Wire Colour Code Guide
| Colour | Wire | Role |
| Blue | Neutral | The neutral wire, which is blue in color ... |
| Brown | Live | The brown live wire, which supplies powe ... |
| Green Or Yellow | Earth | Green and yellow stripes make up the ear ... |
What are the wire colour codes for electricians in Australia?
The wire colour codes for Australia and which electricians follow are: Blue Wire – neutral wire replacing the old black wire Brown Wire – live wire replacing the old red wire Green or Yellow Wire – earth wire that contains green or yellow stripes
What is the purpose of wiring colour codes?
The purpose of wiring colour codes is to enable an electrician or anyone else who has cause to go near the wiring in a building and immediately tell which wire is just by looking at them. Are the codes the same everywhere? No.
What colour should electrical wiring be painted?
The electrician should attach appropriately-coloured sleeving to the different wires to enable easy identification of the corresponding wiring. As previously mentioned, the old-style black neutral wiring has been replaced with blue. Similarly, red live wiring is now brown.
Can I use my own colour coding system?
2) If you don't work in those industries, you can use your own colour coding system. For anyone that works in demolition or on construction sites - there are particular tag colours you are required to use in different months of the year according to AS/NZS 3012.
What colour wires are 3-phase in Australia?
Australian engineers use red, white and blue for their live wire colours. The specific difference that is unique to Australia is the white L2 line. However, it is also permissible in Australia to use European colours in some circumstances according to AS 3000.
What are the color codes for electrical wires?
3-Phase Wire Color CodesPhase 1 – Black wire.Phase 2 – Red wire.Phase 3 – Blue wire.Neutral – White wire.Ground – Green, Green with a Yellow Stripe, or Bare Wire.
Is Live red or black wire Australia?
Australian Standard specifies that for most installations, the electrical wiring colours to use are black for a live conductor, brown or blue for a neutral conductor, green or yellow-green for an earth (ground) conductor, and red or orange for a signal wire.24-Dec-2021
What colour wire goes to L and N?
black wireThe N is for the neutral side or the white wire, and the L is for the load side, the black wire.
What are the three 3 types of wires and their respective color represents?
Three types of wire used are :live wire ( Red colour)neutral wire(Black colour)earth wire (Green colour)
What do different colored electrical wires mean?
Electrical wiring comes in one of several colors: Black Wires – when you see a black wire, always assume it's live. ... Blue Wires – always assume they are live if you have power. Blue wires are also fed through a conduit, usually bringing power to three or four-way switches. Green Wires – green wires are grounding wires.
What colour is live wire Australia?
BrownBrown = Live As previously mentioned, the brown wire has the function of carrying electricity to the appliance. There will be a risk of electrocution if the brown wire is live and not connected to the earth or neutral wires.
What colour wire goes to L and N Australia?
Within Australia the live wire is brown, the neutral wire is blue and the earth wire is green and yellow. This may not be the same for every electrical system as the wire colour codes have altered throughout the years.15-Aug-2021
What colour is active wire Australia?
yellowCommon colours include white or grey, which are both typically neutral, and black or yellow for active wires.23-Aug-2021
Is red wire L or N?
Canada AC power circuit wiring color codesFunctionlabelColor, commonNeutralNwhiteLine, single phaseLblack or red (2nd hot)Line, 3-phaseL1redLine, 3-phaseL2black2 more rows
What does 1N mean in electrical wiring?
1PHASE1N = 1PHASE AND NEUTRAL. 2 = 2 PHASES AND NEUTRAL.12-Dec-2005
Which Colour is neutral?
Plug wiring coloursWireColourLiveBrownNeutralBlueEarthYellow and Green
The Main Function of Electrical Wires
If you believe there’s just one wire carrying electricity to and from your outlets and appliances, think again. Each wire has its own function. Colour coding helps your electrician immediately identify what each function is, helping for any fast fault identification.
