NEMA Reference Information

NEMA 1-15P Applications: Connecting to a Standard Wall Outlet

The NEMA 1-15P is commonly used in households all across North America. It is most commonly used for connecting to a power source, like the NEMA 1-15R Outlet or NEMA 5-15R Outlet. The NEMA 1-15R Outlet has been outdated and is no longer permitted for new installations, however it can still be found in older houses. For situations like the, in order to power your device you will need to use a NEMA 1-15P Power cord.

NEMA 1-15P General Information

The NEMA 1-15P is an ungrounded plug rated up to 125V and 15 Amps. The 1-15P Inlet mates with a variety of outlets/ connectors including 1-15R, 5-15R and 5-20R. It is commonly used for powering small electronic devices with double insulated features, allowing for a non grounded power supply. Some of these applications include monitors, gamining units, cell phone chargers, and countless others. The NEMA 1-15P is the defacto plug for 125V ungrounded power. Manufacturers still utilize this plug when ever possible because of the designs low cost and smaller profile, as well as its compatibility with the standard NEMA 5-15R Wall outlets as mentioned above. Japanese plugs are identical in apperance to the NEMA 1-15P, and can commonly be confused as them. The distinction between the two is different global certifications.

NEMA 1-15P Polarized vs. Non Polarized

The NEMA 1-15P also has an optional feature for devices that are not internally wired to be plugged in either way. These are referred to as "polarized" plugs, the neutral blade is 1/16th of an inch wider than the line blade. This allows the plug to only be inserted into a power outlet in one direction. The devices that do not require this distinction between line and load conductors are internally Isolated AC adapters like the power block that you use to charge your mobile phone.

NEMA 2-15R Outlet T-Slot

This dual purpose outlet is no longer in use today, but it was listed for use as a 250v 2 leg outlet listed at 10A, or for 125V with one leg listed at 15A. These old outlets can be found in older commercial buildings, and is recommended that they are replaced.

NEMA 2-15P Plug

The NEMA 2-15P is a 2 pole ungrounded plug, rated for 250v and 15A. This plug still exists in the NEMA set of standards, however it is essentially obsolete since no equipment manufactured in recent years utilizes these power specs.

NEMA 2-20P Plug

The NEMA 2-20P is a 2 pole ungrounded plug, rated for 250v and 20A. This plug still exists in the NEMA set of standards, however it is essentially obsolete since no equipment manufactured in recent years utilizes these power specs, just like the 15A version noted above.

NEMA 5-15P

The NEMA 5-15P is a 3 Wire grounded plug featuring two blades (can be equal or unequal widths due to the ground pin forcing polarity) and one ground pin rated up to 125V AC and 15 Amps. The NEMA 5-15P is your standard household plug used for to connect small appliances such as TV's, Microwaves, hairdryers, etc to a wall outlet. The NEMA 5-15P is compatible with a Nema 5-20R T-Slot outlet, which is commonly found in new home installations.

Hospital Grade NEMA 5-15P

Hospital Grade NEMA 5-15P Power Cords are rated up to 125V and must comply with certain regulations, in order to ensure power cords supplying electricity to life equipment will not succum to manufacturer error. It is required that “patient care equipment” used in the “patient vicinity” use hospital-grade attachment plugs. Specifically, hospital Grade requires (1) the blades must be solid instead of folded brass, (2) the blades are usually nickel-plated, (3) the plug includes an internal cable retention device or strain relief to prevent any stress to the plug’s internal connections and (4) NEMA plug and receptacle are marked “Hospital-grade” and with a green dot.

NEMA 5-20P

The NEMA 5-20P is a 3 Wire grounded plug featuring two blades and one ground pin rated up to 125V AC and 20 Amps. The NEMA 5-20P is used in applications that require higher power draw such as large refrigerators, space heaters, large kitchen mixers, etc. The 5-20R T-Slot receptacle allows you to plug in either a 5-20P or a 5-15P plug, allowing greater flexibility. In modern home installations, 5-20R T-Slot receptacles are often used when 20A circuits are installed due to flexibility of being downward compatible with the 5-15P.

NEMA 5-30P

The NEMA 5-30P is a 3 Wire grounded plug featuring two blades and one ground pin rated up to 125V AC and 30 Amps. The NEMA 5-30P is used in applications where standard 20A circuits will not sufice, powering electrical ranges, portable welders and drying machines.

