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

Type K vs. Type N

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

Comparing:
Type K
Type N
Type K →

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.

View full Type K 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 K
Type N
Pin Count
2 round power pins + 1 round/D-shaped earth pin (on the plug) 3 round pins in a triangle (symmetrical layout)
Grounded
Yes Yes, both implementations
Common Regions
Denmark, Greenland, Faroe Islands (exhaustive -- not used elsewhere) 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 K vs. Type A → Compare Type K vs. Type B → Compare Type K vs. Type C → Compare Type K vs. Type D → Compare Type K vs. Type E → Compare Type K vs. Type F (Schuko) → Compare Type K vs. Type G → Compare Type K vs. Type H → Compare Type K vs. Type I → Compare Type K vs. Type J → Compare Type K vs. Type L → Compare Type K vs. Type M → Compare Type K vs. Type O →