Type I vs. Type K
Comparing 2 standards across 5 specifications. 5 key differences identified.
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.
Type K is Denmark's standard -- two round power pins plus a separate round earth pin mounted on the plug, offset from center. Used exclusively in Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands; EU accession has allowed Schuko (Type F) sockets in Danish homes since the early 1990s.
Specification Comparison Table
5 Parameters| Parameter / Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Pin Count
|
2 flat pins in an inverted V + 1 flat earth pin | 2 round power pins + 1 round/D-shaped earth pin (on the plug) |
|
Rated Current
|
10 (15A, 20A, 25A, and 32A variants also exist) A | 16 A |
|
Rated Voltage
|
230 V | 250 V |
|
Grounded
|
Yes (2-pin ungrounded version also exists for double-insulated devices) | Yes |
|
Common Regions
|
Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands | Denmark, Greenland, Faroe Islands (exhaustive -- not used elsewhere) |