2021 Australian Electrical Wiring Standards
Since 2018, with the introduction of the AS 3000, Australia’s wiring reflects global standards far better. Australian electrical wiring colours match European and UK installations, ensuring that more products can seamlessly integrate into international circuits.
Other Wiring Colours in Your Home
Current electri cal wiring colour standards were only introduced a few years ago. Therefore, chances are your home’s wiring doesn’t match up. That means a vast majority of Australian homes have a variety of colour combinations.
Should I Perform My Own Electrical Work?
Electrical work is best left to the professionals. This rings true especially with a wide range of colour combinations leaving you in a precarious position of unexpectedly handling live wires.
What is the Australian Electrical Wiring Colours Coding Standard?
The wiring colours coding standard was initially made in 1894 and were a voluntary code, which only members of an authorised organisation could use. However, in 2000 the codes were made an officially regulated code. Australian electrical wiring colour codes have evolved over the last 100 years with the inclusion of colour coding.
How to Use the Wire Colour Code Standard
The following sections are not technical and are meant only to provide basic information for regular residential and commercial customers.
What Does Each Wire Colour Mean?
Colour codes have been developed with care for your safety and endorsed by the Australian Standards Association (ASA).
Original Purpose of the Electrical Wiring Colour Codes
The use of different electrical wire colour codes for the different conductors was originally to indicate their "lifespan." For example, the colour yellow meant a conductor that would reach a specified wire length and then be connected to an earth wire.
Wire Colour Coding and Your Electrical System
The Australian electrical code, EJ8, is a good starting point for maintaining a sound electrical system. It is easy to follow and easy to remember. It is important to remember that as the standards become more demanding and more people install electrical systems, more training and certification will be required.
Why are wires color coded?
The purpose of wiring colour codes is to enable an electrician or anyone else who has cause to go near the wiring in a building and immediately tell which wire is ...
What color wires are used for TV?
Just because a wire is a particular colour, that doesn’t always mean that the colour code applies. For example, many TV aerial cables are coloured brown, which indicates a live wire under the wiring colour codes. However, TV aerials do not carry any voltage and aren’t subject to the same safety considerations as live wires carrying electricity to appliances are. Similarly, you will find plenty of black cables around the average home. Many of these carry electricity from your mains supply to your appliances, but they have the same colour as the neutral wires.
Do all electrical cables have the same color code?
No. There are also different colour codes for single-phase and multiphase systems. However, since the introduction of the latest wiring colour codes, both fixed electrical cables and mains-powered cables use the same colour code scheme.
Do you have to rewire a house if you have wire color codes?
Just because you have the colour codes to refer to doesn’t mean you should rewire your home.
Do color codes change over time?
It is also important to note that these colour codes have changed over time, and will presumably change again in the future. If you are looking at the wiring for an appliance or property that is decades old, you need to consider that the wiring might reflect previous colour codes.
Do you need to know the color of your wires?
Whether you are moving into a new property or you need to do some DIY involving your home electrics, you need to know your wire colour codes. If this is your first time dealing with electrics or wiring, it’s critical that you find out exactly what you are dealing with before you go anywhere near live wires.
What is the difference between blue and brown wires?
The blue wire, also referred to as the neutral wire, has the function of transferring electricity away from the appliance. The brown wire, otherwise known as the live wire, transfers electricity to the appliance. The combination of these wires is referred to as a circuit. You should be aware that some properties have old-style wiring, which should be regularly checked by an electrician to ensure that it remains in good working order. The need for replacement will be entirely dependent on the safety of the wiring.
How to tell if a two phase or three phase?
You can identify either the two or three-phase connection by counting the wires connected with the electrical service panel. A single-phase connection will feature dual black or red live wiring and blue neutral wiring. There is a voltage difference of 230V between the wires. Either three or four wires will be connected to an electrical service ...
What does brown wire mean?
It is important that you don’t make the mistake of confusing the natural blue and green/yellow earth connection when referring to the electrical system. Brown = Live. As previously mentioned, the brown wire has the function of carrying electricity to the appliance.
