Editing AC power plugs and sockets (section)

=== CEE 7 standard ===
{{Main|CEE 7 standard AC plugs and sockets}}
[[File:Stopcontact.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|CEE&nbsp;7/1 wall socket, accepts CEE&nbsp;7/2 (unearthed) plug and also CEE&nbsp;7/4, CEE&nbsp;7/6 and CEE&nbsp;7/7 (earthed) plugs.]]

The International Commission on the Rules for the Approval of Electrical Equipment ([[IECEE]]) was a standards body which published ''Specification for plugs and socket-outlets for domestic and similar purposes'' as CEE Publication 7 in 1951. It was last updated by Modification 4 in March 1983.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://webstore.iec.ch/webstore/webstore.nsf/ArtNum_PK/31105|title=IECEE CEE-7 ed2.0 |access-date=1 March 2015}}</ref> CEE&nbsp;7 consists of general specifications and standard sheets for specific connectors.

Standard plugs and sockets based on two round pins with centres spaced at 19&nbsp;mm are in use in Europe, most of which are listed in IEC/TR&nbsp;60083 "Plugs and socket-outlets for domestic and similar general use standardized in member countries of IEC."<ref>{{cite web|title=IEC/TR 60083: Technical Report|url= http://webstore.iec.ch/preview/info_iec60083%7Bed6.0%7Db.pdf |access-date=2 March 2015}}</ref> EU countries each have their own regulations and national standards; for example, some require child-resistant shutters, while others do not. [[CE marking]] is neither applicable nor permitted on plugs and sockets.

==== CEE 7/1 unearthed socket and CEE 7/2 unearthed plug ====
CEE&nbsp;7/1 unearthed sockets accept CEE&nbsp;7/2 round plugs with {{convert|4.8|by|19|mm|in|3|abbr=on}} pins. Because they have no earth connections they have been or are being phased out in most countries. Some countries still permit their use in dry areas, while others allow their sale for replacements only. Older sockets are so shallow that it is possible to accidentally touch the live pins of a plug. CEE&nbsp;7/1 sockets also accept CEE&nbsp;7/4, CEE&nbsp;7/6 and CEE&nbsp;7/7 plugs without providing an earth connection. The earthed CEE&nbsp;7/3 and CEE&nbsp;7/5 sockets do not allow insertion of CEE&nbsp;7/2 unearthed round plugs.

{{anchor|CEE 7/4 plug|Type F}}

==== CEE 7/3 socket and CEE 7/4 plug (German "Schuko"; Type F)<span class="anchor" id="Type F"></span> ====
{{Main|Schuko}}
[[File:Schuko plug and socket.png|thumb|left|upright=.9|Schuko plug (CEE&nbsp;7/4) and socket (CEE&nbsp;7/3)]]
[[File:Schuko (CEE 7-3) socket-outlets, with and without shutters.jpg|thumb|upright=.6|Two Schuko (CEE&nbsp;7/3) socket-outlets manufactured by Busch-Jaeger Elektro GmbH: the lower has (black) protective shutters; the upper does not, revealing internal metal contacts.]]

The CEE&nbsp;7/3 socket and CEE 7/4 plug are commonly called ''[[Schuko]]'', an abbreviation for ''Schutzkontakt'', ''Protective contact'' to earth ("Schuko" itself is a registered [[trademark]] of a [[Registered association (Germany)|German association]] established to own the term). The socket has a circular recess with two round holes and two earthing clips that engage before live pin contact is made. The pins are {{convert|4.8|by|19|mm|in|3|abbr=on}}. The Schuko system is unpolarised, allowing live and neutral to be reversed. The socket accepts Europlugs and CEE&nbsp;7/17 plugs and also includes CEE&nbsp;7/7. It is rated at 16&nbsp;A. The current German standards are [[Deutsches Institut für Normung|DIN]]&nbsp;49441 and DIN&nbsp;49440. The standard is used in Germany and several other European countries and on other continents. Some countries require child-proof socket shutters; the DIN&nbsp;49440 standard does not have this requirement.

