International Wiring Color Codes for AC Power Circuits

Color coding for electrical wiring depends on a variety of factors – including the country, type of voltage, and function. Below you’ll find a quick guide for the international wire color coding for AC power circuits.  

Who regulates color coding for electrical wiring?

Most countries have a governing organization that implements color coding requirements for electrical wiring. In cases where there are no legal requirements, specific colors have been adopted as local practice and are recommended.   

NEC (National Electrical Code)

In the United States, the National Electrical Code (NEC) mandates electrical wiring color codes for the neutral power conductor and protective ground. The neutral conductor must be gray and the protective ground must be either green, green-yellow, or bare copper. “Green-yellow” refers to green with yellow stripes. Wires larger than 6-AWG are always black. For all other functions, there are no legal requirements. However, certain colors have been adopted as local practice and are recommended. The recommended color codes depend on the voltage. Below you’ll find the color coding guidelines for both 208 VAC and 480 VAC.

208 VAC

Single Phase Line (labeled as L): black or red (in case of a second active) Phase 1 (labeled as “L1”): black*

Phase 2 (labeled as “L2”): red*

Phase 3 (labeled as “L3”): blue*

Neutral Conductor (labeled as “N”): gray

Protective Ground (labeled as “PG”): green, green-yellow, or bare copper.

480 VAC

Single Phase Line (labeled as L): black or red (in case of a second active) Phase 1 (labeled as “L1”): brown*

Phase 2 (labeled as “L2”): orange*

Phase 3 (labeled as “L3”): yellow*

Neutral Conductor (labeled as “N”): gray

Protective Ground (labeled as “PG”): green

*These colors are not required by the NEC, but have been adopted as local practice.   

IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission)

Throughout most of Europe and in the United Kingdom (UK), the International Electrotechnical Commission mandates electrical wiring color codes for all functions.  

Single Phase Line (labeled as L): brown

Phase 1 (labeled as “L1”): brown

Phase 2 (labeled as “L2”): black

Phase 3 (labeled as “L3”): grey

Neutral Conductor (labeled as “N”): blue

Protective Earth (labeled as “PE”): green-yellow   

CEC (Canadian Electrical Code)

In Canada, the Canadian Electrical Code (CEC) mandates electrical wiring color codes for all functions.  

Single Phase Line (labeled as L): black or red (in case of a second active) Phase 1 (labeled as “L1”): red

Phase 2 (labeled as “L2”): black

Phase 3 (labeled as “L3”): blue

Neutral Conductor (labeled as “N”): white

Protective Earth (labeled as “PE”): green or green-yellow  

To simplify international wiring color codes, we’ve created this Color Coding for International Wiring infographic. Feel free to print it out as a quick reference guide! As always if you have any questions about wire labels or markers, feel free to contact us at info@ziptape.com or (480) 966-2999.