# item.guide
Side-by-Side Comparison Plug Types

Type A vs. Type I

Comparing 2 standards across 5 specifications. 5 key differences identified.

Comparing:
Type A
Type I
Type A →

Type A is the ungrounded 2-flat-pin plug standard in North America, Central America, and Japan -- NEMA 1-15, rated 15A/125V. It's a physical subset of Type B: any Type A plug fits directly into a Type B socket, the ground pin recess simply unused.

View full Type A spec sheet →
Type I →

Type I, the Australian/New Zealand standard, uses two flat pins angled in a V-shape plus a flat earth pin. China and Argentina use dimensionally similar but genuinely incompatible variants -- Chinese plugs don't physically fit, and Argentine plugs fit but with reversed polarity.

View full Type I spec sheet →

Specification Comparison Table

5 Parameters
Parameter / Spec
Type A
Type I
Pin Count
2 flat parallel blades, non-coplanar, 12.7mm apart 2 flat pins in an inverted V + 1 flat earth pin
Rated Current
15 A 10 (15A, 20A, 25A, and 32A variants also exist) A
Rated Voltage
125 V 230 V
Grounded
No Yes (2-pin ungrounded version also exists for double-insulated devices)
Common Regions
USA, Canada, Mexico, Central America, Japan Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands

Other Alternatives to Compare

Compare Type A vs. Type B → Compare Type A vs. Type C → Compare Type A vs. Type D → Compare Type A vs. Type E → Compare Type A vs. Type F (Schuko) → Compare Type A vs. Type G → Compare Type A vs. Type H → Compare Type A vs. Type J → Compare Type A vs. Type K → Compare Type A vs. Type L → Compare Type A vs. Type M → Compare Type A vs. Type N → Compare Type A vs. Type O →