly Danish colonies.

Type O

Thai plug

⏚ Grounded220V

Type O is the official standard plug for Thailand. It's a hybrid system that can accept plugs from many different countries including Type A, B, C, and O itself. The Thai outlet is designed to be highly versatile for tourists.