Uk House Electrical Wiring Colours

Prior to harmonisation with other european countries the united kingdom s electrical wiring system used.

Uk house electrical wiring colours. The earth wire which is located between the live and neutral wire provides a safe escape route for leakage current from a circuit as a result of electrical fault or poor connection. The quickest way to identify house electrical wiring is by its color. Green yellow earth sometimes bare wire without a sleeve. It does not normally cover the transmission or distribution of electricity to them.

Electrical wiring colours were changed in 2006 and it s important to know what to look for. When were electrical wiring colours changed in the uk. The old electrical colours were phased out in 2006 but as you can imagine old wiring still exists in many houses and appliances. This was to ensure consistency avoid confusion and allow trade of electrical goods as well as compatibility of electrician s qualifications between the mainland and the uk.

The guide below is for uk british electrical wiring if you live in another country the colours may be different. As mentioned above most of the europe union countries and uk china russia hong kong singapore ukraine belarus kazakhstan israel turkey argentina south africa ksa saudi arabia uae united arab emirate and malaysia are following the iec international electrotechnical commission wiring codes. We show you how the new wiring colours translate to the old electric wire colours and how you can ensure that the right wires are connected in any instance. Iec wiring color codes for ac uk eu other countries.

The old cable plug colour codes did not account for proper phase rotation therefore most of europe now abides by iec international electrotechnical commission wiring colour codes for ac circuits. New vs old wiring colours in 2006 amendment 2 of 17 th edition bs7671 wiring regulations saw a change to harmonise the uk colours with the european cable colours for consistency and to avoid confusion. Electrical wiring in the united kingdom is commonly understood to be an electrical installation for operation by end users within domestic commercial industrial and other buildings and also in special installations and locations such as marinas or caravan parks. If your home has old wiring it is worth getting it checked by a qualified electrician to make sure it is in safe working order.

With the progression of wiring standards over the years there are several electrical wiring colour coding used in homes around uk. In 2006 the 17 th edition amendment 2 of the bs7671 wiring regulations sought to harmonise the house wiring colours then in use in the uk with those already in use on the european mainland.