The Europlug is a flat, two-pole, round-pin domestic AC power plug, rated for voltages up to 250 V and currents up to 2.5 A. It is a compromise design intended to connect low-power Class II appliances safely to the many different forms of round-pin domestic power socket used across Europe. However, it is not compatible with the rectangular-pin BS 1363 sockets found in Cyprus, Gibraltar, Ireland, Malta and the United Kingdom. Europlugs are non-rewirable and must be supplied attached to a power cord.
History
The Europlug design, intended for use with socket-outlets meeting other standards, appeared first in 1963 as Alternative II of Standard Sheet XVI in the second edition of CEE Publication 7. The Europlug is therefore sometimes also referred to as the "CEE 7/16 Alternative II plug" or simply as the "CEE 7/16 plug". It was also described in 1975 as plug C5 in IEC Technical Report 83. In 1990 it was defined by Cenelec standard EN 50075 which has national equivalents in most European countries, as described in IEC 60083 which superseded IEC/TR 83. The Europlug is unusual as the standard specifies only a plug; there is no socket-outlet designed specifically for use with it.
Design considerations
The dimensions of the Europlug were chosen for compatibility and safe use, such that with continental European domestic power sockets
reliable contact is established when the plug is fully inserted;
no live conductive parts are accessible while the plug is inserted into each type of socket;
it is not possible to establish a connection between one pin and a live socket contact while the other pin is accessible.
Europlugs are only designed for low-power Class II devices that operate at normal room temperature and do not require a protective-earth connection.
Details
The pins of the Europlug are 19 mm long. They consist of a 9 mm long conductive tip of 4 mm diameter with a rounded ending, followed by a 10 mm long flexible insulated shaft of not more than 3.8 mm diameter. The two pins are not exactly parallel and converge slightly; their centres are 17.5 mm apart at the tip and 18.6 mm apart at the base. The elasticity of the converging pins provides sufficient contact force for the Europlug's current rating with a variety of socket-hole arrangements. The entire plug is 35.3 mm wide and 13.7 mm high, and must not exceed these dimensions within 18 mm behind its front plane. The left and right side of the plug are formed by surfaces that are at 45° relative to the horizontal plane.
Incompatibility with UK and Irish sockets
The Europlug is physically not compatible with BS 1363 13 A sockets. UK Law requires a suitable fuse to be fitted in each plug to protect the appliance flexible cord; Europlugs do not contain such fuses. BS 1363 sockets contain a child-safety shutter; clause 13.7.2 of BS 1363-2 requires that Europlugs will not open the shutters. In some types of BS 1363 socket the safety mechanism can be tampered with so that a Europlug may then be forced into the open and neutral ports. The UK Electrical Safety Council has drawn attention to the fire risk associated with forcing Europlugs into BS 1363 sockets. There is also a risk of damage to both the plug and socket. Europlugs are also different from the similar looking two-pin plugs. UK Consumer Protection legislation requires that most domestic electrical goods sold must be provided with fitted plugs to BS 1363-1. The exception is that shavers, electric toothbrushes and similar personal hygiene products may be supplied with a Europlug as an alternative to the BS 4573. Most 2-pin UK shaver sockets will accept either BS 4573 plugs or Europlugs but are rated for a maximum of 0.2 A. Fused conversion plugs to BS 1363-5 are available for Europlugs, and equipment fitted with these may be legally sold in the UK.
