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

Type E vs. Type I

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

Comparing:
Type E
Type I
Type E →

Type E is the French/Belgian standard -- unusually, its round grounding pin is fixed in the socket, not the plug. It's used across France, Belgium, Poland, Slovakia, and Czechia, and a hybrid CEE 7/7 plug design bridges it with the incompatible German Type F.

View full Type E 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 E
Type I
Pin Count
2 round power pins; earth pin projects from the socket, not the plug 2 flat pins in an inverted V + 1 flat earth pin
Rated Current
16 A 10 (15A, 20A, 25A, and 32A variants also exist) A
Rated Voltage
250 V 230 V
Grounded
Yes (mandatory) Yes (2-pin ungrounded version also exists for double-insulated devices)
Common Regions
France, Belgium, Poland, Slovakia, Czechia Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands

Other Alternatives to Compare

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