Australian AS/NZS 3112 SAA Power Cord, Plug, Flexible Cable Standard

Australian 2005 standard power plug with insulated pins For more details on this topic, see AS 3112.Australasian switched 3-pin dual power point (socket)

The plug used in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, Argentina, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and China has an earthing pin and two flat current-carrying pins forming an upside down V-shape.The flat blades measure 6.5 by 1.6 mm (0.256 by 0.063 in) and are set at 30° to the vertical at a nominal pitch of 13.7 mm (0.539 in). Australian and New Zealand wall sockets almost always have switches on them for extra safety, as in the UK. An unearthed version of this plug with two angled power pins but no earthing pin is used with small double-insulated appliances, but the sockets always include an earth pin.

There are several AS/NZS 3112 plug variants,including ones with larger or differently shaped pins used for devices drawing 15, 20, 25 and 32 A. These sockets accept plugs of equal or of a lower current capacity, but not of higher capacity. For example, a 10 A plug will fit all sockets but a 20 A plug will fit only 20, 25 and 32 A sockets.

Australia's standard plug/socket system was originally codified as standard C112 (floated provisionally in 1937, and adopted as a formal standard in 1938), which was superseded by AS 3112 in 1990. The requirement for insulated pins was introduced in the 2004 revision.The current version is AS/NZS 3112:2011, Approval and test specification - Plugs and socket-outlets.

Contents 1.Plug Guide 2.3 Prong Power Plug 3.Plug with Insulated Pins 4.Comparison of Plug Round/Flat Earth Pins 5.Power Cords 6.Extension Cords 7.Cable Reels 8.Flexible Cables 9.Certifications

Plug Guide - AS/NZS 3112

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Australia Power Cord Plug Guide - AS/NZS 3112,the Table below shows 240V AC Power cord plugs as used in Australia.

		10A 2 Pins	10A 3 Pins (Flat Earth)	10A 3 Pins (Round Earth)	15A 3 Pins  (Flat Earth)	20A 3 Pins  (Flat Earth)
Plug End  Pinout
Description		Standard 10A mains plug for double insulated appliances.	Standard 10A mains plug	10A mains plug with round earth pin	Standard 15A mains plug	Standard 20A mains plug.
Socket Compatibility
10Amp - Flat Earth
10Amp - Round Earth
15Amp - Flat Earth
20Amp - Flat Earth
Applications		Double insulated domestic appliances and equipment.	Earthed domestic appliances and equipment.	Special purpose outlets such as control circuits, lighting and exhaust fans etc.	Caravans, air conditioning, light industrial appliances and equipment.	Plug-in stoves air conditioning and light industrial appliances and equipment.
Active & Neutral Pins	6.35mm x 1.63mm
	9.08mm x 1.63mm
Earth Pin	6.35mm x 1.63mm	N/A
	9.08mm x 1.63mm	N/A
	4.75mm diameter	N/A

3 Prong Power Plug

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Australia SAA Standard 3 Prong Power cord,The plug in Australia is 240V AC, 50Hz. Standard 3 prong earthed power outlets are rated at 10Amps and are usually switched. The 3-flat-pin plug is used in all states of Australia (including its external territories), New Zealand, Although the configuration is similar to mains plugs used in mainland China, dimensional differences to the plug body may be incompatible with recessed cord socket and prevent Chinese-compliant CPCS/CCC (CCEE) plugs from being legally sold/used in Australia. Argentina also uses a similar 3-flat-pin configuration as Australia, but with slight dimensional differences and with the active and neutral wires being reversed. These important differences prevent the Argentina-compliant IRAM plugs from being legally sold/used in Australia as incorrect polarity may present an electrical safety hazard.

The Australia power cord configuration is now Australian Standards AS/NZS 3112:2000 and AS/NZS 3112:2004 for Australian power plug now define the requirements for the insulation of the Active and Neutral pins of the plug. 15Amp and 20Amp configurations of the mains plug and outlet are also defined by the standard.

The following picture shows the Australia power cord configuration.

 

The diagrams below show wiring for an Australian 240V mains cord plug and socket. Note the "reversal" of the Active and Neutral wires depending on whether you are wiring a socket or a plug.

 

Standard wire colors are:

	Marking	Flex conductor colors	Building wire conductor colors
Active	A	Brown	Red
Neutral	N	Blue	Black
Earth	E	Green/Yellow	Green/Yellow

Older flex and premises wiring will use the following colors:

	Marking	Flex conductor colors	Building wire conductor colors
Active	A	Red	Red
Neutral	N	Black	Black
Earth	E	Green	Green

Plug with Insulated Pins

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Australia Power Cord Plug with Insulated Pins,Australian Standards AS/NZS3112:2000 and AS/NZS3112:2004 for AustraliaPower Cord Plug define the requirements for insulating the Active and Neutral pins of the plug. These requirements were introduced in response to a number of incidents (including fatalities) involving both mains-plugs and plug-in-devices where a metal object (such as a knife blade, a metal blind slat or a sheet of metal) came into contact with a plug pin that was partially removed from a socket and resulted in an electrical shock.