The plug is used in most or many countries of Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as in the countries of [[South Korea]], [[Peru]], [[Chile]] and Uruguay.{{Citation needed|date=August 2019}} The few European countries not using it at all are [[Belgium]], [[Czech Republic]], [[Cyprus]], [[Ireland]], [[Liechtenstein]], [[Switzerland]], and the [[UK]], or not using it predominantly are [[Denmark]], [[Faroe Island]], [[France]], [[Italy]], [[Monaco]], [[San Marino]], [[Slovakia]].

==== CEE 7/5 socket and CEE 7/6 plug (French; Type E) ====
{{anchor|CEE 7/5 socket|CEE 7/6 plug|Type E}}
[[File:French-power-socket.jpg|French socket (CEE&nbsp;7/5)|thumb|upright=.9]]
[[File:French Plug CEE 7 6.jpg|Rewireable French plug (CEE&nbsp;7/6, now rare)|thumb|upright=.9]]

[[France|French]] standard NF C 61-314 defines the CEE&nbsp;7/5 socket and CEE&nbsp;7/6 plug, (and also includes CEE&nbsp;7/7, 7/16 and 7/17 plugs). The socket has a circular recess with two round holes. The round earth pin projecting from the socket connects before the energized contacts touch. The earth pin is centred between the apertures, offset by {{convert|10|mm|in|3|abbr=on}}. The plug has two round pins measuring {{convert|4.8|by|19|mm|in|3|abbr=on}}, spaced {{convert|19|mm|in|3|abbr=on}} apart and with an aperture for the socket's projecting earth pin. This standard is also used in [[Belgium]], [[Poland]], the [[Czech Republic]], [[Slovakia]] and some other countries.

Although the plug is polarised, CEE&nbsp;7 does not define the placement of the live and neutral, and different countries have conflicting standards for that. For example, the French standard NF C 15-100 requires live to be on the right side, while Czech standard ČSN 33 2180 requires it to be on the left side of a socket. Thus, a French plug when plugged into a Czech socket (or a Czech plug when plugged into a French socket) will always have its polarity reversed, with no way for the user to remedy this situation apart from rewiring the plug. One approach for resolving this situation is taken in Poland, where CEE&nbsp;7/5 sockets are typically installed in pairs, the upper (upside-down) one having the "French" polarity and the lower one having the "Czech" polarity, so that the user can choose what to plug where.

CEE&nbsp;7/4 (Schuko) plugs are not compatible with the CEE&nbsp;7/5 socket because of the round earthing pin permanently mounted in the socket; CEE&nbsp;7/6 plugs are not compatible with Schuko sockets due to the presence of indentations on the side of the recess, as well as the earth clips. CEE&nbsp;7/7 plugs have been designed to solve this incompatibility by being able to fit in either type of socket.<ref>{{cite web |title=Museum of Plugs and Sockets: CEE 7 standard/title> |url=https://plugsocketmuseum.nl/CEE-standard.html |access-date=21 May 2024 |website=plugsocketmuseum.nl}}</ref>

Sales and installations of 7/5 sockets are legally permitted in [[Denmark]] since 2008, but the sockets are hard to find in physical stores,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.greenline.dk/lk-stikkontakt-1-modul-med-pindjord-hvid-15420 |title=LK stikkontakt 1 modul med pindjord, hvid |access-date=13 November 2023 |language=da |publisher=Greenline.dk}}</ref> and installation is exceedingly rarely performed.

{{anchor|CEE 7/7 plug}}

==== CEE 7/7 plug (compatible with E and F) ====
[[File:CEE 7-7.jpg|Hybrid CEE&nbsp;7/7 plug|thumb|upright=.9]]

The CEE&nbsp;7/7 plug fits in either French or Schuko sockets. It is rated at 16A and looks similar to CEE&nbsp;7/4 plugs, but with earth contacts to fit both CEE&nbsp;7/5 sockets and CEE&nbsp;7/3 ones. It is polarised when used with a French-style CEE&nbsp;7/5 socket, but can be inserted in two ways into a CEE&nbsp;7/3 socket. However, with the French socket it is not specified whether the live connection is on the left or right, as this can vary between countries.

