Types of Plugs : The shape and size of the plugs differ significantly from country to country. We put together a tiny essential guide to know which adapter to take if you go on a trip.
If you are about to undertake a trip abroad, you must know the plugs and the current-voltage used where you are going.
In this way, you will be able to carry the correct adapter and avoid inconveniences such as burning an electronic device or being cut off due to not recharging batteries.
Types of Plugs in the World
There are currently 15 different types of plugs and their corresponding wall socket model used in different parts of the world.
To distinguish them, beyond their shape, each of them receives a particular name with a letter that goes from A to O. The following table will allow you to identify them:
Let’s review the characteristics of the different plugs in the world and in which places they are used to know what you are going to find and which adapters you will have to take if you go on a trip.
Type A Plug
If you travel somewhere in North America, Central America or Japan, you will need an adapter for this type of plug with two parallel flat prongs and no ground connection. It is also the model of plugs from Peru.
Keep in mind that Type A’s are generally polarized and can only be inserted one way because the two blades are not the same width.
Type B Plug
It is the new type of plug from the United States, Central America and Japan. The advantage over the A is that this model has two flat blades and a round or U-shaped ground pin, which is a few millimetres longer than the two flat blades. As a result, the device is grounded before connecting the power.
It is advisable to acquire an adapter for these plugs because they are safer than type A, which it replaces.
Type C Plug
It is the characteristic European plug with two parallel round pins without a ground connection used in Argentina until a few years ago and today is maintained in some places in Europe, except the countries of the United Kingdom, Ireland and Malta.
Since Type C plugs are not grounded, they were banned almost everywhere globally and can no longer be placed in new works. They are being replaced by E, F, J, K or N (depending on the country).
Attention: only the sockets that are placed on the wall are illegal. The plugs remain in use, of course, and they fit these new replacement types. That is, if you travel to places where these new sockets are, you can use two-pin plugs without problems.
Type D Plug
Type D is used almost exclusively in India and Nepal. It has three large round plugs in the shape of a triangle. Due to this format, accidental compatibility between D-type plugs and various European plugs has arisen. They are the most dangerous that exist.
Type E Plug
It is the type of plugs in France, Belgium, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. It is very similar to the C in that it has two parallel round pins but adds a hole above them, which is a female contact to accept the ground pin that is already present in the wall outlet.
Type F Plug
The F plugs have two parallel round pins, which makes them very similar to the Type E, but the F has two ground pins. It is commonly called “Schuko plug”, which is the acronym for “Schutzkontakt”, a German word meaning “protection contact” or “safety contact”.
This is the new type of European plug used in Germany, Austria, Spain, Holland, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and Russia and Eastern countries.
Also, in some Asian countries such as Thailand, Turkey, Jordan, South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam and Jordan.
Type G Plug
This plug has three rectangular prongs that form an isosceles triangle. The centre pin is the ground connection. These are the plugs in London, and they are used throughout Great Britain, Ireland, Malta, Malaysia and Singapore.
Keep in mind that in England, the voltage is 240V (in Argentina, it is 220V), and the frequency is 50Hz.
Type H Plug
This grounded plug is unique to Israel and Palestine. It has three round prongs that form a triangle and the lower centre pin, which is the ground connection.
Type H outlets also accept Type C plugs, but, of course, they won’t ground. Attention: Despite their similarity, type H plugs are not compatible with type E or type F plugs because the diameter of the contacts of the Israeli plug is smaller than the tips of the E / F.
Type I Plug
It is currently used in Argentina and Uruguay, Australia, New Zealand, and China. This plug has two flat pins (the live and neutral pins) insulated and positioned at a 30 ° angle to an imaginary vertical line, forming an inverted V.
The lower leg is also flat and is what provides the ground connection.
Type J Plug
It is used almost exclusively in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. These plugs have two round pins, which makes it very similar to the C, but adds a third pin slightly below, which is the one that links the circuit to the ground. The format of the plug is hexagonal.
Type K Plug
It is used in Denmark and Greenland. It is made up of two round legs and a third pin (grounding) below them.
It is a similar type to plug E, but, on K, the ground pin is not located in the wall outlet but is that third pin present in the plug itself (and it is not exactly round, but which is cropped at the top).
Type L Plug
This is the type used in Italy, Chile, Uruguay, and some regions of North Africa. It is made up of three round pegs located next to each other. The two of the ends are the voltage, and the central one is the ground connection.
Type M Plug
The M type has three round prongs that form a triangle, and the centre pin is the one that makes the earth discharge. This plug looks like the Indian type D, but its pins are much thicker. It is used in South Africa.
Type N Plug
Many people Google what the plugs look like in Brazil, which matches the ones in South Africa. Type N consists of two round pins and a third ground pin, located in the centre of the other two but slightly above them.
The plug format is also hexagonal, as in the case of type J. Thanks to its modern injection moulding technology, it is the safest standard globally, far superior to other types of plugs.
Of course: it is essential to take into account some special care for plugs in Brazil. Although all the plugs are standardized type N, in that country most of the states use electricity of 127 V. But “most” are not all: a couple of them use 220 V.
That is, if you bought a dryer, 127 V hair in the state of Minas Gerais, although the plug is the same, you must use a transformer to use it in Brasilia, for example.
Type O Plug
Type O is used exclusively in Thailand. It is made up of two feeding legs and one ground leg, all around.
Plug Adapter
Such a variety of outlets in different parts of the world makes it necessary to use adapters to plug in electrical appliances and devices.
To avoid having to buy different adapters every time you travel to a new destination, it is best to get a universal adapter, including all the types of plugs that exist. You can connect without problem in any country.
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