Colors and marking of wires
Wire color guide in electrical engineering according to IEC 60446, IEC and IEC 60364. Reverse search by color — find out if it's phase, neutral, or ground.
📋 Standard selection
Conductor colors
🔍 Reverse search
What wire color do you see?
⚖️ Standard comparison
| Conductor | IEC/EN | Soviet | NEC (USA) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Brown | Wh/Br | Black |
| Phase 2 | Black | — | Red |
| Phase 3 | Gray | — | Blue |
| Neutral (N) | Blue | Bl/Blk | White |
| Ground (PE) | Y-G | Y-G/Blk | Green |
🛡️ Protective earth PE
💡 Important nuances
Color marking of wires and phases in Ukraine
Since 2011, Ukraine has adopted a standard corresponding to international standard IEC 60446. According to this standard: phase conductors L1/L2/L3 — brown, black, grey; neutral (N) — blue; protective earth (PE) — yellow-green striped.
In older residential buildings, Soviet-era wiring with different markings or without a PE conductor is often found. Before any work on such wiring, always check each wire with a multimeter.
When working with imported equipment from the USA or Canada, consider the NEC standard, where colors differ drastically: black — phase, white — neutral, green — ground.
When designing an electrical panel, it is important to correctly mark all connections according to IEC. In the ElectroBoard constructor all connections automatically receive correct color marking according to IEC. The system shows brown, black, and grey for phases, blue for neutral, and yellow-green for PE.
For three-phase circuits, it is important to maintain phase sequence: L1 (brown), L2 (black), L3 (grey). This avoids errors during connection and maintenance. In the ElectroBoard constructor, you can verify the correct marking of all connections in the panel.