Electrical Wire Color Meanings

The us national electrical code for both ac and dc mandates that the grounded neutral conductor of a power system be white or grey.

Electrical wire color meanings.

The protective ground must be bare green or green yellow striped. Consider all black wires to be live at all times. Labeling electrical wires conduits. The wiring in a typical residence can get complicated and in an effort to keep track of what s what electricians assign certain colors to wires in an electrical circuit.

Electrical cable and wire color markings. The different colors of electrical wires indicate the function of the wire with black and red indicating the wires carry electric current white usually indicating neutral charge and green indicating the wire is grounded. Other colored wires. The wire color codes used are only going to apply to the actual wires that are carrying the electricity.

Also black wires are often used as switch legs in circuits which is the connection linking a switch to the electrical load. White single phase live wires. Knowing the electrical color code that dictates which wire does what is imperative not only in the correct configuration of an electrical system but it s also paramount for your safety. Hot active wires may be any other colors except these.

Remember black and red wires are always hot meaning they are source wires that carry power from the electric service panel to a destination such as an outlet or a light. We ve listed the typical uses for wire. However common practice per local electrical inspectors is for the first hot live or active wire to be black and the. In many cases a bundle of these colored wires will be grouped together and sealed within a black or grey cable.

Green or green with a yellow stripe neutral wires. The colors regulated by the national electrical code in the united states are standardized for safety. This color of wire is used to transfer power to switches and outlets in all types of circuits. Black or red for a second live wire 3 phase live wires.

Other color combinations such as striped wires may be used for other applications. Red black and blue it s important to remember that the above color information applies only to ac. What the color of an electrical wire means black electrical wires. The color of the sheathing indicates recommended.

Electrical wiring in canada is governed by the canadian electric code cec. Non metallic or nm 120 volt and 240 volt electrical cable come in two main parts. Be aware that all electrical wires regardless of their function could carry an electrical current at some point so treat all wires with equal caution. This helps to protect people from accidental exposure and makes it much easier to run.

The following wiring color requirements apply in canada. These are the most common colors used in electrical wiring.