The IEC Type I Plug has two flat, oblique blades that form an inverted V and a grounding blade.
Table of Contents
What is an Australian Type I plug?
The Type I Plug & Socket is a 2 or 3 plug socket primarily used in Australia, New Zealand, China, and Argentina. It is ungrounded with 2 pins or grounded with 3 pins, has an amp rating of 10 A, voltage range of 220-240 V, and is compatible with plug Type I.
IEC Type I plug features
This 10 amp IEC type I plug has two flat 1.6 mm thick blades, set at 30° to the vertical, forming an upside-down V. Their centers are spaced 13.7 mm apart, and both prongs measure 17.3 mm in length and 6.3 mm in width. The flat earth blade also measures 6.3 by 1.6 mm, but it is 20 mm long. The distance between the center of the grounding pin and the middle of the plug is 10.3 mm.
Can I use the Australian Type I plug in China?
Yes, Australian type I plug well fit China socket.
Australian type I plug/socket system is codified as standard AS 3112. Although there are slight differences (the pins of China type I plug is 1 mm longer and the sockets are installed with the earth contact facing upwards), the Australian type I plug mates with the socket used in the People’s Republic of China (mainland China).
Why are Australian type I similar to those of the type A plug?
The dimensions of the Australian type I are very similar to those of the type A plug because the Australasian standard is an obsolete type of American plug. It was patented in 1916 by Harvey Hubbell II, the same electrical engineer who had invented the type A plug. Hubbell’s three-blade design never proved popular in the U.S. because of its incompatibility with the existing type A plug. Still, it was favored in Australia over the British type D system because it was easier for local manufacturers to make plugs with flat pins than round ones. In the 1930s, the predominant Australian electrical accessory manufacturers and the State Electricity Commission of Victoria decided to standardize Hubbell’s design.
What countries use type I plug?
Type I plug is mainly used in Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, China, and Argentina.
Used in countries:
American Samoa
Argentina
Australia
China
El Salvador
Fiji
Guatemala
Kiribati
Nauru
New Zealand
Okinawa
Panama
Papua New Guinea
St. Vincent
Tajikistan
Tonga
Uruguay
Is the New Zealand power plug the same as Australia?
New Zealand’s electricity supply runs at 230/240 volts, and we use angled two or three-pin plugs (the same as Australia and parts of Asia).
Most hotels and motels provide 110-volt ac sockets (rated at 20 watts) for electric razors only. An adapter/converter is necessary for all other equipment unless the item has a multi-voltage option.
Type I plug certificate
Organization: SAA Mark
Australia has a national standards body, Standards Australia, covering many different industry sectors, including Electrotechnology and Energy, which embraces electrical/electronic equipment and appliances with relevant standards for safety. Australia’s Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM) consolidates the previously separate C-Tick, A-Tick, and RCM mark, effective from March 2013.
We have made a very detailed graphic introduction in the article safety marks for more information about the safety certification of power cord plugs.
Now It’s Your Turn
So that’s how I understand the type I plug and socket.
Now I want to turn it over to you: Through my article, do you understand Type I Plugs and Sockets (Outlets)?
Do you have a different point of view with the power plug type I? Or any other questions?
Let me know by leaving a quick comment below right now.
