page_title: AC power plugs and sockets: British and related types
section_title: BS 1363-1 Rewirable and non-rewirable 13 A fused plugs
hierarchical_section_title: AC power plugs and sockets: British and related types / BS 1363 three-pin (rectangular) plugs and sockets / BS 1363-1 Rewirable and non-rewirable 13 A fused plugs
caption_attribution_description: English: Image of a BS 1363 type electrical plug, with an ISOD (Insulated Shutter Opening Device) which is used when an earth pin is not required.
context_page_description: Plugs and sockets for electrical appliances not hardwired to mains electricity originated in Britain in the 1880s and were initially two-pin designs. These were usually sold as a mating pair, but gradually de facto and then official standards arose to enable the interchange of compatible devices. British standards have proliferated throughout large parts of the former British Empire.
  BS 546, Two-pole and earthing-pin plugs, socket-outlets and socket-outlet adaptors for AC circuits up to 250 V is a British Standard for three pin AC power plugs and sockets. Originally published in April 1934, it was updated by a 1950 edition which is still current, with eight amendments up to 1999. BS 546 is also the precursor of current Indian and South African plug standards. The 5 A version has been designated as Type D and the 15 A as Type M in the IEC 60083 plugs and sockets standard. BS 546 plugs and sockets are still permitted in the UK, provided the socket has shutters.
  BS 1363, 13 A plugs socket-outlets adaptors and connection units is a British Standard which specifies the most common type of single-phase AC power plugs and sockets that are used in the United Kingdom.
context_section_description: A BS 1363 plug has two horizontal, rectangular pins for line  and neutral, and above these pins, a larger, vertical pin for an earth connection. Both line and neutral carry current and are defined as live parts. The earth pin also serves to operate the basic shutter mechanism used in many sockets. Correct polarity is established by the position of the earth pin relative to the other two pins, ensuring that the line pin is connected to the correct terminal in the socket-outlet. Moulded plugs for unearthed, double-insulated appliances may instead have a non-conductive plastic pin (an Insulated Shutter Opening Device or ISOD) the same size and shape as an earth pin, to open the shutters. When looking at the plug pins with the earth uppermost the lower left pin is line, and the lower right is neutral.
  UK consumer protection legislation requires that most domestic electrical goods sold must be provided with fitted plugs to BS 1363-1. These are usually, but not necessarily, non-rewirable. Rewirable plugs for hand-wiring with a screwdriver are commonly available and must be provided with instructions.
caption: BS 1363 plug, with a plastic pin insulated shutter opening device (ISOD) and sleeved live pins.
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