Type N.
- Pins
- 3
- Spacing
- 19 mm
- Rated
- 10 A
- Earthed
- yes
Drawn from pin dimensions at one scale across the whole site — hold a plug against the screen and it should look familiar.
The plug the IEC itself drew up as a proposed worldwide standard (IEC 60906-1) — and which, in the end, almost nobody adopted. Brazil took it up as NBR 14136 in two gauges: 10 A with 4 mm pins, shown here, and 20 A with 4.8 mm pins for heavier loads. Two line pins sit 19 mm apart with the earth pin nudged 3 mm off their centerline, a hexagonal body keeps it compact, and the socket was designed from the start to take europlugs as well. South Africa is adopting a close cousin as SANS 164-2.
What fits a Type N socket
Besides its own plug: Type C. The 20 A socket takes 10 A and 20 A plugs plus europlugs; a 10 A socket refuses the fatter 20 A pins. Swiss Type J plugs look alike but their earth pin sits too far out to seat.
Facts verified against IEC World Plugs — Type N. Prose is our own.