Plug Types

Type A: Flat blade attachment plug

electrA In the U.S. & Canada, two-blade plugs are often polarized, with one blade larger than the other. Most outlets are designed to handle these. The larger blade is the neutral side of the current. This is a safety feature intended so the plug can be inserted one way only to reduce the chance of accidental shock. If you try to plug a modern plug into an old-style receptacle for equal size blades, it won’t go in unless you file down the larger blade to the older plug size. Outside the US, many countries with Type A use the old style plug, and a newer US plug with unequal pins might pose a problem. This can be bypassed using an adaptor (found in many travel kits) which converts the newer Type A plug to the older model with equal-sized blades. Be aware, though, that you might also be bypassing the protection that polarization provides.

Type B: Flat blades as A but with round grounding pin

electrB

Where found:

All of the above noted for Type A except Bangladesh, Bolivia, Cambodia, China, Dominican Republic, Korea, Liberia, Maldives, Peru, St. Vincent, Tahiti, Thailand, Vietnam, Yemen.

Also found in Azores, Belize, Trinidad and Tobago.

Type C: Round pin attachment plug

electrC

Where found:

Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Austria, Azores, Balearic Islands, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia,
Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Channel Islands, Chile, Comoros, Congo, Croatia, Dem. Rep. of Congo (Zaire), Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Cyrpus, Denmark, Djibouti, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Faeroe Islands, Finland, French Guiana, Gabon, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Guadeloupe, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Isle of Man, Israel, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Madeira, Mali, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Monaco, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, Niger, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, St. Vincent, Senegal, Serbia, Slovenia, Somalia, Spain, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Uruguay, Vietnam, Yugoslavia (former), Zambia

NOTE: Type C plugs can also be used with E and F and some L receptacles. This type of plug is very common in most “universal” adapter sets.

Type D: Round pins with ground

electrD

Where found:

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Chad, Dem. Rep. of Congo (Zaire), Dominica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, French Guiana, Ghana, Greece, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Hong Kong, India, Iraq, Jerusalem, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Libya, Macao, Madagascar, Maldives, Martinique, Monaco, Myanmar (Burma), Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, St. Kitts-Nevis, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Type E: Round pin plug & receptacle, male grounding pin

electrE

Where found:

Belgium, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canary Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Czech Republic, Djibouti, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, France, French Guiana, Greece, Guadeloupe, Indonesia, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Madagascar, Mali, Martinique, Monaco, Morocco, Niger, Poland, St. Vincent, Senegal, Slovakia, Syria, Tahiti, Tunisia.

NOTE: Type E receptacles will also accept Type C plugs. Type E plugs will also work in Type F receptacles.

Type F: “Schuko” with side grounding contacts

electrF

Where found:

Algeria, American Samoa, Aruba, Austria, Azores, Balearic Islands, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Cape Verde, Chad, Croatia, El Salvador, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guinea, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Italy, Jordan, Korea, Laos, Luxembourg, Madeira, Monaco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, Niger, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Suriname, Sweden, Turkey, Uruguay. Yugoslavia (former).

NOTE: Type F receptacles will also accept Type C and E plugs.This is formally as known “Schukostecker” plug, commonly abbreviated as “Schuko.”

Type G: Rectangular blade plug

electrG

Where found:

Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belize, Botswana, Brunei, Cameroon, Channel Islands, China, Cyprus, Dominica, El Salvador, Gambia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Hong Kong, Iraq, Ireland, Isle of Man, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Macau, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Tanzania, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Type H: Oblique flat blades with ground

electrH

Where found:

Gaza, Israel

Type I: Oblique flat blades inverted V shape with ground

electrI

Where found:

American Samoa, Argentina*, Australia, China, El Salvador, Fiji, Guatemala, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Okinawa, Panama, Papua New Guinea, St. Vincent, Tajikistan, Tonga, Uruguay*.

* In Argentina and Uruguay, the neutral and active wires are reversed from what is used in other countries.

Type J: Round pins with ground (offset)

electrJ

Where found:

El Salvador, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Maldives, Rwanda, Switzerland

Type K: Round pins with spade ground

electrK

Where found:

Bangladesh, Denmark, Faeroe Islands, Greenland, Guinea, Madagascar, Maldives, St. Vincent, Senegal, Tunisia.

Type L: Round pins with ground (in-line)

electrL

Where found:

Chile, Cuba, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Italy, Maldives, Syria, Tunisia, Uruguay.

wType M: South African plug,larger & 1 over-sized pin

electrM

Where found:

Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland.

This plug resembles the Type D plug, but its pins are much larger.