Since 3 April 2005 insulated live pins have been mandatory for all plugs (and appliances with integral pins). Approval Certificates for items having non- insulated pins were cancelled on that date. In the interests of enhanced electrical safety and to ensure rapid dispersion into the marketplace, each Australian State and Territory and New Zealand Electrical Regulator required that all electrical equipment was supplied with insulated pin plugs, at all points of sale, by 3 April 2005.

Comparison of Plug Round/Flat Earth Pins

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Comparison of Australia Power Cord Plug Round/Flat Earth Pins,AS/NZS3112:2000 and AS/NZS3112:2004 Australian and New Zealand 3-pin 10Amp main plug with ROUND EARTH PIN for equipment which may be connected to a special purpose power circuit. Applications include lighting, exhaust fans, cash registers and IT equipment.

Power Cords

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Australia power cord plugs with Australian SAA certification are built to the AS 3112 and IEC standards for Australia AC power cord applications also known as Australian mains power lead,In Australia,the electricity supplied by the normal wall inlet is called the "mains power system" and therefore Australia power cords are often referred to as Australia mains leads,Australia mains cords,Australia mains cables,Australia line cords and mains power leads.

Features

The plug matching the socket outlet pictured on the left, used in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and many Pacific Island countries has two flat pins forming an inverted V-shape plus an earthing pin.These flat blades measure 6.35 by 1.6 mm with the Active and Neutral pins of 17.35 mm in length set 30° to the vertical on a nominal pitch of 13.7 mm and the Earth pin being 20 mm in length.A standard power outlet Australia provides a nominal voltage of 230 volts at a maximum of 10 amps and always includes an earth connection. There are unearthed versions of the plug used with this outlet having only the two flat inverted V-aligned pins, without the Earthing pin. Such plugs are only to be used for devices where other safety standards are in use (e.g. double insulation) and these plugs are rated at a maximum of only 7.5 amps. They are not available separately but only integrally with power cords specifically designed for the purpose.If required,Australia socket outlets now can be obtained (at additional cost) utilizing insulation displacement as a means of connecting to the supply conductors, as can be seen in the illustration - The benefits claimed for their use in these applications include up to 50 percent faster installation, due to the reduction in the stripping, twisting and screwing down processes.

Connectors

IEC 60320 power cables come in normal and high-temperature variants, as well as various rated currents. The connectors have slightly different shapes to ensure that it is not possible to substitute a cable with a lowertemperature or current rating, but that it is possible to use an overrated cable. Cords also have different types of exterior jackets available to accommodate environmental variables such as moisture, temperature, oils, sunlight, flexibility, and heavy wear. For example, a heating appliance may come with a cord designed to withstand accidental contact with heated surfaces. Worldwide, more than twelve different types of connectors are used for fixed building wiring. Products sold in many different markets can use a standardized IEC 60320 connector and then use a detachable power cord to match the local electrical outlets. This simplifies safety approvals, factory testing, and production since the power cord is a low-cost item available as a commodity. Note that the same types of appliance-side connectors are used with both 110 V and 230 V power cables, so care must be used when moving appliances between countries with different voltage standards — substituting a power cord that matches local power outlets will result in an incorrect voltage being applied to the appliance or equipment. Unless explicitly labelled as capable of handling local voltages, this is very likely to damage or destroy the appliance. Some devices have a slide-switch to adapt to different voltages, or wide-ranging power supplies. 

Switches

Australia plug with 303,304,315,317 switch power cord under SAA certification Rated up to 7.5A 250V Built to Australia AS/NZS 3112 standards and designed for Australia lamp power cord applications

Extension Cords

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Australia Extension Cord plug with Australian SAA certification are built to the AS 3112 standards for Australia AC extension cord applications also known as Australian mains extension lead,Australia SAA approved power extension cords,extension cord plug,extension power cord,extension socket,outdoor extension cord,outlet cord,outlet power extension cords,lit extension cord,heavy duty extension cord made from Australia AS/NZ3112 plug connected with flexible cable and Australia Female receptacle,the material could be transparent of LED indicated light inside plug (socket),In Australia,the electricity supplied by the normal wall inlet is called the "mains power system" and therefore Australia extension cords are often referred to as Australia mains extension cords and Australia mains extension cables. 

Cable Reels

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Australia Cable Reel known as Australian mains reels made up of Australia plug,flexible cable and Australia standard sockets inside plastic drums/reels as extension wire reels,usually have two or three outlet sockets and some surge suppressor.








Flexible Cable

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Australia mains flexible cable contains;rubber cable,PVC cable,spiral cable,coiled cable and termination wire harness,cable assembly,AS/NZS 3191 This standard is commonly used for domestic applications: extension leads, connections to appliances, and multi-boxes, and now includes copper braided flexible cord frequently used in New Zealand as an industrial.Flexible Cords: AS/NZS 3191 This standard is commonly used for domestic applications: extension leads, connections to appliances, and multi-boxes, and now includes copper braided flexible cord frequently used in New Zealand as an industrial flex. 

Certifications AS/NZS 3112 are the (harmonized) Australian and New Zealand standards for AC Socket Outlets and Plugs.Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands

Australia	New Zealand
SAA Mark	SAA Mark