NEMA 5-15R Connector: Extension Cords

The NEMA 5-15R is a 3 Wire grounded connector with forced polarity rated up to 125VAC and 15A. The connector can pair with either the 1-15P or the NEMA 5-15P. 5-15P is your standard household plug used for to connect small appliances such as TV's, Microwaves, hairdryers, etc to a wall outlet. The NEMA 5-15P is compatible with a Nema 5-20R T-Slot outlet, which is commonly found in new home installations. This is commonly found on our NEMA 5-15 Extension cords, which are commonly used to extend a 125V 15A power source to a location off of a standard 5-15R wall receptacle. This connector is commonly found on NEMA 5-15P Extension cords.

NEMA 5-20R Outlet : Standard North American Wall Outlet

The NEMA 5-20 T-Slot Wall Outlet is the standard wall outlet located in homes, commerical buildings, and institutions around the country. As of November 2013, all new residential construction must have tamper resistant outlets which prevent paper clips or other rigid objects from entering the outlet and shocking the person on the other end(Tamper Resistant Outlet not shown here).

NEMA 6-15P Plug

The NEMA 6-15P is a 3 Wire grounded plug featuring two blades and a ground pin, rated up to 250V AC and 15 Amps. The NEMA 6-15P has two, horizontal blades on the top of the plug spaced 23⁄32" center to center and a ground pin spaced between the two on the bottom of the plug. The NEMA 6 Series is commonly used with 208V and 240V circuits depending on your electrical service.

NEMA 6-20P Plug

The NEMA 6-20P is a 3 Wire grounded plug featuring two blades and a ground pin, rated up to 250V AC and 20A. The 6-20P has a horizontal and vertical blade to prevent attachment to lower ampere rated receptacles. However, the 6-20R (receptacle) offers a "T" slot allowing connection of both a 6-20P and a 6-15P. Common applications are commercial ovens and large air condition units.

NEMA 6-20R Connector

The NEMA 6-20R (T-Slot) is a 3 Wire grounded connector rated up to 250VAC and 20A. The 6-20P has a horizontal and vertical blade to prevent attachment to lower ampere rated receptacles. However, the 6-20R (receptacle) offers a "T" slot allowing connection of both a 6-20P and a 6-15P. Common applications are commercial ovens and large air condition units. This connector is found in our NEMA 6-20 Extension cord Series which are commonly used to extend power to a desired location from a fixed power supply like an outlet or power drop.

NEMA 7-15P Plug

The NEMA 7-15P Plug is a grounded, 2 pole plug rated for 277V and 15A. This plug is commonly called the "Crows Foot Plug" because of the shape of the pins. The NEMA 7-15P Looks similar to the 7-20P and the 7-50P. The physical distinction between them is the size of the line/ load pins. The 7-20P has a larger line & load pin and the 7-50P has a larger neutral pin in comparison to the load pin.

NEMA 7-15R Outlet

The NEMA 7-15R Wall outlet is a 2 pole, grounded power supply that is commonly located in commercial and industrial buildings. Since 277VAC is not a standard voltage, this is commonly used on industrial equipment in facilities where the building's power supply is off of a 480Y/277 Transformer. Since this voltage is more prominent for machinery, and machines used on lines now adays are more likely to use twist locking plugs, these plugs and connectors are less common.

NEMA 7-30P Plug

The NEMA 7-30P Plug is a 2 pole, grounded plug rated for 277V and 30A. The 7-30P can be distinguished from the other NEMA 7 Plugs by the L Shaped neutral Pin.

NEMA 7-30R Outlet

The NEMA 7-30R Wall outlet is a 2 pole, grounded power supply that is commonly located in commercial and industrial buildings. Since 277VAC is not a standard voltage, this is commonly used on industrial equipment in facilities where the building's power supply is off of a 480Y/277 Transformer. Since this voltage is more prominent for machinery, and machines used on lines now adays are more likely to use twist locking plugs, these plugs and connectors are less common.

NEMA 10-50P Plug

The NEMA 10-50P Plug is an ungrounded, 3 pole plug rated for 125V/250V AC and 50A. This plug is the most commonly used plug in the NEMA 10 Standard because of its use in car charging cables for Electrical Car Owners home charging stations. The pin orientation looks similar to the NEMA 7-30P, except their is no ground pin, and the third line pin is a horizontal blade.

