The most commonly used electrical sockets and plugs in the world 2025 (P2)

As introduced in the previous article about the most commonly used electrical sockets and plugs in the world today, in the following article, let’s learn about the remaining commonly used sockets and plugs with QNT Investment and Trading Services Company Limited!

1. Type H

This is the 16A grounded plug type used exclusively in Israel and Palestine. The Type H plug has three round pins, 4.5mm in diameter, 19mm long and forming a downward-pointing triangle. The distance between the ground pin and the other two pins is 9.5mm. The distance between the two live pins is 19mm. Type C plugs can be used in Type H sockets. Prior to 1989, Israel used plugs with flat metal pins similar to Types A and B. Sockets manufactured in 1989 accepted both flat and round pins.

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The H-type power outlet is not compatible with type E or F plugs because the diameter of the hole is 0.3mm smaller than the E/F plug. However, if you try to insert it, it will still fit, but of course it will be quite difficult. Besides, the H-type power plug is also one of the most dangerous plugs in the world because the pins of the plug are not covered with insulation.

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2. Type I

The Type I plug is used primarily in Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, China and Argentina. It is a three-pronged plug, all made of 1.6mm thick metal foil, with the top two prongs arranged at a 30-degree angle to the vertical, forming an inverted V shape. Each prong is 17.3mm long, 6.3mm wide and 13.7mm apart (measured from the centre). The bottom centre prong is earthed, 1.6mm thick, 6.3mm wide but 20mm long and 10.3mm apart (measured from the centre). Another variant of the Type I plug does not have an earthing pin, but only has two inverted V-shaped electrical contacts. However, since 2004, all Type I plugs must be earthed and have an insulating coating on the pins. Type I plugs are rated at 10A.

However, the Type I plug/socket still comes in a 15A rated version but with a larger earth pin, 8mm wide (instead of 6.3mm). Therefore, a standard Type I plug will still fit into a 15A Type I socket, but not the other way around. Additionally, the Chinese Type I plug has a longer earth pin than the Australian one by 1mm and is located at the top rather than the bottom.​

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3. Type J

Type J is used almost exclusively in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is a Swiss-standardised plug with a similar structure to type C but with an additional earthing pin. Type J plugs have three 4mm diameter and 19mm long pins. Each pin is also covered with a 10mm long insulation layer, however older versions of the type J plug may not have this insulation layer. Type J plugs look very similar to the Brazilian type N plugs but are not compatible with type N sockets due to the different position of the earthing pin. Type C plugs are perfectly suitable for use in type J sockets.

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4. Type K

Type K is commonly used in Denmark and Greenland. Unlike type E, the grounding pin of type K is not located on the plug but is integrated into the socket. The grounding pin has a U-shaped cross-section, is 14 mm long, 4 mm thick and has a diameter of 6.5 mm. The other two contact pins are cylindrical, 4.8 mm in diameter, 19 mm long and 19 mm apart. The distance between the grounding pin and the other two pins is 13 mm. Type K plugs are rated at 16A.

Although the sockets in Denmark will be compatible with plugs of type C, E and F, there is no earth connection in the plugs. Due to the large number of electronic products imported from Europe equipped with plugs of type E/F, the Danish Government has enacted a law to incorporate plugs of type E and F in the sockets here. Therefore, in the future, the type F and E standards will gradually replace the traditional type K sockets in Denmark.

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5. Type L

Type L is used almost exclusively in Italy, Chile and parts of North Africa. Type L sockets come in two different variants rated at 10 and 16A respectively. Both variants have a 3-pin round plug in a row. They differ in diameter and pin spacing and are therefore completely non-interchangeable. Type L 10 A has three round pins with a diameter of 4mm and a length of 19mm. The distance between the earthing pin and the other two pins is 9.5mm. Type L 10 A sockets can accept Type C plugs.

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The L 16 A plug has three round pins of 5 mm diameter and 19 mm length. The distance between the centre line and the neutral pin is 26 mm. The distance between the earth pin and the other two pins is 13 mm. Today, there are two general types of sockets in use. The first type is called the bipasso socket, which is very widely used. It can be used with both type L and type C plugs. The second type of socket is the bipasso-Schuko, which allows use with both type E and F plugs.

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6. Type M

Type M is used mostly in South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho. It is similar to the triangular Indian Type D plug but has three round pins. The earth pin is 28.6mm long and 8.7mm in diameter. The other two pins are 7.1mm in diameter and 28.6mm long, separated by 25.4mm from the earth pin. The distance between the earth pin and the two live pins is 28.6mm. The South African version of the Type M plug often has an extra insulator fitted over the pins (to prevent accidents when the plug is only partially inserted at the pins).

In India, Sri Lanka and Nepal, although type D is widely used, some large appliances still use type M. Some sockets here incorporate both types M and D. Type M is also used in Israel for heavy industrial appliances such as industrial air conditioners and some washing machines. In the UK, type M is still quite common. They are used for stage equipment, although the trend is moving towards the international standard blue and red CEE industrial plugs.

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7. Type N

This is a plug used mainly in Brazil. It consists of two power pins and an earth pin. Type N comes in two variants: the pins of the 10 A variant are 4 mm in diameter and 19 mm long. The second variant has a rating of 20 A and is used for industrial equipment. The pins of this variant are 4.8 mm in diameter and 19 mm long. The distance between the wire and the neutral pin is 19 mm. The distance between the earth pin and the imaginary line connecting the two power pins is 3 mm. Type N sockets are specially designed to be compatible with type C plugs. Type N looks very similar to the standard Swiss type J, but the two are not compatible because the distance between the earth pin and the live pin is shorter.

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Thanks to modern injection molding technology, Type N plugs and sockets are now more compact, durable and safer than other plug/socket systems in the world. However, Brazil’s failure to standardize plugs/sockets on a single type still poses some risks because Brazil does not have a standard voltage. In other words, users do not know the difference between the 220V and 127V power sources that Brazil uses, and this can damage electrical appliances.

8. Type O

Type O is almost exclusively used in Thailand. Type O plugs/receptacles are rated at 16A. They were designed in 2006 but were not widely used at the time. Type O plugs have two power pins and a ground pin with a diameter of 4.8mm. The power pins are 19mm long, 19mm apart and covered with 10mm of insulation. The ground pin is 21.4mm long and 11.9mm apart from the other two pins.

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