Earthed appliances are typically sold fitted with non-rewireable CEE&nbsp;7/7 plugs attached, though rewireable versions are also available. This plug can be inserted into a Danish Type K socket, but the earth contact will not connect.

{{anchor|CEE 7/16 plug}}

==== CEE 7/16 plugs ====
The CEE&nbsp;7/16 unearthed plug is used for unearthed appliances. It has two round {{convert|4|by|19|mm|in|3|abbr=on}} pins, rated at 2.5&nbsp;A. There are two variants.

===== CEE&nbsp;7/16 Alternative I =====
Alternative I is a round plug with cutouts to make it compatible with CEE&nbsp;7/3 and CEE&nbsp;7/5 sockets. (The similar-appearing CEE&nbsp;7/17 has larger pins and a higher current rating.) This alternative is seldom used.

===== CEE&nbsp;7/16 Alternative II "Europlug" (Type C)<span class="anchor" id="Type C"></span><span class="anchor" id="Europlug"></span> =====
{{Main|Europlug}}
[[File:Euro-Flachstecker 2.jpg|thumb|upright=.9|Europlug]]

Alternative II, popularly known as the [[Europlug]], is a flat 2.5&nbsp;A-rated plug defined by Cenelec standard EN&nbsp;50075 and national equivalents. The Europlug is not rewirable and must be supplied with a flexible cord. It can be inserted in either direction, so live and neutral are connected arbitrarily. To improve contact with socket parts the Europlug has slightly flexible pins which converge toward their free ends.

There is no socket defined to accept only the Europlug. Instead, the Europlug fits a range of sockets in common use in Europe. These sockets include CEE&nbsp;7/1, CEE&nbsp;7/3 (German/"Schuko") and CEE&nbsp;7/5 (French). Most Israeli, Swiss, Danish and Italian sockets were designed to accept pins of various diameters, mainly 4.8&nbsp;mm, but also 4.0&nbsp;mm and 4.5&nbsp;mm, and are usually fed by final circuits with either 10&nbsp;A or 16&nbsp;A overcurrent protection devices.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.legrand.com/files/fck/File/pdf/Guide-International.pdf |title=International electrical standards and regulations |access-date=16 November 2015 |publisher=Legrand |pages=14, 22, 30}}</ref>

Although the standard does not permit extension cables and does not define any socket-outlets, unauthorized extension cables and sockets are manufactured.

UK shaver sockets are designed to accept BS&nbsp;4573 shaver plugs while also accepting Europlugs. In this configuration, the connection supply is only rated at 200&nbsp;mA. It is not permissible within the UK for the shaver socket to be fitted and used for a higher rated current draw than the 200&nbsp;mA maximum.

The Europlug is also used in parts of the Middle East, Africa, South America, and Asia.

{{anchor|CEE 7/17 plug}}

==== CEE 7/17 unearthed plug ====
[[File:CEE 7-17 plug.jpg|thumb|upright=.75|Hybrid unearthed CEE&nbsp;7/17 plug]]

This is a round plug compatible with CEE&nbsp;7/1, CEE&nbsp;7/3, and CEE&nbsp;7/5 sockets. It has two round pins measuring {{convert|4.8|by|19|mm|in|3|abbr=on}}. The pins are not sheathed, in contrast to e.g. CEE&nbsp;7/16 Europlugs. It may be rated at either 10&nbsp;A or 16&nbsp;A. A typical use is for appliances that exceed the 2.5&nbsp;A rating of CEE&nbsp;7/16 Europlugs. It may be used for unearthed Class&nbsp;II appliances (and in South Korea for all domestic non-earthed appliances). It is also defined as the Class&nbsp;II plug in Italian standard CEI&nbsp;23-50.

It is sometimes called a contour plug, because its collar contour follows that of the socket's recess. The collar prevents accidental contact with the non sheathed pins when inserting or removing the plug in a recessed socket.

It can be inserted into Israeli SI&nbsp;32 outlets with some difficulty, as well as Danish (type K) ones. The Soviet [[GOST 7396#Group C|GOST&nbsp;7396]] standard includes both the CEE&nbsp;7/17 and the CEE&nbsp;7/16 variant&nbsp;II plug.
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