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

Type B vs. Type I

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

Comparing:
Type B
Type I
Type B →

Type B adds a round grounding pin to Type A's two flat blades -- NEMA 5-15, the most common outlet in North America. The ground pin is deliberately longer than the power blades, so it connects before and disconnects after them, a safety-sequencing feature shared with several other grounded plug types worldwide.

View full Type B 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 B
Type I
Pin Count
2 flat blades + 1 round ground pin (longer than the blades) 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
Yes Yes (2-pin ungrounded version also exists for double-insulated devices)
Common Regions
USA, Canada, Mexico, Central America, Japan (grounded appliances) Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands

Other Alternatives to Compare

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