What color is the neutral wire?
You must ensure that there is no power source connected with the live wire before working on the wiring. The neutral wire colour is blue.
What is the combination of wires called?
The combination of these wires is referred to as a circuit. You should be aware that some properties have old-style wiring, which should be regularly checked by an electrician to ensure that it remains in good working order. The need for replacement will be entirely dependent on the safety of the wiring.
How many wires are in a three phase system?
Either three or four wires will be connected to an electrical service panel functioning via the three-phase system. This will feature three live wires of either a black, red, brown or grey colour and a separate blue wire. There will typically be a 400V separation between the two live wires.
What is the green and yellow wire?
The green and yellow wire is also referred to as the earth wire and has a key safety function. Electricity being transferred around any property will always take the path of least resistance to the earth.
What are the Wiring Colour Codes with Single and Three Phase Wiring?
Single phase wiring is where two wires connect and allows an easy balance of electrical currents and loads across networks. Three phase wiring consists of three to four wires that provide a stronger electrical current.
Are the Wiring Colour Codes the Same Everywhere?
Each country will have its own electrical code for the colour of the wires. Within Australia the live wire is brown, the neutral wire is blue and the earth wire is green and yellow. This may not be the same for every electrical system as the wire colour codes have altered throughout the years.
Trusted Electricians Working with Electrical Wiring
The Local Electrician provides Sydney with fully qualified Emergency Electrician workers to inform you about wire colour codes. This includes operating with electrical wiring, installing, repairing and performing inspections on these systems.
What are the scenarios for using test tag colors?
There are essentially two scenarios: 1) If you work in construction or demolition, you are required to use the specified test tag colours. 2) If you don't work in those industries, you can use your own colour coding system.
What color tag should I use for a re-test?
The most common tag colours people tend to use are red, green, blue, yellow, orange, white, black and burgandy. If you would like to discuss test and tag colours further, you can call us on 1300 848 302.
Do you have to use special tag colors for different months?
For everyone else not working in those particular industries, it is not legislatively required to use any special tag colour for the different months. It really comes down to your own personal choice as to which electrical tagging colours you choose to use.
When are blue tags used in Australia?
Blue Tag - June, July and August. Yellow Tag - September, October and November. This would apply to all states around Australia (NSW used to have a seperate colour coding system ). These colours are also commonly used on mining sites and in the marine industry.
What is a raceway wire?
The connectors, conduit and boxes form a wire enclosure system commonly known as a raceway. Most of the time, the conduit material will match the box material. For instance, plastic conduits are used with plastic boxes, but they can also be used with metal boxes as well as special connectors.
What is LFMC wire?
LFMC, or liquid-tight flexible metal conduits are flexible metal conduits covered with a layer of plastic sheathing to make it 100% watertight. These conduits are used for outdoor wirings, like serving air conditioning units and other types of outdoor equipment. At first, electrical conduits appear similar to armoured cable wiring.
What is gauge wire?
The gauge of a wire relates to how much amperage the wire can handle, or in other words, it’s current-carrying capacity. When picking the right size of the wire, some of the factors you’ll need to consider are the gauge of the wire, the wire capacity and what will it be used for.
What is EMT conduit?
EMT, or electrical metallic conduits are rigid and thin-walled, usually made of galvanised steel. Due to the fact that they’re thin-walled and lightweight, you can easily bend them with a conduit bender if you need to, but they can’t be threaded like heavier conduits.
What color wires are used for current carrying?
For instance, red and black wires are usually used for current-carrying connections, whereas white wires are generally grounded neutral conductors.
Why is it important to know the color of the wires?
Understanding the colour coding will help you identify what the wires are used for and it will help you maintain consistency within a complex electrical system.
What is the purpose of picking a properly sized wire?
Picking a properly sized wire is essential to any electrical installation, and the type of conduit plays a crucial role in protecting the wire. Wire sizing indicates the diameter of the conductor of the wire and it’s based on the AWG (American Wire Gauge) system.