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

Type I vs. Type N

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

Comparing:
Type I
Type N
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 →
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 I
Type N
Pin Count
2 flat pins in an inverted V + 1 flat earth pin 3 round pins in a triangle (symmetrical layout)
Grounded
Yes (2-pin ungrounded version also exists for double-insulated devices) Yes, both implementations
Common Regions
Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands Brazil (exclusively) and South Africa (exclusively) -- used nowhere else as a primary standard
Rated Current
10 (15A, 20A, 25A, and 32A variants also exist) A —
Rated Voltage
230 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 I vs. Type A → Compare Type I vs. Type B → Compare Type I vs. Type C → Compare Type I vs. Type D → Compare Type I vs. Type E → Compare Type I vs. Type F (Schuko) → Compare Type I vs. Type G → Compare Type I vs. Type H → Compare Type I vs. Type J → Compare Type I vs. Type K → Compare Type I vs. Type L → Compare Type I vs. Type M → Compare Type I vs. Type O →