Electrical Wire Color Chart
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©Copyright Dave Rongey Summary: Electrical wire colors for most typical home electrical wiring. The chart below includes UK electrical wire, EU electrical wire, Australia electrical wire, New Zealand electrical wire, South Africa electrical wire, Canada electrical wire and United States electrical wire. Sponsored Links |
The Electrical Wire Identification System |
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| Sponsored Links | To enable wires to be easily and safely identified all common wiring safety codes follow a structured color scheme for the insulation of electrical wire. There are local rules and exceptions that exist based upon the exact application. Many older wire installations may vary in color codes, and color may fade or change with heat and age of insulation. |
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such as Extension cords, power (line) cords and lamp cords |
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| World Region, country or other entity(ies) |
Live | Neutral | Protective earth/ground | |
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| EU, Australia & South Africa (IEC 60446) | brown | blue | green & yellow | |
| Australia & New Zealand (AS/NZS 3000:2007 3.8.1) | brown | light blue | green/yellow | |
| United States and Canada | black (brass) | white (silver) | green (green) | |
(In or behind the wall wiring cables) |
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| Region | Live | Neutral | Protective earth/ground | |
| EU (IEC 60446) including UK from 31 March 2004 | brown | blue | green & yellow | |
| Australia and South Africa | red | black | green & yellow (core is usually bare and should be sleeved at terminations. In Australia the earth core has been separately insulated with green or green/yellow plastic since about 1980. | |
| United States and Canada | 120/208/240V: black, red, blue (brass) 277/480V: brown, orange, yellow |
120/208/240V: white (silver) 277/480V: gray |
green (green) or bare copper wire Isolated ground: Green with yellow stripe |
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| Note: the colors in this table represent the most common and preferred standard colors for typical home wiring however others may be in use, especially in older installations. | ||||
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