NEMA 10-30R Wall Outlet

The NEMA 10-30R Wall Outlet is an ungrounded wall outlet rated for 125V/250V and 30A. This power standard is still included in the NEMA standard, although it has since been depreciated because of it's lack of a grounding conductor. In the past, the application of the NEMA 10-30 required the frame of the appliance to be connected to the neutral blade as a sort of make shift ground. This has since been banned for the following reason. If the neutral ground bond at the power supply panel were to become removed, the applicance or machinery could become energized. Since the release of the 1996 NEC, such grounding procedures have been banned.

NEMA 10-50R Wall Outlet

The NEMA 10-50R Wall Outlet is an ungrounded wall outlet rated for 125V/250V and 50A. This power standard is still included in the NEMA standard, although it has since been depreciated because of it's lack of a grounding conductor. This is commonly found in households with Electrical Vehicles (EV) as it is a common power supply for car charging power cords. In the past, the application of the NEMA 10-30 required the frame of the appliance to be connected to the neutral blade as a sort of make shift ground. This has since been banned for the following reason. If the neutral ground bond at the power supply panel were to become removed, the applicance or machinery could become energized. Since the release of the 1996 NEC, such grounding procedures have been banned.

NEMA 11-30P Plug

The NEMA 11-30P Plug is an ungrounded 3 phase plug rated for 250V and 30A. This plug, and the remainder of the NEMA 11 Series are not commonly used because of the safety hazard of distributing that much power without the use of a grounding conductor.

NEMA 14-30P Plug

The NEMA 14-30P Plug is a 4 pinned, grounded plug with 3 poles rated up to 125V/250V and 30A. This plug can be distinguished by the circle Ground pin located above 2 vertical blades and an L shaped neutral. These Plugs are commonly used to power electric clothes dryers and small electrical vehicle charging stations. This plug replaced the NEMA 10-30 because of the use of a dedicated grounding conductor.

NEMA 14-30R Wall Outlet

The NEMA 14-30R Wall outlet is a grounded power supply outlet that is rated for 125/250V and 30A and is grounded. This outlet mates with the 14-30P shown above. This is commonly found in wash rooms for powering electrical clothes dryers.

NEMA 14-50P Plug

The NEMA 14-50P is a grounded plug rated for 125/250V AC and 50A. This plug is used in many different locations for a variety of applications. The most common use for this in recent years is for

Tesla Car Charging Power Cord

NEMA 14-50R Wall Outlet

The NEMA 14-50R Wall Outlet is a grounded power outlet rated for 125/250V. This outlet mates with the 14-50P displayed above, and is commonly found in garages for supplying power for electrical vehicle charging cords. This is also located in domestic kitchens for powering electrical ranges. In some cases this is found in RV parks for a power source for recreational vehicles, although it has been widly replaced for the locking version.

NEMA 15-50P Plug

The NEMA 15-50P is a grounded 3 phase plug rated for 250V and 50A with no neutral conductor. It is commonly found in industrial settings where equipment is located that requires this amount of power. This type of plug is rarely used because of the safer twist locking alternative. If this plug were to come unplugged under load it could either create a large arc at the point of connection, or damage the heavy equipment it is connecting to.

NEMA 15-50R Wall Outlet

The NEMA 15-50R Wall Outlet is a grounded power supply outlet rated for 250V 3 phase power. This outlet can be found in industrial settings powering heavy equipment, although as stated above it is preffered to use locking connections when dealing with this much power in order to prevent nuisance unplugging which would have more hazards associated at higher power.

NEMA 18-50P Plug

The NEMA 18-50P is an ungrounded plug rated for 120 Y 208V three phase power and 50A. This plug is similar to the 15-50P, except it is designed for a different transformer source, and includes a neutral conductor rather than a grounding conductor.

NEMA 18-50R Wall Outlet

THE NEMA 18-50R Wall outlet is a power supply outlet rated for 120/208V Y and 50A. This connector can be quickly identified by the 4 pins that look like two arrows pointing in the same direction. Like mentioned before, the application of this much power with a straight blade plug is rare because the option for twist locking plugs exists which prevent unintentional unplugging underload which could be hazardous.