What are the differences in plugs (chargers) among countries around the world?

Writer： admin Time：2025-07-24 15:16:50 Browse：35℃

Companies engaged in export trade often face the issue of plug interface adaptation after the products arrive in the destination country. So we have listed the current specifications, standards, and examples of plugs in various countries for your reference. (Products with adapters or direct plugs are worth learning about~)

Plug type A

Applicable regions: North and Central America, Japan

Characteristic description: A-type power plug (or flat blade connection plug) is an ungrounded plug with two flat parallel pins. The neutral pin on the American plug is wider than the live pin, while the two pins on the Japanese plug are the same size. Therefore, Japanese plugs can be used in the United States, but it is not recommended to operate in this way.

Pin details: The pins on Type A and Type B plugs have a hole near the tip, which is suitable for the "protrusion" on some socket contact wipers, so the pins are more tightly clamped to obtain better contact and prevent the plug from slipping out of the socket. Some sockets have spring-loaded blades that allow the side of the pin to be clamped when the hole passes through.

Plug type B

Applicable regions: North and Central America, Japan

Characteristic description: The B-type power plug has two flat parallel pins and a circular ground (or grounding) pin. The grounding pin is longer than the other two, so the device is grounded before connecting to the power supply. Like the A-type plug, the American and Japanese versions are slightly different.

Current rating: The rated current of B-type plug is 15 amperes.

Plug type C

Applicable regions: Europe, excluding the United Kingdom, Ireland, Cyprus, and Malta

Characteristic description: C-type electrical plug (or European plug) is a two-wire plug with two circular pins. It is suitable for any socket that accepts 4.0-4.8 mm circular contacts at a center of 19 mm. They are replaced by E, F, J, K, or N sockets, which work perfectly with C-type plugs.

Current limitation: C-type plugs are typically limited to appliances that require 2.5 amperes or less of current.

Plug type D

Applicable regions: India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Namibia

Characteristic description: The D-type power plug has three large circular triangular pins. M-type plugs are usually used together with D-type plugs for large appliances, so some sockets can be used with D-type and M-type plugs.

Current rating: The rated current of the D-type plug is 5 amperes.

Plug type E

Applicable regions: France, Belgium, Slovakia, Tunisia, etc

Characteristic description: The E-type power plug has two 4.8mm circular pins with a spacing of 19mm, and a hole for the socket's male grounding pin. The E-type plug is circular, and the E-type socket has a circular groove. The rated current of the E-type plug is 16 amperes.

Attention: The CEE 7/7 plug is designed to be used with E-type and F-type sockets with female contacts (to receive the grounding pin of the E-type socket), and has grounding clips on both sides (for use with F-type sockets).

Plug type F

Applicable regions: Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Spain, etc

Feature description: The F-type power plug (also known as Schuko plug) has two 4.8mm circular pins with a spacing of 19mm. It is similar to an E-type plug, but has two grounding clips on the side instead of a female grounding contact. The CEE 7/7 plug is developed specifically for use with sockets E and F, with grounding clips on both sides (for F-type sockets) and a female contact (for receiving the grounding pin of E-type sockets).

Current rating: The rated current of the F-type plug is 16 amperes.

Plug type G

Applicable regions: United Kingdom, Ireland, Cyprus, Malta, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong

Characteristic description: The G-type power plug has three triangular rectangular blades and comes with a built-in fuse (usually a 3-amp fuse is used for smaller appliances such as computers, and a 13 amp fuse is used for heavy-duty appliances such as heaters). The live and neutral contacts of the British socket have louvers, so foreign objects will not be introduced into them.

Plug type H

Applicable region: Israel

Characteristic description: The H-shaped plug is unique to Israel, with two V-shaped flat pins and one ground pin. However, it is currently being phased out and replaced by a round needle version. The middle hole of the H-shaped socket is very wide to accommodate the round pin version of the H-shaped plug and the C-shaped plug.

Plug type I

Applicable regions: Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Argentina

Characteristic description: The Type I plug has two V-shaped flat pins and one ground pin. There is also a plug version with only two flat pins. Australian plugs are also suitable for sockets in China.

Current rating: The standard plug/socket system in Australia has a rated current of 10 amperes, but there are also plug/socket configurations with a rated current of 15 amperes, although the grounding pin is wider. A standard 10 amp plug is suitable for a 15 amp socket, but the opposite is not true.

Plug type J

Applicable regions: Switzerland and Liechtenstein

Characteristic description: The J-shaped plug has two circular pins and one ground pin. Although the J-shaped plug looks a lot like Brazil's N-type plug, it is not compatible with N-type sockets because the ground pin is further away from the centerline than the N-type. However, the C-type plug is perfectly compatible with the J-type socket.

Current rating: The rated current of the J-type plug is 10 amperes.

Plug type K

Applicable regions: Denmark and Greenland

Characteristic description: The K-type plug has two circular pins and one ground pin. It is similar to the F-type, but the difference is that the F-type has a grounding clip instead of a grounding pin. The C-type plug is perfectly compatible with the F-type socket. Denmark also uses E-type plugs and sockets.

Plug type L

Applicable region: Italy

Characteristic description: There are two variants of L-shaped plugs, one with a rated current of 10 amperes and the other with a rated current of 16 amperes. The 10 amp version has two circular pins with a thickness of 4 mm and a spacing of 5.5 mm, with a ground pin in the middle. The 16 amp version has two 5mm thick circular pins with a spacing of 8mm, as well as a ground pin. Italy has a "universal" socket that includes a "schuko" socket for C, E, F, and L plugs and a "bipasso" socket for L and C plugs.

Plug type M

Applicable regions: South Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho

Characteristic description: The M-type plug has three circular pins with a triangular pattern, which looks similar to the D-type plug in India, but its pins are much larger. M-type plugs are sometimes used for large electrical appliances in countries/regions where D-type plugs are used, as well as in Israel (H-type). Therefore, sockets in these countries/regions can sometimes be used with M-type plugs.

Plug type N

Applicable region: Brazil

Characteristic description: There are two variants of N-type plugs, one with a rated current of 10 amperes and the other with a rated current of 20 amperes. The 10 amp version has two 4mm thick circular pins and one ground pin. The 20 ampere version is used for heavier appliances and has two circular pins with a diameter of 4.8 millimeters and one grounding pin. N-type sockets are also designed for C-type plugs.

Voltage precautions: Brazil is one of the few countries that uses two voltages. Although most states use 127 V, some of them use 220 V. Therefore, it is important to identify the local voltage before inserting the device (note: incorrect voltage may damage your device). Many electrical appliances sold in Brazil are dual voltage.

Plug type O

Applicable region: Thailand

Characteristic description: The O-type socket and plug with a rated current of 16 amperes is the official standard in Thailand. The plug system was designed in 2006, but its use has not yet been widely adopted. It is currently being gradually implemented. This standard is described in TIS 166-2549.

Structural details: The O-type consists of two power pins and one ground pin, which are circular with a diameter of 4.8 millimeters. The power pins are 19 mm long and have insulation sleeves that are 10 mm long, with a center to center spacing of 19 mm.