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

Type E vs. Type N

Comparing 2 standards across 7 specifications. 7 key differences identified.

Comparing:
Type E
Type N
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 N →

Type N is used in two places -- Brazil and South Africa -- but they are genuinely different implementations, not one standard: Brazil's NBR 14136 uses two different pin-diameter variants and skips a shutter requirement that South Africa's SANS 164-2 (closer to the source IEC 60906-1 spec) includes.

View full Type N spec sheet →

Specification Comparison Table

7 Parameters
Parameter / Spec
Type E
Type N
Pin Count
2 round power pins; earth pin projects from the socket, not the plug 3 round pins in a triangle (symmetrical layout)
Grounded
Yes (mandatory) Yes, both implementations
Common Regions
France, Belgium, Poland, Slovakia, Czechia Brazil (exclusively) and South Africa (exclusively) -- used nowhere else as a primary standard
Rated Current
16 A —
Rated Voltage
250 V —
Rated Current (Brazil)
— 10 or 20 (4.0mm or 4.8mm pins respectively) A
Rated Current (South Africa)
— 16 (uniform 4.5mm pins) A

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 I → 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 O →