In many cases a bundle of these colored wires will be grouped together and sealed within a black or grey cable. With the help of color codes of electrical wires they can be easily and safely identified.
Electrical wiring color code guide.
Color code of electrical wire standard. The fourth edition iec. The standard has been withdrawn. Electrical wiring is an electrical installation of cabling and associated devices such as switches distribution boards sockets and light fittings in a structure.
Allowable wire and cable types and sizes are specified according to the circuit operating voltage and electric current capability with further restrictions on the. The wire color codes used are only going to apply to the actual wires that are carrying the electricity. Which standard should you be using for your project.
Wiring colours electrical wire colour coding standards electrical wiring colours coding standard for three phase electrical applications are standardised to aid the identification of individual wire phaseswiring colour codes for ac and dc power distribution circuits have changed on numerous occasions and vary depending on region. Many of the wire identifications standards rely on color codes. The iec color standard for dc power cables is listed in table below adapted from table 2 cook.
Quoting from authoritative codes standards for each region we provide a table summarizing the current and prior wiring color code conventions used by electricians in building wiring. Older installations may use different color codes. It is always a great idea to document the color code that.
Wiring is subject to safety standards for design and installation. Iec dc power circuit wiring color codes. This article describes the electrical wiring color code conventions for 120v or 240v ac circuit wiring in buildings in canada the us the uk.
It depends on your location voltage and other important factors. There are some safety measurements that are to be followed while dealing with electrical wiring and the color codes of wires will help in implementing those safety measurements as a single code is followed in that particular jurisdiction. International standard iec 60446 basic and safety principles for man machine interface marking and identification identification of equipment terminals conductor terminations and conductors defines basic safety principles for identifying electrical conductors by colours or numerals for example in electricity distribution wiring.
The national electrical code nec says that white or gray must be used for neutral conductors and that bare copper or green wires must be used as ground wires. Labeling electrical wires conduits. Dc power installations for example solar power and computer data centers use color coding which follows the ac standards.
For three phase electricity supply circuits will use five. Ac wire color code wire color code british wire color code diagram wire colour code europe wire color code electrical wire color code europe wire color code extension cord electrical wire colour code wire color code gauge wire color code red green black wire color code red green blue wire gauge colour code ground wire colour code wire gauge. But looking deeper the color of the wires inside of the sheathing reveals that different colored wires serve different purposes.
Beyond that are general industry accepted rules about wire color that indicate their purpose.